QuestionHi there,
I recently had a yellow gold pendant rhodium plated at a jewellers. The pendant is set with a very good clarity Paraiba apatite stone. When I got the pendant back the stone was cloudy. I am really upset about this but have been told that the stone could not have been damaged by the plating. Can you advise me on what might of happened in the rhodium plating process to cause this damage? Many thanks, Betty.
AnswerHi Betty. First, I am very sorry to hear about your misfortune. Second, you can be almost certain that the solution that the jeweler used to rhodium plate your pendant is responsible. Apatite is infamous for being particularly fragile. Not only is it very soft and susceptible to cleavage, but it is not stable in the presence of chemicals.
In gemology, we usually use acids as a type of litmus test for chemical stability. There is a simple reason for this. Most gemstones that survive exposure to acid will also be stable in the presence of most other chemicals.
Apatite is most certainly not chemically stable. It is also not heat or light stable, but that is not the issue in your case. Your jeweler should have known that rhodium plating solution contains either sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, or a combination of both. He should also have known that your stone should have been removed before undergoing this procedure.
Personally, I would never want to be responsible for removing and resetting apatite because of the risks involved. A stone with so many care considerations may not survive removal and resetting. But your jeweler should have told you that and refused the work. In this case, he is responsible for the cloudiness of your stone and in my opinion he owes you a new stone.
