Why do some white gold engagement rings in Brisbane turn yellow?

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Have you purchased engagement rings or designer jewellery in Brisbane and noticed that they have turned yellow fairly quickly? Maybe over the last one to two years?

This is a common problem and most of our customers are concerned at one time or another about their designer jewellery or their engagement and wedding rings turning yellow over time. The solution of course, is rhodium plating, however this is not a ‘set and forget’ solution, because the rhodium plating eventually wears away, revealing the yellow gold underneath.

So one of the most frequently asked questions at our Design Studio concerns the issue of why does the rhodium plating wear away and how quickly does it need to be replaced. We have noticed that these issues tend to cause our customers a lot of headaches when they are purchasing wedding rings or engagement rings in Brisbane.

This is why we always discuss rhodium plating with our customers, as this is the best way to keep their white gold designer jewellery looking sparkling new. We also discuss a maintenance schedule for rhodium plating as well.

There are two factors that affect the rate at which the rhodium plating will wear away on your engagement and wedding rings in Brisbane: the thickness of the plating and the quality of the original metal.

Thickness of the rhodium plating

Firstly, the rhodium plating that is applied to wedding rings or engagement rings in Brisbane is only a very thin layer. The plating process is performed by using an electroplating system and this can only apply a very small amount of rhodium to your rings or designer jewellery – literally micron layers in thickness. This is why you need your white gold wedding and engagement rings to be rhodium plated on a regular basis, as this maintains the brilliant white colour and sparkling lustre that caught your eye when you initially made your purchase.

Quality of the original metal

The second factor (and one we see too often in Brisbane) is the quality of the original metal.  This is because the quality of the alloy can make a big difference to the frequency of rhodium plating needed to maintain a brilliant white lustra on your designer jewellery or your wedding or engagement rings.

Many of our customers who use our same day rhodium plating service tell us that they need to repeat this process far too frequently and wonder why this is happening. The problem we tell our customers – is the quality of the underlying alloy.

It is the quality of the metal alloy that causes some white gold metal wedding and engagement rings in Brisbane to appear very pale, almost yellow in appearance. It is important for you to understand that when jewellery is bought from manufacturers overseas, who sell their jewellery on the world market – the jewellery is often sold by the gram.

Therefore selling white gold engagement and wedding rings that contain a high quality alloy such as Palladium, which is very expensive, actually costs the customer a lot more than a ring manufactured using a cheaper metal alternative, for example nickel.

Considering that the alloy is rhodium plated and the cheaper alloy is not visible, the foreign manufacturer will not spend the money on more expensive alloys, as it has the potential to price them out of the market – so the cheaper alternative is always used. This is why many customers who purchase mass produced wedding rings or engagement rings in Brisbane find that they need to repeat the rhodium plating far too frequently.

Using cheaper alloys is great for retailers who cater to the mass market because it helps to maintain their profits. Customers also love to snap up a bargain and purchase engagement and wedding rings in Brisbane that appear to be the same quality as the locally manufactured equivalents, but at a much lower price – this can be very appealing.

Don’t be fooled by cheap wedding and engagement rings in Brisbane

Purchasing high quality designer jewellery, as well as wedding and engagement rings always wins out in the end. If we take palladium for example, as part of the Platinum group of metals it is a very dense and durable metal (unlike nickel which is much softer). This means that wedding and engagement rings made with palladium not only maintain a white appearance when the Rhodium plating wears off, but they also have greater longevity and resist wear and tear much better than cheaper alloys.

So when a customer believes that they have found a great deal and are saving lots of money, they end up spending on costly repairs for worn claws, lost diamonds and a constant yellow appearance when the rhodium plating wears off.

At Ashley Douglas, we only use the highest quality palladium based alloys in all of our white gold designer jewellery, wedding and engagement rings in Brisbane, ensuring the investment you make today is around for many years to come.

Keep your white gold jewellery sparkling white with our same day rhodium plating service.