QuestionThat person was incorrect in the diagnosis of the rhodium question. OLD white gold does not need to be rhodium plated because they cast the metal better in those days. That's why grandma's ring is still in good shape while people's rings nowadays may only last ten years at the longest before stones begin to fall out and needing prong work. Anyway not sure if you already figured this out or not but that was bugging me :)
AnswerIf you received an answer previously, this is revised due to errors in spellcheck, essentially. This is the same answer with corrections made. Thanks..: ) Major corrections are shown in capitol letters.
Hi, Ashley. Right off, I am not certain which rhodium question you are referencing. Apparently this is meant for someone, perhaps me or some of the audience in general. Fair enough. This is as good of way as any to address these issues and I do appreciate the question for that reason.
I must honestly disagree on some points but you do make a few fine points which have bugged me, too. What has bugged me the most? The quality of manufacturing has bugged me. Part of this has to do with style which is popular, things like the so called "micro pave" which is generally NOT classical pave but is lots of tiny diamonds set in shared prongs with the next stone, etc. Yes, even from the best makers these designs do loose stones. From the middle quality makers and lower..watch out. We will take these rings when received from a vendor and put in the ultrasonic cleaner for at least 5 minutes. This will generally show the stones which are going to quickly be lost. We catch the stones in the cleaner tank or put the jewelry in a plastic bag full of cleaning solution in the ultrasonic. These designs do bug me and to make a customer happy who has lost a stone, then another...oh my..hard to instill confidence that way.
Also, keep in mind this one odd point: White gold and swimming pools and hot tubs. Chlorine is everywhere in those, as is bromine. And, in cleaners and disinfectants for the home chlorine is there. I have no idea how prevalent it was years ago but the effects on white gold with nickel in the mix are disastrous. Was grandma in the pool or hot tub? I really don't know since being a grandma does not mean so many year ago.
Grandmas ring might be white because of the alloy used in the particular white gold it was made of. This is not the casting quality but the metal actually used. I see some 18kt white gold from old rings which is whiter today than some new rings (without rhodium). The mix was different (and 18kt at that which is 75% rich yellow gold)! Sure, some older rings simply do not stay white and begin to show yellowish tinges from the natural tarnish of karat gold. Still, the metal is white compared to yellow gold, even if not completely white.
Palladium is pushed as needing no rhodium and I actually recommend against doing that with palladium since some alloys appear to be damaged when rhodium plating is attempted. Some do well depending on a preplate and extra effort to make it work. Palladium is more of a bluish gray color and has no yellow to start with so it is not fair to rate it on the same whiteness scale used for white karat gold. The rating scale is based on yellow and how much.
Palladium does not fit the scale standards and is not white compared to the most white gold alloys, the white ones which are white without rhodium like Cobb's Precise White or the Stuller white gold called X1. (These can be found on the net.) These white gold alloys are truly white and are a compliment to the metallurgical teams of the companies developing the mixes for jewelry.
I do agree in many cases the quality of production has lessened. With higher gold prices some jewelers have dropped quality in favor of lower prices, a mistake in my humble opinion. Yet, with selective buying and a hope for the future economy, a small jeweler with an established clientele can make it and not lessen quality. There are still manufacturers out there who would please grandma with what they make and grandmas' grandkids will be happy with that inherited family heirloom. The story is not totally bleak. Yes, some cracks are seen in the market nowadays but overall a careful buyer will get the quality needed in both manufacturing and in whiteness of the white gold. The quality and color is out there if wanted to be found.
Thanks for getting me on a rant. That is not a bad thing once in a while.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. September 4, 2008
