topic Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too? in Jewelry

Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Blondelle — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 18:28:08 GMT

I think I might want the silver in the TSV. I remember an earlier post saying her sterling was rhodium plated. Is it? They don't mention that. Is it my monitor or does her gold plating look brassy?

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Pepper22 — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 18:41:21 GMT

As far as I know, her jewelry is rhodium plated. I have had no issue of her jewelry tarnishing. Which is another reason I like it.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Dallas-Dame — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 19:26:19 GMT

I own several pieces of Judith's silver jewelry and they are nickel-free and rhodium plated. The outcome is more of a platinum look and they simply don't tarnish. Her clad process utilizes 14K but matches precisely her 18K couture collection in color (I am fortunate to own a small collection from couture). It has a celadon hue to it so may not match other 14k or 18k collections precisely. Good luck with your decision, Blondelle. I'm wearing the TSV earrings in silver as I write and they are both comfortable and pretty.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Oneanddone — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 19:30:37 GMT

I own a lot of Judith's silver. I have for years. Nothing has ever tarnished.

I also now own a fair amount of her yellow and rose gold clad pieces.

They are perfect.

No peeling, no flaking, no tarnish, no problem with any of the pieces.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Shelbelle — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 19:42:59 GMT

I was in one of the Q outlets a few years ago, they had several Ripka pieces, all badly tarnished. The clerk told me not to buy them. I would assume they have improved the quality by now.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

kaplan206 — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 20:00:11 GMT

I have enough Qture Ripka jewelry to open an outlet and not has tarnished nor diminished the color of the metal. However, I care for my jewelry too. I make sure that the YGclad isn't constantly being rubbed, for the friction might cause problems. I also store the jewelry either in the original bags, after wiping clear with an anti-tarnish cloth, or a Lori Grenier box. I do not wear my jewelry into the shower or 24/7. I hope this helps you.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

culebra — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:34:19 GMT

Ripka's sterling is sterling, but she puts a rhodium plating on it that is tarnish free. I love the rhodium finish.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

violann — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:56:20 GMT

Silver tarnishes.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Sagal — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 15:30:25 GMT

I have had bad experience with Ripka jewelry tarnishing - it is the main reason I don't purchase it anymore. The chains I bought years ago are absolutely dull and I used windex on them as Judith suggested but it didn't really help. I have a Lori Greiner storage unit but it didn;t prevent the tarnish - I've sold almost everything I owned on eBay. No more for me.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Mindy D — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 21:16:31 GMT

Judith uses a special blue-gray coating to give her jewelry her characteristic color. I have never had her jewelry tarnish, but some of my jewelry seems to be more grey tone than other pieces. This could be due to my bathroom lighting, as a bulb is always on the fritz. She has mentioned her signature coloration, in very brief comments, she never really goes into the subject much. I wish she would talk about it. I want to know how she sets her designs apart. Jewelry, to me, is an art form, and I love to study jewelry from this standpoint. I am a science teacher with a background in geology and I love studying jewelry from the geology and chemistry standpoints, as well.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

Blondelle — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 22:40:17 GMT

Thanks! Has she always used rhodium plating or were her earlier pieces just done in plain sterling? So her gold pieces over sterling are just plated? I would think for those prices they would be vermeil, which is a heavier cladding.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

smarty — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:00:24 GMT

All metals will tarnish...that is the chemistry of nature. That said, some tarnish at a faster rate than others...Ripka's pieces are generally not prone to tarnish because of the rhodium plating. I do keep my jewelry stored in a box and use anti-tarnish strips (can find them on Amazon) from 3M. I also do use a microfiber cloth to wipe all pieces after wearing. I cannot possibly wear it all, so I tend to rotate pieces in and out of ziplock storage baggies. Keeping jewelry (except pearls and other stones that need to "breathe") in baggies helps against tarnishing. I use windex diluted with water to clean pieces, and when necessary, use a sunshine cloth for tarnish removal. Gold tarnishes as well...the green that some people get from gold against their skin is actually the metal tarnishing.

Re: Does Judith Ripka's sterling tarnish or is it plated too?

stevieb — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 03:45:10 GMT

I have quite a few pieces, mostly bought a while ago and have had no tarnish problems even among the oldest pieces.