Phodium plate 14k yellow necklace

[KaeKae]

Twenty years ago, I reset my mom's diamond into a yellow gold bezel set necklace. I love it and so wear it, but I cannot tell you how often in recent years I've wished I'd had it done in white gold. Today I stopped in at my local, trusted jeweler to drop off my erring (which needed to be re-rhodiumed, itself) and asked about the necklace. The owner was very kind, said they WILL do it, but really don't recommend it, as it will eventually show wear to the yellow beneath.

So, my question is: have any of you, or some one you know, had frequently worn yellow gold necklace/pendant rhodium plated? What was your experience, how did it hold up over time?

 

[KaeKae]

And, of course, the title should be Rhodium plate. Won't let me edit that.

 

[chrono]

How long it last depends on the frequency of wear and your body chemistry. For some people, it last years. For other people, it last just a few weeks.

 

[makemepretty]

I had it done on a diamond cut yellow gold butterfly pendant. It turned out beautifully. I wore it for quite a few years, then missed the yellow gold and had it turned back to yellow. A good jeweler can rhodium dip and you won't be able to tell!

 

[KaeKae]

Chrono, I know how the life of rhodium plating varies, which is why I'm asking for stories specific to a necklace, which I would think would be different than rings. Thanks!


makemepretty, thank you for sharing your experience, and I'm glad to hear you were able to turn it back to yell when you wanted it. For all I know, yellow will be all the rage again in a few years (another part why I've hesitated to go for it.)


I would love to hear from more folks who have done this to a necklace, earrings, even a bracelet, though I'd think that would get nearly as much wear as a ring.

 

[marymm]

OP - will the pendant rest against your skin or is it long enough that it will rest on top of clothing?

Also, isn't rhodium-plating fairly inexpensive (I'm thinking $45-$75 depending on size of pendant and vendor) so that even if you have to re-dip in say 2 years rather than 5 or 10 years, at least you'll be wearing/enjoying it? I just can't see the cost being that much, but it has been a while since I had anything rhodium-plated...

 

[KaeKae]

marymm, that's a good question. Yes, it does rest against the skin. And that makes sense that it would make a difference.

I agree the cost is not crazy. I don't know exactly what my jeweler would charge for the necklace, but it's going to be $60 for the ring I just dropped off. A assume the necklace won't be a lot more than that, though there must be more surface with the chain, right?

I found a picture of the necklace. The angle of the picture makes it look huge, but it's really not. The stone is 1.05ct. The bezel is thicker than I would probably have made these days, due to style and cost, but it's not crazy thick. I can measure later, I guess.

Besides the chain, the very back of the bezel rests/rubs against the skin.

 

[KaeKae]

Here's a crazy thought. I've never considered it before. Would it look bad/good/okay having just the bezel rhodium plated for a two tone look. Is that too dated? I was just thinking that the chain would wear off faster than the side of the bezel.

 

[marymm]

^ I *love* the two-tone idea - I think it would look great to just rhodium-plate the diamond bezel and have the chain remain yellow gold - for sure I don't think it would look dated... and, by the way, that chain/bezel combo is really gorgeous - elegant and simple but with some oomph with the textured chain and the pronounced bezel.

 

[KaeKae]

Thank you! This is actually the second incarnation of the necklace. The chain came from the original. I realized pretty quickly that the original design was just too ornate, so I reset into the bezel. It was the jeweler's idea to re-use the chain, which if I remember correctly, is called a bismark chain. That's probably not spelled correctly. I was so glad I took his advice.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Really lovely piece. I love the bezel of it..so substantial. I also love the 2-tone idea & I think it will look great since thats a nice chunky bezel, it will stand out for sure.

Judy

 

[Ally T]

My sister in law had her yellow gold wedding ring dipped to match a white gold eternity ring she loved. It lasted for around 12 months before needing another dip, but she wore it 24/7 - the dipping process was the only 2 times she had ever removed her ring.

 

[KaeKae]

That's good to know, Alex, thanks.

I'm thinking that I may not be too hard on the rhodium, myself. As I said before, I just took in my erring to be re-plated. This is the first time I'm doing that. I had the ring made 6 years ago this month. I didn't notice any kind of difference in the plating until maybe 3 to 3.5 years, and really only saw enough to bother me recently, thus the visit to the jeweler.

Being that this is a necklace, which doesn't get the same wear and tear, I'm really starting to lean toward getting it done.