Rhodium Plating (and re-plating) - Thanks for the Lucida help.

[Romeo]

First of all I would like to thank everyone for the help with the Lucida diamond questions I had (Leonid, oldminer and Cut Nut). I am leaning towards a 1.03 ct, D, VVS2, 'round' cut diamond in a white gold setting. The Lucida was nice, but this was georgeous. The diamond is a solitare necklace setting and will be an "engagement necklace". My sig. other does not like wearing rings.

My question is on rhodium plating. As I understand, the rhodium will wear (more on rings, and to a lesser extent, the necklace). When (or if) I need to re-plate the necklace and/or setting, does the diamond have to be removed from the setting to do this? My limited knowledge of plating is around electro-plating, where conductive materials are plated by creating an anode and cathode circuit inside a "bath of the plating ions". Is the rhodium plating electro-plated? (In this case, since diamonds are good insulators, I would expect it would not, and would only have to be cleaned from the bath solution).

Thanks,

Romeo

 

[pricescope]

The whole procedure of re-plating takes a few minutes so I doubt that jeweler removes the diamond. Noble metals have very negative FREE potential in the solution causing reduction of Rd on the surface from an electrolyte.

 

[Romeo]

Thanks. That makes things less worry-some.

 

[BEDAZZLED]

A jeweler told me that white gold will turn, more or less, depending on the amount of acid in the person's skin who is wearing the piece.