Rhodium Plating and Impact Resistance: Can It Crack?

Question
Dear Thomas,

My finance had a custom ring made for me. After much back and forth, lost stones (b/c of faulty settings), etc., we found a well recommended jeweler who remade the ring for us.

The very first day I wore the ring, white gold w/rhodium plating, the ring clanged against a metal rail in the subway. Afterwards I noticed what is sort of a "U"-shaped mark on the band - I fear that it is a crack in the plating or a chip.

This impact with the rail was not particularly hard; I'd describe it as an everyday event.

Can it have chipped the plating? I understand rhodium is very hard - could he have used a cheaper, more fragile material instead and not have told us?

Also, he claimed he could not stamp the carats on the ring b/c of the unique rounded shape of the band. Does this sound right to you?

Thank you so much for your help. Getting this engagement ring has taken seven months and so much stress - I am so worried that something else is wrong.

Best,
Jennifer

Answer
Jennifer, I doubt that the rhodium plate cracked. Rhodium is applied to white gold simply to make the metal look whiter for the most part.  I have never seen rhodium chip, even in a ring which has been banged around much more than has yours.

If there is some fragile sort of plating the jeweler used, that would be very unusual.  Sometimes rings will be plated with palladium instead of rhodium but that is not going to chip, either. (The color is less white than rhodium.)

If the jeweler is convenient to you, perhaps a telephone call will answer your concern about the plating used.

The only chipping of plate I have seen is in very inexpensive costume jewelry which has a "chrome like" look or on a writing pen when engraved. This plating process would not be used on a white gold ring.

As for the karat stamp, what the jeweler says is possible if the band is of a fairly unusual shape. The steel stamp must be of a bent sort that will go inside the ring when struck with a hammer.  Other devices are made to mark karat qualities which are hand operated but need no strike from a hammer; these should fit most any sort of ring.

The jeweler should be able to engrave or in the least mark the karat and the jewelers mark with a small cutting bur. This would not be the neat job of a stamp but will suffice.

I do hope this helps a little. If you need more, feel free to use the follow-up option that comes with the answer.

God Bless and Peace. Thomas.  August 4,2007