MemberI had my e-ring rhodium plated before the wedding and now it and my wedding band will wear the same. I don’t want to have to sent them away often to get it done. Is there a way to slow the yellowing process?
MemberYes, take it off when you’re doing dishes, taking a shower, washing your hands, apply lotion, sanitizer, etc. That will *help* but it certainly won’t stop the fading. I’ve only had my ring since March and it’s already yellowing on the underside :-/
MemberLike PP said during cleaning, cooking & bathing/showering remove your ring. Also while swimming in pools, ect.
MemberMine’s still in great shape but I take it off as soon as I come home and it doesn’t go back on my finger until I leave the house. I agree that lotions, solvents, soaps, etc, can’t be very good at preserving the “white” part of the gold.
MemberMemberI have been wearing mine all the time. Thank you for your advice!
Member@smitten_and_giddy: No, I believe it happens to all white gold. I think all white gold is actually rhodium plated.
MemberMemberWhite gold does not exist naturally. (Link to this info all rights belong to them – http://www.pulsemed.org/white-gold-diamond-rings.htm )
It is, in fact, a manmade product. It was introduced during World War Two as a replacement for platinum. This was because platinum was officially designated as a resource for the war effort.
The properties that are so admired in white gold diamond rings, therefore, derive from the white metals used in its manufacture – alloys of palladium, silver, palladium and nickel. Nickel, however, has been known to cause unpleasant reactions in people and, so, very few white gold diamond rings today will have nickel in them. Alloys of silver are very strong and more often used in simple bands. Alloys of palladium, however, are very malleable and used more frequently for bands which hold stones such as white gold diamond rings.
White gold is actually grey steel-like in appearance. The white appearance that finished white gold diamond rings exhibit is due to electroplating with rhodium. Rhodium is used because it has strong reflective and tarnish proof qualities. After several years of wear, white gold diamond rings usually begin to show a slight yellowish discoloration. This is due to the eroding of the rhodium finish. Wearers should take their white gold diamond rings in to their jeweler to have a new coat of rhodium electroplated into their ring.
So, then, apart from the aesthetics, are there any other benefits to selecting white gold diamond rings over more conventional rings like platinum? There are, indeed. Consider the following advantages of selecting white gold diamond rings:
Member@Sweet.Sugar.Rose: everything i have read (and what our jeweler said) contradicts what you say. platinum is a stronger metal and will definitely outwear white gold.
MemberWhit gold is stronger than platinum. Platinum is supposed to “enhace” your diamond more, and it is heavier, that is the main reason why people get platinum. But platinum also gets discolored.
The price of gold has risen a lot in the last few months. My jeweler said there is not that big of a difference in pricing between gold and platinum anymore. It’s just a prefernce thing.
MemberWhit gold is stronger than platinum. Platinum is supposed to “enhace” your diamond more, and it is heavier, that is the main reason why people get platinum. But platinum also gets discolored.
The price of gold has risen a lot in the last few months. My jeweler said there is not that big of a difference in pricing between gold and platinum anymore. It’s just a prefernce thing.
MemberNot all white gold is rhodium plated. Depending on the alloy and your own body chemistry will determine how it changes. I had a white gold necklace and wore it everyday everywhere and it never changed in the 4-5 years I had it. My earrings are the same and never yellowed at all. My e-ring is palladium white gold and even though I’ve worn it everyday since March it looks the same color as the wedding bands we picked up that were rhodium plated. So it just depends on how you wear your rings. Each person will be different. Platinum dulls to a steel-like grey and gets scratched easy. Eventually it may need to be polished. White gold may or will eventually yellow (not everyone will need it) but it’s more scratch resistant. Eventually it may need to be dipped to retain the white. Both have pro and cons and require potential maintenance.
Member@kittybean: Those aren’t my words–It was from a website so I shared what they said. & Listed the link to show who this information came from. I have no clue about it other than what I have read online. 😛 So if its wrong, it certianly didn’t come out of my mouth, only my resources. I did however read on another website that platinum is stronger than white gold but scratches easier while white gold is more brittle & scratches less. Maybe that is what the other website was talking about? lol
Member@misssweet: platinum is stronger, heavier, and more durable than gold, but platinum is not as hard as gold because most gold is mixed with other alloys to increase hardness. 24k gold is absolute pure gold. it is going to be much softer and much less durable than 14k gold. 14k indicates that there are 14 parts gold out of 24 total parts (14/24). that means a 14K gold ring is 58.33% gold and 41.67% some other alloy.
platinum does get discolored and scratches easily. personally i like the idea of white gold because it can be re-dipped, so if you end up with tons of scratches over the years those can be remedied by re-dipping in rhodium.
sorry if i sound like a know it all but i just want to make sure there isn’t false information up here incase someone is debating between the two metals.
and my jeweler just posted today on facebook that gold has reached a ridiculous amount of $1682.90 per ounce.
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