My White Gold ring is turning Gold!!

[Jennahaik]

I was just at my jewelers and I've been having a problem with my ring. I have only had it for about a month and it is a White Gold Engagement ring with diamonds. I know it sounds crazy but my ring is now gold! I brought it to him and he said something about lotion and or make-up turning it. Does this sound right to you? It is still gold toned now and he said something about the solution he used to fix it being bad so he was going to order more and see what happens then. Please help with any info you have on this!!!!!

 

[Sierra Nevada]

I have a white gold ring with diamonds that also turns gold colored if I forget to take it off and use various shampoos or detergents/cleaners around the house. I've never bothered to have anything done about it when this happens and I'm completely in the dark when it comes to the chemistry, but for whatever reason it eventually reverts to it's white gold color after a few days of wear! Presumably I am either wearing off the gold colored outer layer or some additional chemical interaction is returning it to it's white color. I bet a chemistry buff could tell you exatly which chemical you'd need to use to turn it white again and it might be something very common or simple.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

J please search for topics on "Rhodium" plating and "white gold"

S-N your problem sounds more unusual, I have not heard of this with nearly 30 years experiance?
Are you sure of the Karat of the gold? Did you buy it in the far east?

 

[Sierra Nevada]

I haven't really considered it a problem. It's an older family ring and not especially valuable, except sentimentally. I think it's from the 1940's or 1950's, set with tiny diamonds around a central emerald cut piece of jade, and marked 14k . I don't think it is rhodium plated and it's definitely never been replated if it once was plated. I believe dandruff shampoo might be the culprit some of the time. It turns golden colored, but not deeply richly gold like I would expect of 14k gold. It seems more stained or maybe the alloy is reacting with something, but like I said it eventually looks white again even with no conscious intervention on my part.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Sounds like an under Karated Asian peice probably bought on a cruise or trip to the far east.

Try rhodium plating it if it worries you, or if you like the idea that it has a personality of its own then and enjoy.

 

[scaasi]

Sounds like your ring was originally done is yellow gold, then was Rhodium plated and sold to you as white gold!
Bring it to any other reputabl;e jeweler, they will be able to tell you right away.
It that is the case, either have the jeweler re-make it in WHITE gold, or get your money back.

scaasi

 

[BEDAZZLED]

Your ring is probably 14KT yellow gold that was dipped in rhodium.
It will always turn yellow even if you keep re-dipping it.

Although there is no such thing as white gold, there is a mixture that they use to make white gold. It will turn yellowish, but not yellow like yellow gold.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

White gold should be nickel colored.
Read the engagement ring tutorial.