White and rhodinated gold

Rhodium is a precious metal belonging to the platinum family. It turns out to be one of the rarest and most expensive metals on earth.

The use of rhodium in jewelry, mainly on white gold or silver, is a special process that gives the piece an appearance of more luster and a more intense white. Let's not forget that the natural color of gold is yellow. By means of the alloy, generally with palladium it is transformed into white gold, however the tone that is achieved is that of a light gray. The final intensity of the white color is acquired in the final rolling process by means of electrolysis on the finished piece.

For white gold or rhodanised silver jewellery, it should be known that these pieces require different care than yellow gold in order to maintain the shine and whiteness achieved in the rhodanising process for longer. Over the years or with use, the rhodination of the piece wears down, taking on a dull yellowish tone, so it is necessary to repeat it with some frequency, generally once a year, but this will depend on the care given to it.

With the correct care we will guarantee a longer life to the rolling process

STEPS TO ROLL

We polish and clean the piece with ultrasound, to do this, we submerge it for three minutes in distilled water with an anti-grease product to remove all traces of it, then we rinse the piece to remove any chemical remains and this time we submerge it in a solution of distilled water with sulfuric acid.

The article is introduced into the solution at 40º/50º of rhodium and distilled water in a proportion of 2.5/1000 approximately for one minute and we finish by rinsing it with water.

The piece is shiny and like new.

NECESSARY CARE

To prevent premature wear of rhodium, it is important to keep these tips in mind:

-Never use any chemicals on a rolled item.

-Never use toothpaste to clean it.

-Do not polish with cloths other than those indicated.

-Do not clean the piece in ultrasound as some chemicals used can wear down the rhodium more quickly

-Do not store your rhodium-plated jewelry in wooden boxes as some of the chemicals used in wood also affect rhodium.

-Avoid contact with perfumes, common detergents, acids, chemicals in general and also contact with sea water.

As a final note on this topic, it is important that we highlight that it is very common, when people see that their white gold jewel has changed color, they get scared and think that either the gold is bad, or it is not gold, etc...

There is no need to be alarmed, now they know that what has happened is that the rhodium has worn off. This wear is more frequent in rings than in any other piece of jewelry since, obviously, they are more exposed to the causes of wear, including the sweating of the hands. Simply take it to your trusted jeweler for a new rhodium plating and problem solved.