Rhodium & Gold Plating

Thick, Yellow / Rose Gold or Rhodium plating from just £35.00

Not all plating is equal. Some jewellers use FLASH gold plating to plate your jewellery, this puts an amazingly thin layer, less than 0.25 microns thick on your jewellery, just enough to cover the metal and not enough to give a lasting finish.

I use the best quality vermeil thickness gold plating which is over 2.5 microns thick, 10 times thicker than cheap plating solutions and much longer lasting. I can gold plate to 4 microns or more on request which is extremely thick and long lasting. 4 microns is a good balance of thickness, durability and cost. 10 microns is possible but very expensive.

I can restore your tarnished looking gold jewellery to its original brilliant shine by renewing the plating to its original standard in Yellow, Rose or White

Rhodium is a very white and very hard metal that is used to electro-plate white gold, white gold has a naturally yellow tint and looks a little unfinished without its rhodium plating. I Rhodium plate jewellery to 1.5 microns thickness which is more than double the standard thickness used throughout the jewellery industry.

I can Rhodium plate all white gold jewellery, in-fact I can Rhodium or Gold plate any yellow gold item too, the only downside is that all Rhodium wears off eventually so if you decide to turn your yellow gold ring white, you should expect to re Rhodium it every year or two when the yellow starts to show through again. Items that suffer less wear than rings, like pendants last considerably longer when plated. If you do physical work plating is not recommended as it will scratch off very quickly no matter how well done.

All items for plating are carefully cleaned and polished before undergoing the plating process to guarantee a mirror like finish.

Every item I plate is given a very long soak in the plating solution, most jewellery shops when Rhodium or Gold plating will give your ring a quick 20 second dip in the solution and it will look amazing, but it’s not enough time to build up a durable lasting plate. After a few months it will start to wear through. I give every item at least double the manufacturers soak time in the plating bath so it gets a thick lasting Rhodium or Gold plate.

The cost will depend on the size and area to be plated so please send me a photo and I will give you an estimate.

Plating Q&A

What jewellery can you plate?

I can plate most small items made of precious metal such as rings and small lightweight necklaces and bracelets. I do not plate large items such as large bracelets, bangles or mens necklaces, watches, sunglasses etc. I only plate jewellery.

Which metals do you plate?

I plate precious metals such as gold, silver or platinum.

Do you plate Steel or Titanium or Ferrous metals?

No, I don’t plate ferrous metals, if you check it with a magnet and it sticks I don’t plate it. I don’t plate titanium or steel.

Do you use genuine Rhodium plating? Yes, Always. You should always ask your jeweller this question as due to the massive increase in price of Rhodium (over £1k per litre) some jewellers have switched over to Platinum or Platinum/Rhodium solutions which are many times cheaper than pure Rhodium and do not have the durability that pure Rhodium is renowned for.

Will Rhodium / Gold plating hide dents and scratches? No, but all jewellery is cleaned, polished and lightly sanded to remove minor scratches, this will ensure the new plating looks bright clean and shiny. Rhodium or gold plating will NOT cover damage or fill deep scratches or dents but they can be removed by laser if necessary but this is an extra service and costs from £25 but is not necessary unless the scratches are very deep.

Can silver jewellery be Rhodium / Gold plated? Yes it can but it must be palladium plated first, palladium acts as a barrier to stop copper migrating from the silver into the Rhodium and tarnishing it. The cost of this additional step varies depending on size and complexity but on small simple items it adds about £10 to the cost.

Can costume jewellery be Rhodium / Gold plated? It depends on the metal, if it can’t be identified I don’t plate it. Some gemstones can be damaged by the plating acids and some metals can be damaged by acid. If it can be plated it must be barrier plated first, the cost for this varies so I would need to see a clear photo with some size context like a ruler/coin to give me an idea of the dimensions. Costume jewellery is often cast in brass in very complex designs which take a lot of preparation and therefore cost more to plate.

Can gem-set jewellery be plated? Most plating acids are quite weak and don’t damage genuine non organic gemstones, but some gemstones are sensitive to the acids used in the plating process such as organic stones like Pearl, Opal, Coral and Turquoise, these stones usually need removing from the jewellery if possible, this can take a lot of time and add considerable cost. Some stones such as emeralds and sapphires can be fracture filled or treated and this can be damaged by acids. Gemstones are checked under a microscope for potential problems before plating.

How much does it cost to plate a ring? It depends on the size and complexity but most small rings such as simple solitaire engagement rings and wedding bands 3mm wide and under are about £35. More complex designs cost a more. Complex rings can require a lot of preparation, please message for a quote.

Can you plate a large bangle or bracelet? Not usually.  Small chains or bracelets are no problem but large items like bangles and heavy chains can require a huge amount of plating solution which is not cost effective.

How long does Rhodium / Gold plating last? I plate to the highest standard and more than 2.5 microns thick, but how long it lasts depends on what is plated and how you wear it. All plating, no matter how thick will eventually wear through. No plated jewellery should be worn when doing physical work as the plating will scratch through quickly.

Do you plate watches? No, I only plate jewellery.

Is PVD better than gold plate? PVD is physical vapour deposition. It’s not gold. It is a method used in the jewellery industry to make an item look gold in colour without using any real gold, it is actually a yellow ceramic.

 

Return Post is from £8.95 (£750 compensation) for RM Special Delivery depending on value, size & weight.

All repairs are guaranteed for 12 Months.