White gold E-ring plated with nickel AND rhodium??

[Chris_Long]

Hi all, thanks so much for the wealth of info on here. Thanks to you, I've gotten a 1.15 carat AGS 0 I VS2 diamond and two GIA .25 side stones, all with crown and pavilion angles in the heart and arrow ranges, and for under $7,500 total. The diamonds look great, and I'm working with a jeweler to build a slender trellis 3-stone ring.

Having done the research to get good diamonds, I looked in to white gold alloys as well. My fiance likes the white gold look, and I thought 14K would be best for durability and whiteness, since I thought more alloys means less yellow. I don't like the idea of having to regularly replate with rhodium to cover up yellowish gold. If the rhodium plating was done well and lasted for years, this might be less of an issue. But I'm not sure how well they do it. So after doing more research, I asked the jeweler about using palladium or iridium in the gold alloy instead of nickel, and also brought up Stuller X1 or Argen ultrawhite or vanilla white as some possible brands.

He just told me they don't do those since it raises the price of the metal too much. And he suggested I nickel plate the ring first, and then plate rhodium on top of that, in order to hold the rhodium longer! This seems weird to me that I'd be putting multiple layers of other metals on top of gold, to keep it from showing. Why wouldn't I just by an alloy aluminum or nickel ring and coat it with rhodium, if the gold color is something I'm trying to hide completely? I couldn't find anything on pricescope or elsewhere online talking about nickel and rhodium plating a ring. Can you please advise me if this makes sense and if the layers of metals would bond correctly? Should I trust the jeweler, or try to find somewhere else that supplies the whiter white golds listed above? The jeweler is a diamond cutter from South Africa who has been in the business for decades and has all great reviews, and I think he's one of the more trustworthy jewelers in the area. The two-step plating just has me a little worried. Any advice from the professionals on here is greatly appreciated.

 

[bcavitt]

Our store has been using Stuller's X1 ever since it was released and it works great! Sounds like your jeweler is either blind to new technologies or too lazy to change. Cost difference is insignificant.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

It’s good that you’re looking into this, because the choice of alloy should reflect the wear-and-tear habits of the wearer. The purity of nickel wg, which is most common, has nothing to do with whiteness because it’s usually rhodium-plated. The jeweler is correct, plating is not a big deal. It’s easily done when needed. That’s where wear and tear matters. Some people only need it re-plated every few years. Others need it done annually, or more. Stuller X1 is an unplated wg. To me it resembles non-plated palladium wg. Not as high-white rhodium or silver, but just as white as some platinum alloys.

Photos and information in this article may be useful.

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry

 

[Chris_Long]

Thanks for the responses. I've read a good bit from old pricescope posts and other places online about pros, cons and appearances of different alloys and metals. The piece I haven't found anything on is doing two layers of plating on white gold, nickel first and then rhodium. Has anyone else seen or have experience with doing that?

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Not sure why one would do that (double-plate a common WG ring)? 14k WG is 58% yellow-gold that is alloyed (not plated) with nickel. That combination softens the yellow color. Nevertheless, 14k nickel WG doesn't have a true white color like platinum or silver so it is typically plated with rhodium. That rhodium plating becomes the actual "white" component of what is called “white” gold.

Nickel is used as an underlying plating for rhodium in cases where an unknown or hard-to-treat alloy requires plating. For example, if there is a vintage piece showing repair with unknown materials the restorer MAY plate with Nickel first, as Nickel adheres to nearly anything, and then add rhodium.

While I “get” that your jeweler prefers not to use Palladium WG (or X1), it’s really better suited to your situation – in my opinion – than going to the extreme of double-plating a common setting.

 

[doberman]

I see no advantage to double plating. One problem with nickel is that some people have a reaction to it. And depending on your body chemistry the rhodium plating may wear away very quickly. My rings are 18kt palladium wg plated w/rhodium, no replating. They are very white, particularly in comparison with other wg pieces I have. It is likely that another jeweler can get what you want. Consider bringing him/her the stones rather than just accepting what this jeweler works with.