QuestionCan you tell me if my laser etched rhodium plated pendant can get tarnished and if so how do I clean it? It looked very shiny and new when purchased and within 1 month started noticing a dull appearance to it. No jewelry store in town will clean it because they are afraid they will take off the image. I found your website through the wikipedia website. Thank you for your time very appreciated! Kathy
AnswerHi, Kathy. Thanks for this question.
Whether or not the pendant may be safely cleaned depends on the way the etching is "emphasized". What in the world does that mean?! This is it: If the item has a dark patina or color in the etched areas, that is generally a fairly permanent coating but without knowing the kind of coating for the color, any strong cleaning such as an ultrasonic machine should be avoided. If there is no coloration and only etching, the item may be cleaned in a jewelers ultrasonic machine if the solution contains NO ammonia since you do not want to clean silver and some other metals in ammonia for fear of spotting, even if rhodium plated.
I see charms with single letters laser etched into silver or another metal and the balck recess is filled with a paint-like material. This black may very well wear over time or be removed while either ultrasonic or steam cleaning by a jeweler. That is possibly why jewelers are reluctant to clean the pendant.
Finer etching such as a portrait or scene on metal often is not filled with any material to "emphasize" the laser cuts. The cuts are done in a way to lend shadow to the lighting making the scene show just fine. You might want to view the etching with magnification(such as a jewelers loupe) to see the fine etching. This sort of etching should be ok with a gently cleaning in an ultasonic or a gentle wipe with a very soft jewelry cloth. A soft cloth called a "selvyt"(brandname) does well at removing surface grime with no damage to the metal. Avoid cloths with rouges or polished embedded in the cloth. You do not want to force polish resudue into the etching while attempting to clean the pendant.
To be totally safe, is there a way you can contact the maker of the pendant or perhaps the place the pendant was purchased? That contact should be able to resolve cleaning issues. The store can contact the manufacturer and tell you what sort of cleaning is safe for the item.
With some rather common methods of laser etching but with some diffent sorts of "applied color" for emphasis of the design, if yours has any color filling you best play it safe and get word from the manufacturer before using anything stronger than a soft, scratch free cloth such as the Selvyt cloth.
Tarnishing should not be happening with a rhodium plated item unless it is quite old and with years of wear! Your pendant should show no tarnish at all. Oftentimes, what appears as tarnish is simple surface oils and stuff from daily contact with the environment. Still, there should be no tarnish.
Kathy, I have to answer this question in a rather general manner. With the pendant in hand, the answer could likely be more specific. I do hope this helps a bit. Use the follow-up option to get back if you need to. Thanks again.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. August 12, 2006 10:38AM
