Why is so much of the 14k gold offered today plated with yellow rhodium?

furbabylover · ‎08-24-2011

I am baffled. If a piece of jewelry is 14k gold, as advertised, why is it then plated with yellow rhodium? An example is the sleeping beauty cross they are showing this morning. I am not buying anything that is described as "resin-filled" or "hollow construction", which eliminates quite a few of the pieces. I would pay more for solid. What do you think?

VioletEyes · ‎03-12-2010

Perhaps, the yellow rhodium gives it more of an 18k gold appearance. Personally, I am not a fan of 14k gold that has been plated with this process. It often doesn't look "real." It gives a slightly off color to the jewelry piece. Although, I have seen a lot of 14k from Italy treated this way. I guess it is just a pet peeve of mine....

NiteStar · ‎03-10-2010

I would also like to know why a 14K piece would need to be plated with yellow rhodium since gold does not tarnish. And I too will never buy a piece of gold that is resin-filled. I do however have a hollow 14K rope necklace that I love (not from QVC). I've had that rope for at least 25 years and still love it.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

I saw a pair of white gold earrings I was interested in so I clicked on them & it said rhodium plating. I don't want rhodium plated because the plating is probably so thin & would eventually wear off. I searched online last night & read it's done because the shade/color of the finished product before plating is not a pleasing shade so they plate it so it has that brilliance & bling. When jewelers figured out the underlying shade didn't need to be pleasing they could just plate it. I would imagine it costs less money to make it like this. The article I read stated that years ago your grandmothers white gold ring was made with different alloys. The more wear the piece has the sooner the plating can peel. It's all about the quality of the plating. Who knows what that is with these pieces?

colliegirls · ‎05-13-2012

I know that white gold is often rhodium plated but never heard of yellow gold being plated before.

Hollow is no big deal, electroform has been around for ages and was always an expensive but light weight process.

Sammycat1 · ‎03-09-2010

It's one thing to have a white gold ring plated with rhodium on top. When done well, it's not a thin layer of rhodium and generally holds up (I have many white gold pieces -- don't wear yellow gold.)

What the Q has started to offer is 14k YELLOW gold plated with white rhodium to give a "white" look....which is far worse. It's cheaper to take inferior, plain old 14k yellow gold than the alloys needed to create good 14K white gold and slather a thin veneer of rhodium on top to make it "white gold."

Nothing will be like in was in the "old days." But this is cheap, right up there with the resin-filled business.

furbabylover · ‎08-24-2011

Thanks, Everyone, for the input. Very helpful!!!

blackhole99 · ‎08-22-2013

I have a white gold and diamond accent band ring that is rhodium plated and it's held up through much wear over many years. I have gold plated earrings that are gold plated over base metal that are over 40 years old. A well made piece of jewelry is just that and will last with normal wear.

Sakuya · ‎02-15-2011

I thought it was strange to see yellow plating over 14k gold. I am familiar with the process using white rhodium but yellow? What color is not a pleasing color of gold? I debated and debated buying a piece because of this. I did end up ordering because It drew my eye every time I saw it. I got the turquoise doublet cross enhancer. Hopefully I like it. If not, I will return it. I am skeptical of the rhodium plating. How much (or little) gold is on this pendant in the $450 range? Even after all those conversations with myself I still ordered it because I thought it was so pretty on-air. I held off on a ring. Once I get the enhancer and decide if I like it, I will buy a ring to go with it. I wanted the bangle too lol. The doublet just looks like it glows.