Hormones & White Gold Engagement Rings: Color Changes Explained

Question
I have had my white gold engagement ring for a month now and have already taken it back to the jewellery shop once already due to the fact that the bottom of the ring started to change back to gold in colour!! however it has happened again now after two weeks!! I was very upset and again returned to the jewellery shop to be told as i had, had a baby 7months ago it was the reaction to my hormones and the rhodium in the white gold ring!! is this the case? or is the guy i bought it from having a laugh with me?? he said to me that in a few months it will change back to silver in colour again, he also said that the reason it only happened to the bottom of the ring because the top is platinum!! is this true?? Kind regards Laura.

Answer
Hi,

Sounds like he is pulling your chain.  What is the ring stamped as 14k, 18k or platinum?

If the solder on the bottom turns yellow then the ring must be white gold alloy plated with rhodium.  They would not solder platinum with gold they would use platinum.

It sounds to me like it needs an extra heavy rhodium plating job.  Plating is a lot like paint, it is not very thick.  There fore you can wear it off turning the white gold more yellowish.

They are not leaving your ring in the plater long enough.  Your body chemistry should have very little to no effect on gold or rhodium.  They are both very resistant to any kind of oxidation including very strong acid especially rhodium which is unaffected by aqua regia the only acid which dissolves gold and platinum.

Good luck,

Steven D.Covey