Why Did My White Gold Wedding Band Change Color? - Jewelry Care & Troubleshooting

Question
My husband purchased my engagement ring and wedding band together in the US. The wedding band has the following markings 14K F(and then a symbol that looks like < with a line from the end of the bottom line going towards the center,  almost like a 1/2 open box) My engagement ring has the marking 14K  then on the other side of the ring 797 and a 6 in a circle. I always wear these together so one has not been worn longer than the other. My engagement ring is brilliant white like the day it was bought, my wedding band has taken on a slightly yellow hue though. Is it possible one of the rings is in fact overlay, not really white gold, or does my wedding band just need to be cleaned more often?  

Answer
Dear Elizabeth,

There is no such thing in nature as "white gold". Pure gold is a brassy yellow metal. "White" gold is produced by adding white metals to pure gold. Your 14 karat rings are 58.5% gold. The balance is other metals such as copper, nickel and silver. When a manufacturer completes a piece of white gold jewelry, it always has a yellowish cast. So one of the final processes is to plate the piece with a very valuable and durable metal called rhodium.

It sounds to me like one of your pieces has an excellent plating that has held up well and the other does not. Or that one of the pieces was YELLOW gold when created and was subsequently rhodium plated to make it appear white. You need to visit your jeweler for an answer and possibly a quick and inexpensive rhodium re-do.