Is it possible to have a 14k yg tennis bracelet "dipped" white?

[SparkleFest]

I have a lovely tennis bracelet in yellow gold. I recently was blessed with my pear diamond (and some bands) in white gold, and love them. I feel odd wearing the yellow gold bracelet with the ring sets now. I don't want to wear it on my right wrist either, so I was hoping it's possible to have it "dipped" to be white gold or do they just put rhodium over the yellow? I have a good local jeweler but was hoping to get your alls helps first so I'm educated before asking them.

 

[junebug17]

I did this, and it turned out nicely - I remember it was a bit more expensive than doing a ring though. And honestly I'm not really sure, but I want to say the jeweler just dipped it in rhodium. I don't wear the bracelet a lot, but the plating has held up well.

 

[SparkleFest]

I did this, and it turned out nicely - I remember it was a bit more expensive than doing a ring though. And honestly I'm not really sure, but I want to say the jeweler just dipped it in rhodium. I don't wear the bracelet a lot, but the plating has held up well.

Thanks for that info! I did figure it would cost more as it will use up more gold or rhodium out of the solution! I would wear it again if it were white.........otherwise it just sits in the jewelry box now, and I miss it.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

My mom did this and is very happy with the results. Keep in mind, I though, that body chemistry plays a HUGE role.
My mom and I lucked out chemistry - wise.
I can only see where the plating rubbed off a wg band from stacking and the resulting friction with other bands. Other than that it's still OK on the underside and perfect on the outside after ten years. Others here talk about redipping yearly or even more frequently, because the plating is gone.

 

[SparkleFest]

My mom did this and is very happy with the results. Keep in mind, I though, that body chemistry plays a HUGE role.
My mom and I lucked out chemistry - wise.
I can only see where the plating rubbed off a wg band from stacking and the resulting friction with other bands. Other than that it's still OK on the underside and perfect on the outside after ten years. Others here talk about redipping yearly or even more frequently, because the plating is gone.

Thank you so much for sharing! I am fairly new to wearing white gold, so I don't know quite yet how fast I'll wear it off, but I figure, even if I have to re-dip yearly, that's okay, I got the bracelet pre-loved for a fabulous price! I also kind of resigned myself to the idea that white gold is going to need maintenance, that's just how it is! Wearing yellow gold, and then two rose golds a couple of years ago, I was spoiled with the no-dipping but I'm up for it!

 

[yssie]

I really wouldn’t recommend it.

Rhodium is usually used over white gold - a bright white coating over a creamy, off-white base.

If your skin does happen to be the type to cause rhodium wear... it won’t wear evenly, and wear will reveal bright yellow metal underneath - which will be a LOT more noticeable than cream/off-white. And once you plate there’s no good way to go back should you tire of the maintenance in future...

 

[SparkleFest]

I really wouldn’t recommend it.

Rhodium is usually used over white gold - a bright white coating over a creamy, off-white base.

If your skin does happen to be the type to cause rhodium wear... it won’t wear evenly, and wear will reveal bright yellow metal underneath - which will be a LOT more noticeable than cream/off-white. And once you plate there’s no good way to go back should you tire of the maintenance in future...

Thank for pointing out the other side of the issue. I'm thinking though, that with the tennis bracelet, the wearing off would happen more on the underside of the bracelet, right? Where I wouldn't see it anyway?

Can you expand on why there's no good way to go back should I desire to go yellow again? Have to admit I didn't realize that was an issue, thinking they just "strip" away the rhodium?

 

[yssie]

Thank for pointing out the other side of the issue. I'm thinking though, that with the tennis bracelet, the wearing off would happen more on the underside of the bracelet, right? Where I wouldn't see it anyway?

Can you expand on why there's no good way to go back should I desire to go yellow again? Have to admit I didn't realize that was an issue, thinking they just "strip" away the rhodium?

#1 - Yes, the wear caused by skin chemistry would happen more on the underside of the bracelet! You'd also see rhodium wear due to abrasion - most likely the prongtips, which are the most exposed parts of a tennis bracelet - every time they make contact with your clothes, the dinner table, etc., the plating degrades a little.

#2 - Unfortunately there's no way to strip it electrochemically. Manual abrasion would succeed, but it would likely not be possible to access all the nooks and crannies in the piece to do a thorough strip job. Wearing rhodium off a plain round ring or something would be a different (very doable) project.

 

[SparkleFest]

#1 - Yes, the wear caused by skin chemistry would happen more on the underside of the bracelet! You'd also see rhodium wear due to abrasion - most likely the prongtips, which are the most exposed parts of a tennis bracelet - every time they make contact with your clothes, the dinner table, etc., the plating degrades a little.

#2 - Unfortunately there's no way to strip it electrochemically. Manual abrasion would succeed, but it would likely not be possible to access all the nooks and crannies in the piece to do a thorough strip job. Wearing rhodium off a plain round ring or something would be a different (very doable) project.

Well this is so helpful. I really didn't know you couldn't go back. I think, since my new pear diamond is my "dream ring", and I'm 60 already! I won't be wearing other rings on that finger, so I think I'm fairly safe going permanently white on the bracelet. Worse case scenario, I get an additional bracelet in yg or rose gold, oh the sacrifice !! I also never wear a watch, so it wouldn't be up against that either. Thank you all so much!

 

[Fanfare]

I really didn't know you couldn't go back.

As yssie rightly noted, there are no viable methods for the direct electrochemical stripping of rhodium. Seiko (the Japanese watchmaker) did publish a patent in the early 1980s that (apparently) allows for doing so, but the documentation is so sparse (and being completely illiterate in Japanese!) that I've never attempted it in the workshop.

A more viable approach is to allow for the indirect stripping of rhodium: a thin film of nickel is first deposited on the gold substrate, and then rhodium is applied over the nickel. Where it is desired that the rhodium coating be removed, an immersion or electrochemical treatment is undertaken to strip the nickel undercoat and this causes the rhodium to flake off.

 

[the_mother_thing]

May I throw out another suggestion? Can you add a YG stacker to your set for those times you want to wear the bracelet so it would coordinate? That would seem far more easy than altering the bracelet’s metal in any way or having to maintain it with periodic replating.

 

[stracci2000]

I would not plate it. This would then give me the "vermeil" feel, which I don't like. I think metal should be solid, through and through.
As @the_mother_thing has said, just add a yellow stacker to the mix and all will coordinate.

You are thinking that the rhodium will wear off on the underside. But what about between all the moving parts? You will get yellowish color coming through all the linked areas as well.

 

[motownmama]

I was thinking that too. I wouldn’t do it. I thought about stacking it with a thin 2-tone bangle to bring everything together.

 

[SparkleFest]

May I throw out another suggestion? Can you add a YG stacker to your set for those times you want to wear the bracelet so it would coordinate? That would seem far more easy than altering the bracelet’s metal in any way or having to maintain it with periodic replating.

Thanks all for the additional comments over the weekend. the mother thing I have tried putting yg and rg in stacks with the new pear ring, and I don't like it. Something about this pear setting I think, it's very modern, sleek, and so far only other wg rings are to my liking with it.

On my skin the yellow bracelet with the very white rings/stones just looks wrong to my eyes! Tough decision to make now, as I don't want to make the beautiful bracelet look cheapish at all, or "plated" looking.