Rhodium plating of jewelry (from silver, gold and others)

Rhodium is a silver-white metal, belongs to the noble metals of the platinum group. Rhodium is also one of the few precious metals used in jewelry. It is not as a material from which jewelry is made, but it is like a coating with which finished jewelry made of silver or gold covered. They are coated with the aim of improving their qualities: it reduces wear, increases the hardness of the product, protects against scratches, and gives a bright cold shine. The process of plating items with rhodium is called - rhodium plating. The products are coated with a very thin layer (0.1 - 25 microns thick), due to the high strength of rhodium. Many jewelry workshops can provide the «rhodium plating» service (but this service is not cheap), because rhodium is a very expensive metal, about 1.5 times more expensive than gold. There was a maximum value of rhodium in 2008 , which exceeded the value of gold by 10 times.
 

Rhodium plating of silver

Pure silver is a soft white metal with the highest reflectivity. Perfectly polished without scratches, silver is shines brighter than any other precious metal. Unfortunately it is scratches easily and also interacts with the sulfur that it is present in human sweat, which causes it to turn black. Moreover, silver with a trial of less 999 contains metals it are easily oxidized and the product begins to lose original luster. It is for these cases that rhodium plating of silver is used, which will protect it from scratches, darkening and tarnishing.
 

Rhodium plating of gold

Gold is rhodium-plated for the same purpose: to protect it from scratches and tarnishing and because of the ligature it contains. But do not forget please, rhodium is not a transparent metal but a metal having a silvery white color. When coated with, the product made of gold get a silvery - white color. Many people take a mistake rhodium plated gold for white gold, but this is not the case. White gold has own color due to the content of silver, platinum, palladium or nickel as a ligature.

Important points to know about rhodium plating:

• Like any other coating, rhodium is also wears off over time, which requires a repetition of the procedure. If the product is a silver, then the abrasions are not very noticeable; in the case of gold the yellowish gaps will be visible.
• Rhodium plated jewelry items of gold, silver or any other metal has exactly the same appearance which adds some difficulty in definition the metal under the coating.