WG ring tarnishing to gray - normal?

[Enerchi]

I took photos today of my ring which was made with 18K wg with palladium alloy and dipped in rhodium, and sent them to the local jeweller who custom made the reset. Not open today, so will have to wait for a reply on Monday, but is it normal for this reaction on a ring that is only 1 1/2 months old? I take it off at night, I take it off to put lotions/creams on, I don't shower with it on, I do dishes by hand occasionally but not in boric acid (jk!) and now that it is getting cold here, I wear gloves most times that I'm outside. I don't wear it to clean house either.

I realize the rhodium plating is what gives the WG the bright white finish and I know it will wear off - but this soon? Welcoming any advice you can share, so I'm prepared to chat with the jeweller tomorrow. My hope is that they will want to correct it, but what am I doing to it that I am not aware of?

Thanks in advance...

The rings are (L - R) silver trinity ring for colour; tarnished e-ring; WG ring set at same time (but not worn daily)

 

[distracts]

Yes, it's normal. The rhodium plating wears off pretty quickly for some people. I've heard your skin chemistry can affect it, not just what you do while wearing the ring. So you're probably not doing anything wrong. If it just takes a month and a half for the rhodium plating to wear off for you, then that's how often you'll have to go in to get it re-dipped if you want the whiter finish. Kind of a crappy answer, but afaik that's the only one there is.

 

[MissStepcut]

Yes, it's normal. The rhodium plating wears off pretty quickly for some people. I've heard your skin chemistry can affect it, not just what you do while wearing the ring. So you're probably not doing anything wrong. If it just takes a month and a half for the rhodium plating to wear off for you, then that's how often you'll have to go in to get it re-dipped if you want the whiter finish. Kind of a crappy answer, but afaik that's the only one there is.

But shouldn't rhodium wearing off lear to it looking whellow?

Enerchi, it looks weird to me... Where did you get the setting?

 

[distracts]

But shouldn't rhodium wearing off lear to it looking whellow?

She said it was a palladium alloy - as far as I know, those are "whiter" than other WG alloys (at least I know a lot of the palladium WG alloys are sold as WG that doesn't need plating), and might look greyer.

 

[Enerchi]

"whellow" ?? hahahaha - yes, I was expecting a warm yellow to be revealed over time (not 1.5 months!) and not to go gray. This truly does look like a tarnished silver ring that hasn't been polished.

It was custom made locally. From my design/wax mould/polished and then mine... Kinda bummed about this. Doing google research and more PS surfing and all info talks about yellowing.



I'm not happy and I'm dreading a 'situation' with the company that made it. Probably they will be fine but I wanted to get advice from PS first, so I'm more informed when I do speak with them tomorrow.

 

[aviastar]

But shouldn't rhodium wearing off lear to it looking whellow?

She said it was a palladium alloy - as far as I know, those are "whiter" than other WG alloys (at least I know a lot of the palladium WG alloys are sold as WG that doesn't need plating), and might look greyer.

I argee; it was my understanding that palladium was of the platinum family- so yes, whiter in terms of not having the yellow base of white gold, but platinum, to me is grayer rather than the bright silver white of rhodium plating and I would also expect palladium white gold to be on the grayer side.

 

[distracts]

I found this link that says palladium white gold will be slightly gray - http://foxfirejewelers.com/White_Gold.html

 

[Enerchi]

Thank you, distracts. That was an interesting article. Hmmm, I guess gray is to be expected then. But this soon? wow. I never thought I was so 'acidic' that I would wear off a metal that quickly! "Acerbic", perhaps, but "acidic" surprises me

Still... doesn't take away that bummed out feeling

 

[yssie]

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-palladium-or-palladium-wg.146304/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-palladium-or-palladium-wg.146304/[/URL]

 

[Enerchi]

Thank you Yssie, I did find those earlier today and found them informative. Am I just destined to be replating forever - or not, depending on costs/what I can live with? Is this the future of this ring then? why is the other one - made from the same material/same jeweller/same time frame but admittedly I am only wearing that one 1/2 time - not doing this gray tarnish effect? ugh. Not impressed.

rats....

 

[aviastar]

This is a total stab in the dark- but besides the wear-time difference, the other ring also a ridge in the shank shape and the gray-ing ring is flat- so, in the picture at least, I think the reflections on the shaped band are covering up some of the graying and I would expect the highest point of the band to get the most wear and the most color change.

But mostly, I think it has to do with how much you wear the two rings. I know it's personal preference, and this is obviously a surprise (not a happy one), but I really like the look of the unplated palladium white gold. Any chance it's natural state will grow on you?

Sorry to hear this happened so quickly

 

[Enerchi]

thanks for your understanding aviastar Yes, I was TOTALLY not expecting this discolouration (gray not warm yellow) and not this soon. I'm ok w the warmth of "whellow" as MissStepcut said (that makes me chuckle each time I say or type that!!) because that would blend very nicely with my YG wedding band.

Grrrr.... I'm less than thrilled with this effect. I guess it will HAVE to grow on me.

I'm curious to see what the store has to say. No one is at fault, its just an unexpected effect I guess, but man, I was so not expecting that!

In another thread I posted earlier (Advice please - pave Wband to add as stacker to e-ring reset) I am searching for something to accompany this ring. Now - I'm getting nervous about adding anything else. I'm afraid of whatever I add being of a different alloy and then I'll have a YG band, a grayed WG, then a ??? WG pave stacker??? Yikes! My finger will look like a calico cat -HAHAHAHA

Thanks for checking things out for me. I guess this is just going to be the luck of the draw. It is what it is... (but I don't want this! I thought I'd done my research ahead of time, I thought I was prepared... Grrr... obviously not. Stupid me! )

 

[yssie]

Sorry Enerchi I hope you can grow to love it! I think a brushed finish often brings out the natural colour of a metal more - if it's the half-and-half look you don't like, but you don't object so much to the actual colour, whatever it is, maybe that's something to consider?

 

[junebug17]

Enerchi,, my rings are 14k white gold and they've never turned yellow, they eventually turn a dull gray. This is just a random idea, but maybe you could try a polishing cloth? It might brighten the metal up a bit. Sorry this has happened so soon to your ring!

 

[Enerchi]

There's an idea, Junebug! Like a silver polishing cloth? I don't have anything other than one for my silver treasures. Are there other clothes?

Do you think that cleaning my ring in the magic potion (read - cleaning fluid) would have affected the metal? Should I try an ammonia concoction or Dawn liquid? Would that improve the tarnish look?

I had more faith in a metal finish like Rhodium - I thought metal would last longer than a month and a half! I must have super powers in my skin to wear it off that fast...I should rename myself to be "SUPER FINGERS"! ROFL!!! hahahahahaha!

 

[MissStepcut]

It's funny how different people's skin reacts differently to rhodium plating. My plated WG rings only have turned slightly "whellow" at the palm-side of the shank, so at the places where door handles, etc. are probably rubbing off the rhodium. On the top and between my fingers, all of them are still that bright rhodium color. Even in the case of rings that have seen years of daily wear. Then, every once in a while a poster will come on with your experience

 

[junebug17]

There's an idea, Junebug! Like a silver polishing cloth? I don't have anything other than one for my silver treasures. Are there other clothes?

Do you think that cleaning my ring in the magic potion (read - cleaning fluid) would have affected the metal? Should I try an ammonia concoction or Dawn liquid? Would that improve the tarnish look?

I had more faith in a metal finish like Rhodium - I thought metal would last longer than a month and a half! I must have super powers in my skin to wear it off that fast...I should rename myself to be "SUPER FINGERS"! ROFL!!! hahahahahaha!

The one I have is specifically for jewelry - I'm thinking a regular polishing cloth might be a little too rough or something? I believe the one I have is from connoisseurs and I bought it in the jewelry section at Walmart. I use mine to clean vintage gold rings I buy on ebay (lots of black stuff coming off those babies!) I don't think it will hurt to give it a try.

I found this:
http://www.connoisseurs.com/jc/polishing_cloth_gold.htm

 

[Enerchi]

HEY! I own that!!! woo hoo! ... I'm going to get that out of the drawer and give it a whirl. Oh, I hope it does the trick!

 

[Enerchi]

Miss Stepcut - I am noticing even the prongs have a hint of the 'tarnish' gray effect. I'm going to give it a whirl with that polishing cloth (once i find it!) and then hope for the best.

I guess I just don't play well with this kind of metal. Wish I'd known, maybe I would have paid the extra $1000 and gone for platinum... nyah... I wouldn't have.

 

[tsavvy]

There's an idea, Junebug! Like a silver polishing cloth? I don't have anything other than one for my silver treasures. Are there other clothes?

Do you think that cleaning my ring in the magic potion (read - cleaning fluid) would have affected the metal? Should I try an ammonia concoction or Dawn liquid? Would that improve the tarnish look?

I had more faith in a metal finish like Rhodium - I thought metal would last longer than a month and a half! I must have super powers in my skin to wear it off that fast...I should rename myself to be "SUPER FINGERS"! ROFL!!! hahahahahaha!

I've had the rhodium plating come off of two of my pieces after leaving them too long (one overnight and one for several days -- oops!) in the pink "magic potion" provided by my jeweler. My other WG/rhodium pieces, which I clean at regular intervals for shorter time periods, don't seem as affected. From the photos, it looks like your rhodium has worn off fairly evenly from the prongs and areas of the ring that aren't in contact with your skin, so I would guess that the cleaning fluid, and perhaps frequency or duration of cleanings, may be accelerating rhodium removal on your ring. Either using Dawn liquid or just steam cleaning your ring with a Jewel Jet may be easier on the rhodium.

 

[distracts]

Do you think that cleaning my ring in the magic potion (read - cleaning fluid) would have affected the metal? Should I try an ammonia concoction or Dawn liquid? Would that improve the tarnish look?

If you are scrubbing it with a little brush, maybe that would have rubbed the plating off faster. I think I've read that with plated rings, you should only use a brush on the stones most of the time. But I don't think just plain cleaning solution would take it off, unless you're leaving it in there a really long time.

In my reading I also found that a typical rhodium plating thickness is 0.2-0.3 microns, which, it said, less than half the width of a hair. This same website also said that for items being worn more frequently, the rhodium plating should be 0.7-1 micron thick. I am thinking your ring probably got a very thin coating of rhodium and when you take it back you should ask for a thicker one.

I couldn't find the original site I read that at but I found these links: http://www.everything-wedding-rings.com/rhodium-plating.html
http://www.finishing.com/Shops/metalartsspecialties.jpg

I'm very sorry this happened to you and your rings don't match! I really wish that vendors disclosed the specifics of the white gold alloys they use, but in my experience, most vendors consider them "proprietary," and I have to wrangle with them up chains of management to even get someone to tell me whether or not their white gold includes nickel (important, since I'm allergic to nickel!). It would be SO much easier for the consumer if they just disclosed the alloy specifics, and showed you what your alloy looks like unplated, because then stuff like this could be more easily avoided. Though not entirely, I guess, as there is SO much variation between different kinds of white gold. But then you could have picked your setting to match your band, and wouldn't have this problem.

 

[Enerchi]

Thank you for the wealth of information, distracts and Tssavy! I feel much better prepared to chat with my jeweller tomorrow - I really appreciate your input

I have finally stopped for the day and am now going to hunt down my polishing cloth and give it a try. When I have soaked in the cleaning solution they gave me at purchase (the so called "magic potion"!) I put the rings in for about 10 - 20 minutes AT THE MOST then use the soft brush on the stones only. I'm not doing any heavy scrubbing as tho I'd be digging to the inner core (!) just lightly brushing, as tho you were cleaning a child's teeth.

They did advise me it was the palladium alloy mixed with the WG so I felt somewhat informed but I honestly was not expecting this level of discolouration - or so soon.

I'll keep you all posted as to what I find out. oh... I hope it goes smoothly... and in my favour! (crossing my fingers for luck!)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The fact that the whole ring changed color is more of an indication of it soaking in something. Normal wear results in rhodium wearing off in the spots that it gets wear, like the bottom of the shank.

I don't think it is acceptable for the ring to look like that after a month and a half. I'd for sure take it in to the jeweler. Also, don't use a polishing cloth. If you use one that has abrasive particles in it, you'll be rubbing away your metal!

 

[Enerchi]

Tid bit of hope on the horizon - jeweller agreed it was much too soon to be tarnishing and is willing to re-dip it. (woo hoo!) I did find a polishing cloth for silver and then found yet another polishing cloth specific for lacquer finishes, so I tried that one on the inside of the ring first - seemed to brighten a bit - so i did the rest of the ring. It helped slightly, but overall, it's just ... gray! I will drop the ring off and get it examined then learn to embrace discolouration!

Thanks for being out there in cyberspace and providing helpful guidance. I appreciate it!

 

[Enerchi]

After my call to the store and knowing it was okay to wait until after the holidays, I just wore my ring and focused on the sparkle, not the metal! So I actually had the time to go to the store yesterday and the sales person acknowledge 'something different' and will be sending it out to be replated. Another sales person came over and annoyed the H&77 out of me by saying (loudly) "there's nothing wrong with her ring, she is just complaining"!!! Ah... thanks....how to make me feel small and stupid and ANGRY all at the same time. Glad I never started the sale with HER!

Fortunately, the owner was on site and said it was all a 'non-issue' and to come in anytime and they will send it out. He wants me to be happy and won't charge for a replating - WHAT??? WOW!!! - and he also felt the plating should last 2 - 3 years. Whoa little buddy --- I think that's a bit extreme. I'm happy with rhodium lasting 6 months to a year, but definitely longer than the 1.5 months before it looked as it did.

Also--- this ring was custom made for me, so why is there a 'cut' or incision mark on the bottom of the ring?? They will look into that. That's just an issue that seems to bother me - there was no need to take that kind of tool to it! I'll get it back in a bit and then we start from there in terms of a time frame as to how long this will last for the plating. Owner thought it may have had some residual chemical or polished incorrectly at the time of the initial plating.

Bottom line - in a little while, I'll have my ring back looking like new and I'll be monitoring any changes closely. I'm not sure I want to go thru the replating process on a regular basis. I survived having the darker ring and it wasn't the end of the world. I may just let this ride itself out and live unplated for a while.

Just wanted to give you an update!

 

[Maisie]

I'm glad they are going to fix your ring for you. I can't believe how rude the SA was! I would have given her a piece of my mind before I left! Thats one of the benefits of being older. You get brave and tell people off for being rude

 

[Enerchi]

LOL Maisie! oh... I'm older.... I'm just not brave! I cave when confronted. I'm a wimp! I'm pretty amazed I even managed to contact and complain about this at all - it's got to be the infusion of power I get by being on the PS forums!

I blame it ALL on PS!!!

 

[yssie]

Oh my, that's awful!

I'll bet the owner and that saleswoman had a long chat after you left! And I'll bet your ring gets extra TLC, too - I imagine they'll do everything they can to make up for it and try and keep you coming back!!

 

[Maisie]

I find being older is way more fun! You should try sticking up for yourself. Its quite liberating!

 

[Enerchi]

well they *did* allow me to play in their eternity /wedding band case for a while.... that smoothed a few feathers, I can assure you!!

Who can pass up the chance to try on rings? Not I said the little red hen... (or the old married lady - whichever...)

Decided on either a 7 or 9 stone ring (not a full eternity) WG with stones from .10 - .15 range, depending on the # of stones I want. Local store will price it out for me but so far, I'm in a good place dealing with Luann at IDJ. Even with the Canadian/US shipping, duties, taxes and exchange, it is still better to buy from IDJ.

AND.... I'm hoping I'll be able to pick it up in the US at the end of the month, if a group trip I'm waiting on, comes to fruition! Then I save about $200 in extra charges to bring it up to Canada. YIPPEE!!

Thoughts on what size and #'s of stones that would work with this ring? Your input is valued!!