I am totally lost...HELP!

[dallasmom]

OK this is the thing-I don''t know much about jewelry but my friend bought a wedding ring set off of ebay and it is based with platinum-rhodium nickle free- is that good or bad? Did she make a mistake by buying this ring? Is the band fake?

 

[starryeyed]

Hi DallasMom and welcome to Pricescope!

Is the band stamped inside? That should tell you the composition of the band - if it''s platinum, sometimes it''ll say 950 PT, sometimes Irid Plat, and the newest is something like 525 PT. This refers to the purity of the platinum - whether it''s 95% pure, 90% pure, 85% pure, 52.5% pure, etc. So the remaining portion of the metal that is not PT, must be some other alloy - like iridium. I''m guessing the alloy used in your friend''s ring does not contain nickel.

Rhodium is an extremely expensive metal that is used as a coating on Platinum and 18K White Gold - it makes the Plat or the Gold super shiny. It also comes in black, which is used with things like black or brown diamond pave settings.

Check the stamp first. It there is no stamp, bring it to a jeweler to look at.

 

[dallasmom]

This is all the info that she gave me-I may have said it wrong a few min. ago. She really just wants to know has she made a mistake?

Code: DT141-6D50S-SOL-R8
1- 7mm Brilliant Cut Solitaire/ 1.25 Ctw
18- 2mm Brilliant Accents/.75 ctw
7.2 grams
Double Platinum-Rhodium Overlay Finish over Brass/ Nickel Free
Size 8

 

[niceice]

Date: 12/1/2006 10:02:18 AM
Author: starryeyed
This refers to the purity of the platinum - whether it''s 95% pure, 90% pure, 85% pure, 52.5% pure, etc. So the remaining portion of the metal that is not PT, must be some other alloy - like iridium.

By the way, I think it is interesting to note that platinum is quantified in Parts Per Thousand whereas gold is described as a percentage of a hundred. So 1000 parts platinum would be Pure Platinum. 950 Platinum is 95% platinum and 5% or 50 parts other alloys and would be indicated on the inside of the ring as PLAT, 950, 950PT if indicated at all. Note that manufacturers are not required to indicate the content of the metal with an alloy stamp, but MUST stamp the ring with their hallmark (industry term for their trademark) if they indicate the alloy content inside of the ring with a stamp... 900 Platinum would be indicated in much the same way.

Gold is measured by percentage in terms of a hundred, so 14k is in the range of 54% and might be stamped 540; 18k is around 75% and might be stamped 750; 10k is around 33%. And I''m specifically saying "in the range of" because I''m a diamond guy and don''t keep the exact percentages of gold content rolling around in my head because I''ve got books on my desk where I can look it up if I really need it. For the record, it''s like seven o''clock in the morning over here in Oregon and I just happened to get up early today and get a chance to log on, so don''t FRY me if I''m off a percent or two on the gold content percentages because I didn''t take the time to look them up specifically - the last time I said 54% our bench jeweler was all hyped up with attitude and responded with "actually, it''s like 53.99%" or something like that... so in advance, I don''t want to hear it unless you have a cup of coffee in your hand and are headed in my direction my friends

 

[ljmorgan]

Date: 12/1/2006 10:12:15 AM
Author: dallasmom
This is all the info that she gave me-I may have said it wrong a few min. ago. She really just wants to know has she made a mistake?


Code: DT141-6D50S-SOL-R8

1- 7mm Brilliant Cut Solitaire/ 1.25 Ctw

18- 2mm Brilliant Accents/.75 ctw

7.2 grams

Double Platinum-Rhodium Overlay Finish over Brass/ Nickel Free

Size 8

Well as long as she knows that the ring is not solid platinum... it''s brass that has been plated with platinum.

 

[starryeyed]

It sounds like the ring is brass with a platinum/rhodium plate, kinda like gold-plated, but with platinum/rhodium instead. It doesn''t sound like the ring is solid platinum.

I can''t tell you if your friend has made a mistake - I guess it depends on what she''s looking for and how much she is willing to spend. If she was looking for solid platinum, this probably isn''t it.

 

[ljmorgan]

I''m guessing it was an auction just like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-25ct-Wedding-Engagement-2-Ring-Set-Size-8-NR_W0QQitemZ220054040754QQihZ012QQcategoryZ92875QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It has the same code and description as what you posted. For $14.95 and with that description... yeah, everything on the ring is fake.

 

[dallasmom]

well is brass bad? She has an allergic reaction to fake jewerly it will turn her finger green-will this?
yea she bought it at an auction on ebay.

 

[starryeyed]

Hi Dallasmom. I guess it depends on the integrity of the plating. If the plating is thick enough that it won''t wear away, your friend''s finger shouldn''t turn green. However, if the plating wears away and the brass is exposed it could corrode. Brass can corrode a greenish color.

I believe why the listing mentions nickel-free is because nickel has been used to plate brass in the past, but the coating is subject to flaking. Without the nickel, there is less likelihood that the plating will flake off.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 12/1/2006 10:25:29 AM
Author: dallasmom
well is brass bad? She has an allergic reaction to fake jewerly it will turn her finger green-will this?
yea she bought it at an auction on ebay.

Lets just say she got what she paid for. The plating will eventually wear off and then you are left with just brass.