Rhodium plating yellow gold?

[NovemberBride]

Does anyone know whether it is possible to rhodium plate a piece of jewelry that is yellow gold in order to give it the appearance of white gold? Also, if it is possible, is this something that can be done while stones are mounted in the piece?

The reason I am asking is that my parents gave me a diamonds by the yard necklace in yellow gold several years ago that I very rarely wear because my e-ring and other jewelry is all white gold or platinum and I jsut do not care for the look of yellow gold. I think that if the metal in the necklace were white, this would be something that I would wear regularly, as it is sucha delicate and classic piece. I know that it was not inexpensive, so I hate that it just sits in the jewelry box.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Yes, you can have a jeweler rhodium plate yellow gold to make it appear white. It will most likely have to be replated more often than white gold, but being a necklace it probably won't get as much wear and tear as a ring would.

 

[kcoursolle]

I do not believe they need to remount it in order to rhodium plate.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I had a yellow gold solitaire that I got rhodium plated and they did not have to remove/remount the diamond.

 

[Manmountain]

It can be rhodium plated, but this will only provide a temporary fix. Rhodium plate is tough but thin. No stones need to be removed.

It is also possible to replace the yellow chain with white. I assume that the bezels are white.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

Date: 6/7/2007 12:12:40 AM
Author: Manmountain
It can be rhodium plated, but this will only provide a temporary fix. Rhodium plate is tough but thin. No stones need to be removed.


It is also possible to replace the yellow chain with white. I assume that the bezels are white.

Eeewww!! If the bezels are white, any smith can change out the sections of chain for you. Then you''d have a permanent WG necklace!!

 

[AGSHF]

I''ve had a couple of yellow gold rings rhodium plated successfully so that the entire piece ended up white. My jeweler tells me that the key to successful rhodium plating is in the polishing of the metal surface so that the rhodium can "adhere" successfully. That''s where a great deal of cost can be as well, due to the labor involved.

Rings that do not have intricate designs have good results -- my rings were bands with smooth surfaces.

A yellow gold chain will likely not be plated evenly because the difficulty/impossibility of polishing all of the surfaces. I remember my jeweler showing me a neck chain that a customer asked him to rhodium plate, and only the outside surfaces of the links were white--the results didn''t improve with more dips.

Hope that helps, but you should check with your jeweler.