Help! Yellow gold problem: what is causing these spots?

[gwendolyn]

I''ve never had this problem before. I just went into my jewelry box to get the locket that J gave me for Christmas a few years ago to wear tomorrow because I will see him and he likes it when I wear it, and found spots on the front of it. I don''t know what they are, but they sort of look like rust--they''re dark brown, anyway.

I don''t have any fancy jewelry cleaner--just a little tub with I think essentially soapy water in it, which is supposed to be good for gold and diamonds. I cleaned it twice in there, but the spots are still there.

I know that sometimes gold can wear away, but I don''t wear necklaces very often, and this is on the top of the locket--the bottom, that rests against my skin, is fine.

I don''t know if there are any solutions for something I can do with household goods (as opposed to getting it replated in gold at the jeweler)--if possible, I''d like for it to be back to normal by tomorrow when I see him. I''ve attached a picture that (hopefully) shows you what I''m talking about.

 

[gwendolyn]

Nada? If this is the wrong forum, I apologize. Just figured this forum gets decent traffic (moreso than Jewelry Pieces) and it's kind of a time sensitive thing.

 

[lamer]

I am no expert, but i have had this happen to gold before. i believe it is similar to a tarnish you might see on silver, so it is oxidation like rust. the reason? it you wore it in the shower and then it stood wet, it may have turned this way but that it is because of the other metals in the gold (not the gold itself). Is it 14k? another reason could be a perfume that stayed on too long and did the same thing as water. again, i am making guesses here. the best thing to do is find out what your locket is (24k, 18k, 14k) and then if a mix, maybe apply some tarnish remover. but wait until a gold pro chimes in before you take my advice!

 

[lamer]

Gold Corrosion
Gold is the most non-reactive of all metals and is benign in all natural and industrial environments. Gold never reacts with oxygen (one of the most active elements), which means it will not rust or tarnish. Gold tarnish is very thin and shows up as a darkening of reflecting surfaces.
Compare the thermodynamic or chemical energy of metals
Gold is among the most electrically conductive of all metals. Since electricity is basically the flow of charged particles in a current, metals that are conductive allow this current to flow unimpeded. Gold is able to convey even a tiny electrical current in temperatures varying from -55° to +200° centigrade. A modern and comprehensive document on the subject is the second edition of the classic CORROSION BASICS textbook.

"Purple plague" is a brittle gold aluminum compound formed when bonding gold to aluminum. The growth of such a compound can cause failure in microelectronic interconnection bonds.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found on a website:

"Gold Tarnishing
Possible causes include: (reference)
Perspiration (everyone''s body chemistry is different, hence this is why some are more susceptible than others); for women, the time of the month can influence their body chemistry.
Perfume, hair or deodorant sprays,
Tarnishing during storage (storage boxes may contain organic sulfur compounds),
Leaching of acid/ cleaning solutions from surface microporosity from cast jewelry; this causes corrosion locally (such porosity may even trap perspiration during wear, causing local corrosion)
Preparation of vegetables such as onions and spices (many foodstuffs contain sulfur compounds and others are also acidic).

Another possible mechanism may be surface micro-porosity on the surface of investment (lost wax) cast items. This porosity may trap acids and other cleaning solutions, sprays, or perspiration and cause a local corrosion which ''creeps'' over the surface of the item.

The tarnish films formed are generally harmless although unsightly and may lead to a black smudging of the skin. Such films can be easily polished off by a jeweler to restore the bright gold color."

I say take it to any jeweler tomorrow and have them polish it to remove what they can.

 

[lamer]

my above post comes from one website. i will see if i can find anything else.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I second the polishing - I wouldn''t recommend putting anything on it just in case it isn''t solid gold. But a quick touch up by a jeweler will bring it back!

 

[lamer]

Lastly, from another search:

"People assume that gold does not tarnish. In fact, gold will tarnish and the color is yellow, or even the “rust” color you described. Why does this happen? Several reasons come to mind. The first to consider is that jewelry gold is an alloy, a mix of pure gold with other metals like copper, silver and some bits of other metals to make a metal suitable for jewelry wear. Exposure to chemicals like chlorine(swimming pools, etc.) are a leading but unknown reason. Body chemicals and salt air react to do the same thing. See below for more info.

Other reasons for tarnish on gold include “how the ring is put together”. If the settings for the diamonds were brazed into place, the culprit is likely the “solder” or brazing material ( another gold alloy) which might tend to react to chemicals in the air or from storage materials more rapidly than the gold of the ring body. If put away “as is” and not cleaned thoroughly first, body oils and dirt contain chemicals which will over time induce a bit of tarnish on gold jewelry. If such stuff is on the ring, it is t likely trapped the most around gemstones and areas where tolerances are close and can really trap such foreign matter.

SUGGESTION. First, have it cleaned by a jeweler with an ultrasonic machine followed by steaming to completely remove any dirt or oils on it.

If the rust color remains, then tarnish is the problem. Generally this can be removed with a short dip in a solution used to remove tarnish from silver! This is known in slang as “silver dip” and jewelers have the stuff as do sellers of silver tableware. The solution will emit a sulphur (eggy) odor but will remove most of the rust colored tarnish.

If this does not do the trick, it will need to be polished likely with fine soft brushes used in a rotary tool, then cleaned to remove the polishing compound. A jeweler can do this for you. "

hope this helps...

 

[gwendolyn]

Wow, lamer, thank you so much for all the info! You are a star!

I had no idea that silver polish could be used on gold. Or, no, you said a silver dip--I'm assuming they're different somehow and I wouldn't be able to do this at home? And I think probably what happened is that it got exposed to something in my jewelry box, because it was laying face-down, and it was fine the last time I had it out (probably about 6 months ago).

MonkeyPie: I looked all over for a gold stamp and couldn't find one. I know that 9K gold is pretty common in the UK, so I'm wondering if maybe it's that? Or 15K? Not sure.

Sounds like the solution is to take it to a jeweler, which is what I figured. Oh well, thank you for the replies!

 

[teacherk]

I use Connoisseurs jewelry wipes on all kinds of jewelry. They are the dry disposable cloths that come in a red plastic tub. I''ve used them to remove all sorts of tarnish and unidentified "stuff" from silver, gold and costume jewelery and never had any trouble. It polishes really well too and will help buff any tiny scratches as well. I don''t think it would hurt your locket and may be a quick fix. I keep one of the wipes in my purse for touch ups and travel. My mom had a necklace she bought in Israel and we had no idea what it was made out of or what to clean it with. She had about given up on cleaning it as it was very spotted up and tarnished. The wipes had it looking like new. Hope that helps. Good luck!

K



PS The only caution I would have is if your locket has any frosted effect or etching on it the jewelry cloths might buff that out a bit. From the picture it looks like it is more of a shiny finish though, in which case the wipes should work just fine.

 

[jewelerman]

Gwen,
Before you start appliying "cures"and polishes you must know what metal you are dealing with.The wrong cleaner could do damage so be careful please.The locket you have is either Karat gold,Vermail or gold filled.I believe its gold filled because acids will discolor gold plate and show itself with the color brown/red marks or spots.The acids in my perspiration will discolor gold filled and low karat gold like 10 karat.Because the spots are perfectly round i think that the locket has come in contact with a chemical based liquid like perfume, a house cleaning product ,or even a high amonia content jewelry cleaner that has reacted with the copper alloys in the locket and discolored it. A treated jewelry cloth should help after its been moistened...dont use a silver dip or extreme pressure because the locket is hollow and could dent or bend from too much pressure applied to the surface.Whipe you gold filled jewelry dry before storage and dont store it when its humid like a bathroom.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 6/10/2008 7:03:26 PM
Author: jewelerman
Gwen,

Before you start appliying ''cures''and polishes you must know what metal you are dealing with.The wrong cleaner could do damage so be careful please.The locket you have is either Karat gold,Vermail or gold filled.I believe its gold filled because acids will discolor gold plate and show itself with the color brown/red marks or spots.The acids in my perspiration will discolor gold filled and low karat gold like 10 karat.Because the spots are perfectly round i think that the locket has come in contact with a chemical based liquid like perfume, a house cleaning product ,or even a high amonia content jewelry cleaner that has reacted with the copper alloys in the locket and discolored it. A treated jewelry cloth should help after its been moistened...dont use a silver dip or extreme pressure because the locket is hollow and could dent or bend from too much pressure applied to the surface.Whipe you gold filled jewelry dry before storage and dont store it when its humid like a bathroom.

It''s ok, I don''t have any silver polish (this is just a dorm room essentially) and I leave for the train station to see my boyfriend really soon, so I won''t have time to pick anything up before seeing him. I will probably ask him to take me to the jewelry store where he bought it originally so I can find out what exactly the metal is and how to fix it. I was hoping to be able to do it on my own, but it didn''t work out that way. Oh well!

Thank you all for your help, I really appreciate it.

 

[Cleo]

Hi Gwendolyn!

As you know, all my stuff''s yellow gold too... and I''ve seen similar discolouration on my own jewellery - mainly if it''s not been worn and sat about in a jewellery box.

Do you own one of those dry, impregnated cloths you use for polishing silver? A quick buff with that should remove the discolouration in no time, with no damage to your jewellery.

HTH!

x x x