platinum with rhodium plating

[TLS]

Hi,

I am really confused on this. The Jeweler I bought from (been in business 70 years) coats their platinum bands with rhodium. Why would they do this - I hadn''t heard of this before. I am wondering if they do it because it makes it shinier, but I am trying to figure out why we paid substantially more for something that looks no different than the white gold .... (except to say that I probably might feel a little more secure with the platinum prongs because they are stronger). I prefer the shiny look, so i am happy about that, but i just feel like we overpaid for platinum for nothing....

It doesn''t seem like most jewelers do this....is that true? maybe they don''t want to be bothered with polishing platinum to make it shiny (isn''t it possible to make platinum shiny?)....

i was at another jewelry store and the gemologist said that sometimes they do that when it is not entirely platinum....but we paid for "platinum" and they called it that and listed it is as platinum which I didn''t think they could legally do unless it was 950 parts platinum (I could be wrong about the amount here).

My other thought is that it seems like platinum is trendy right now, so maybe they are doing this so they can provide platinum but also to allow it to be shiny?

does anyone have any thoughts on this? IS this a common practice? thanks so much

 

[Hest88]

I've heard about this before but I can't tell you how often it's done. Platinum is gray, not that silvery chrome many people like, so I think some jewelers believe rhodium will give it that shiny look people want. Naturally, I think it's a waste.

 

[msbennie]

My and DF's rings (see avatar) are platinum with no rhodium coating...which is what we preferred. They're all shiny right now but I've been told that soon they will take on a patina (don't know if spelled correctly) look...kind of like silverware does when it get older...at least this is what my appraiser told me. If we want it shiny again, my jeweler will polish it for us free of charge. Most people, from what I understand, do not get their platinum rings rhodiumed. I think it was an easy way out for your jeweler since I've been told that it takes some work to polish platinum. I'm not an expert on this just a conscientious consumer. I hope others will chime in!!

 

[msbennie]

Also, please read the recent string below titled: "Can Platinum Lose It's Shine"...... Also, I'm sure if you enter "platinum and rhodium" as a search, you'll find lots of other discussions on this board!! By the way, if you didn't ask for the rhodium, I would ask the jeweler to remove it and give your ring a good polish!!!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/can-platinum-lose-its-shine.18899/

 

[windowshopper]

that is not unheard of..........platinum becomes dull very quickly. my cartier watch in solid 18k white gold is rhodium plated..........

 

[kevinng]

My girlfriend's ring is Rhodium plated. I think it looks fine. It's nice and shiny with the plating.

I think it's a matter of taste.

However, I think it pays to give clear instructions before you send the ring for polishing. 'Market practice' varies from place to place. In Singapore, most jewelers give the rings a rhodium plate before polishing. From what is said in this forum, it appears that jewelers in the US do not give it a rhodium plate unless told to do so. It does not hurt to tell them what you want before the polish.