Rhodium Plated Engagement Rings

A lot of people today do not realise that most of the gold rings you see in magazines, on the internet and, jewellery retailers have been through the process of rhodium plating! This is a ‘dipping’ process otherwise known as ‘rhodium flashing’ in which a metal is coated in a thin layer of the metal rhodium. This is traditionally applied to pieces of jewellery, such as rings and necklaces to give the items a shiny bright white appearance similar to platinum. Rhodium is usually applied to white gold, but it can be applied to several metals and is even sometimes applied to platinum to give it an even shinier effect!

‘But what is rhodium?’ you may ask. Rhodium is a ‘transition metal’ from the platinum group, which consists of metals such as ruthenium, iridium, and palladium. As part of the ‘platinum family’ rhodium shares many of the qualities of platinum which make it ideal for use in the jewellery industry such as a hardiness which makes it resistant to general wear and tear and scratching, as well as a bright white appearance. In fact of the platinum group metals rhodium is the brightest and most reflective!

Of course the big question you need to ask when considering rhodium plating is the reasons to have it done. Many people are not used to or don’t like the natural appearance of white gold, and rhodium plating can be a great way to effectively ‘disguise’ this. Natural white gold actually has allot of warmth to its colouring with a slightly yellowy appearance. Most jewellers today don’t actually sell natural white gold wedding and engagement rings, and instead only provide items that have been rhodium plated already, so you might be a little surprised when you first see a natural gold wedding ring! If you love the appearance of platinum but feel it isn’t the right option for you, or you are worried about the cost implications rhodium plating could be a good option for your engagement ring. Rhodium plating can be applied to white gold, which will enhance the colour to give a similar bright white effect like platinum. Another great thing about rhodium is that unlike some metals it will not tarnish! Just remember though if you are considering having your wedding rings rhodium plated that this will need to reapply every now-and-then. Although rhodium is an extremely hardy metal the plating will naturally wear off. Unfortunately there is no specific timeline for how long this may take. Very often this may depend upon the lifestyle of the wearer e.g. if you have a very labour intensive job this may affect the plating.

But don’t forget, if this option does not appeal to you but you still like the idea of something of a similar quality or appearance to platinum you could choose to have a palladium wedding ring or engagement ring.