How to turn a much loved yellow gold ring white

Hard Rhodium Plating

 

Can I turn a yellow gold ring white - and will it last ?

My wife has a ring that is yellow, which was her Mum's engagement ring that she inherited from her, so a very precious ring to her and her family

But the problem is that she wears mainly white metal, be it sterling silver, white gold or platinum jewellery

She has asked me to turn her yellow gold ring into white gold

I thought that we can use her ring as an experiment and take photos in stages, before, after and then update you with the effects of wear and tear over time

 

This is the original ring made in 9 carat yellow gold, before any cleaning or making it white

 

About white gold - before we start

Most white gold is rhodium plated when new

You can't magic yellow into white - it is not possible

The white colour you see, is not actually the white gold, but the rhodium plating effect on the ring

The white gold underneath the Rhodium Plating is an off white or dusty white colour, with a hint of yellow

All gold starts off yellow, 

As implied by the word - Gold

Then it gets mixed with different colour metals to keep it yellow or turn it whiter in colour

It is not white enough to look pretty on the wearer

Therefore, it gets dipped in a tank of liquid rhodium metal 

A current of electricity is passed through it, coating the item in rhodium, which covers the dusty white gold metal

Coming out a beautiful bright white colour

 

The downside, it does not last very long, it's not permanent

We mostly see the rhodium issues with rings

This is because we wash our hands all the time, using sanitiser, moisturiser and the use of sun cream

The real killer being washing up liquid, bleach and chemical products

This is why people choose platinum, but this is not a perfect metal either

There is no such thing I'm afraid to say

Platinum is hard and yes it's normally more expensive, BUT you polish a platinum ring, so in theory, though small, you are polishing the metal away

White gold does have an advantage over platinum

Your removing the old rhodium metal that is left on the ring

Cleaning the ring

Then putting rhodium back on again - so no metal loss

 

What happens when we rhodium plate a ring ?

Firstly, we clean the ring, so that their are no impurities left on it

It then gets dipped in the liquid bath full of rhodium

A current of electricity is passed through the liquid and the rhodium metal covers the dusty white gold metal, coming out a beautiful bright white colour

 

This is the same ring after hard rhodium plating

So what have we done to the ring above ? 

The process is almost the same, with some minor differences

As before, we clean the ring, so that their are no impurities left on the metal

Instead this time, silver plating it first

Let it harden

Then again with rhodium metal on top of it

Rhodium plating it on top of the silver plating

Giving it two different layered coatings

 

And how are we experimenting ?

The ring above in the pictures has been put on the finger today 27th June 2022

We are going to re photograph it and post it periodically to show you the results at the bottom of this blog and we'll update it on our Facebook page at the same time

So check back here from time to time for new pictures of the ring

 

In Summary

Hard rhodium, would it be suitable for all rings to be turned from yellow to white looking ?

Yes and No

Yes, it would be perfect for a ring that is to be worn occasionally. ONLY for the high days -  Birthdays, Anniversary's, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Weddings, Christenings for example

The special days to remember your loved one, then to take it off again

No, it would not suit everyday wear

The ring photographed in the above experiment is a test for a ring that is being worn everyday, BUT with strict instructions - it's taken off the finger every time hands are washed, no washing up liquid, no moisturisers, no cleaning products, no showering, bathing, no sand on holiday, no sun creams

 

How much does it cost ?

To re rhodium for a white gold ring is £35.00

To turn a yellow gold to white looking with the above process is £110.00

 

How long does it take ?

A week to ten days to re rhodium a white gold ring

To work our magic, approximately three weeks for a ring to turn from yellow looking to white looking

 

Can it be reversed ?

Yes,

All we need to do is strip off the old rhodium

Then clean and polish the ring 

This process would take approximately two weeks at a cost of £55.00

 

Do I need to book a ring in for an appointment ?

No, when you are next passing, pop your ring into us and we can talk you through the process, with no obligation

 

When are we open ?

Monday - Saturday 10 am to 4 pm (excluding Bank Holidays)