White Gold

I have been receiving some great questions and comments recently and while some are very specific to the individuals writing me, others point out issues and ask questions that have become common and apply to everyone. As I did earlier in the month I am posting a question with my response.

I routinely field e-mails and we have customers in the store asking why their white gold jewelry is "turning color". If you are considering purchasing white gold jewelry, especially rings, as an alternative to platinum, you should read this.

Dave,

My husband purchased and engagement ring for me about 11 months ago. I started wearing it and after two months it turned yellow. I read the article on your website and I am trying to make sense of all this. Some places (Tiffany & Co., local Jeweler , friends) are saying that white gold should not turn yellow period. Others are saying that it will. I am Disgusted that my ring is turning yellow repeatedly and I want a refund, however, the company that it was purchased at, Blue Nile, tries to tell me that it will turn even if it is only 2 months. I have called and complained about it over and over and each person has something different to say. I just want to know the truth?! Should I fight for a refund or give in and keep my yellow ring and re-plate it every two months for the rest of my life? It just seems ridiculous to pay that much for something only for it to turn colors.

Please help!

Thank you,

Hello,

I am sorry to hear of your frustrations. Your problem has become a common one and regretfully its origins come from, as always, a lack of full disclosure to the customer at the time of sale. I hope I can be of help to you trying to make sense of what happened.

First let me explain a little bit about gold. Gold is a metal element (Au on the periodic table) that is yellow in color. Gold and copper are the only two metals that have a color other than white or gray. When you buy gold jewelry it is usually a gold alloy of some kind and its quality, or amount of gold in the alloy is expressed in “karats”. 24k or 24karat is pure gold (999.99%). 18k is an alloy with 18 parts pure gold with 6 parts other metals for a total of 24. 14k is 14 parts pure gold with 10 parts other metals and so on. Karat can also be expressed in parts out of a thousand; pure gold being 999.99 (1000), 18k being 750, 14k being 585 etc. As a very general rule – yellow gold alloys have equal amounts of copper and silver added. An example: 18k yellow gold = 18 parts gold, 3 parts copper and 3 parts silver for a total of 24 parts. It is possible to change the color of a gold alloy by changing the amount or the metals used in the alloy. Rose or pink gold has more copper in the alloy and the gold has a rich pinkish color to it. Green gold has more silver for a slightly greenish yellow color. White gold will have metals added that tend to “bleach” the yellow color out of the alloy. Nickel, zinc, platinum, palladium are some of the metals that can be used to bleach the color out of the gold alloy.

I tell my customers to think of white gold in this way; you take a yellow shirt and put it in the wash with a lot of bleach multiple times. In the end you will probably bleach most of the yellow out of that shirt and end up with, at best, a cream or light yellow colored shirt, you will not however, ever, end up with a truly white shirt.

Now to your problem: white gold is traditionally plated with rhodium (a white metal that is a relative of platinum) and when brand new a white gold ring can be indistinguishable from a platinum ring to the eye. This is misleading because the actual color of the white gold ring is not a true white, as it appears to be, but a more creamy color. The true color of the metal becomes noticeable, as you well know, after the ring has been worn awhile and the plating begins to wear off.

To further complicate matters there is a great deal of difference in the quality and “whiteness” of white gold alloys even though the karat quality may be exactly the same. The better quality white gold alloys tend to have a whiter color so that when the rhodium wears it is not as noticeable (there are even some newer alloys that don’t need rhodium to have a white look). The down side to these whiter gold alloys is that they are expensive and some can be difficult to work with. The lower quality white gold alloys generally have a more yellow cast to them and the color difference is very noticeable when rhodium plating wears away.

Having not seen the ring I cannot say for certain but my guess is that you have a fairly yellowish 18k white gold alloy. I cannot say why Tiffany’s or your local jeweler did not seem to be familiar with, or choose not to explain fully this problem, as we see it frequently. With platinum prices continuing to increase white gold jewelry sales have grown dramatically over the last few years and this problem has become widespread.

I do not blame you for being upset, I would be mad as hell, but I am not sure if you have much recourse. To me the issue is one of full disclosure; your husband was not informed that white gold is routinely plated with rhodium to improve its color and that the plating is not necessarily permanent. This is not uncommon as many stores - both bricks and mortar and internet - especially the large volume, price only focused companies, are not disclosing the issue to their customers.

At this point you have three choices: you can continue to complain to Blunile, hoping that in the interest of customer relations they will offer you a refund or allow you to exchange the ring for a platinum or palladium mounting; you could continue to have the ring re plated (although since the ring needs to be re finished each time it is plated the ring will wear out faster than it normally would); or you can have it remounted in a platinum, palladium or at the very least a better quality white gold mounting that won’t show the degree of color difference that I get the feeling yours currently does.

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com

Comments

[she]

Thank you Dave West for this very helpful information. I also encountered the same problem with my 18k white gold given by my fiance. I have it plated by rhodium last week as it becomes yellowish. Though this already happens to me, I still bought (in a different store) a 14k white gold necklace. Hope it wont turn out the same with my white gold ring...

[Karen]

I just became aware of this, but the jewelry store talks about flashing the ring which makes it look white again. What is this?

Thanks,

Hello Karen,

What the jewelry store is talking about is re-plating the ring with Rhodium. Rhodium is a relative of Platinum with a very similar color. White gold jewelry is routinely plated with rhodium to make it appear whiter than it actually is.

Dave

[cece]

hello heip pleas my ring is 14k white gold and of cource in less than a year it is dull. I am in ny and I can't find any one to apply the rodium. what do I do to bring the life back to my ring.

I am a bit surprised that you cannot find anyone to refinish and plate your ring. I would first try the company that sold it to you, if that is not possible there should be a reputable jeweler that would be will to do this kind of routine service.
Dave

[Cameron Simpson]

Dear Mr. West,
My husband and I purchased my wedding ring from a local jeweler where we will live in Florida. The ring itself is a Chad Allison design I have had it for 2 years. It is stamped 18k white gold on the inside. The prongs that hold my diamond and the band itself is turning yellow. It is very visible to the naked eye. I have read your above comments to other complaints. I am asking if the jewelers have to disclose this to you or not? I chose not to go with platinum because I know that it is softer and tends to get scrathed easier than gold, but I had no idea nor did my husband until this evening that this color change was possible. I love my wedding ring and I wear it everyday. I am not wanting to have to get this replated every two years is there any other alternative to this? Very upset in Florida.

Hi Cameron,
Unfortunately jewelers do not have to (and often don’t) disclose rhodium plating on a white gold jewelry. As I’ve written before - I feel this is a mistake on their part. Simple discloser along with information on the various options available – makes for an educated decision on the part of the customer – which is best for everybody in the long run.
Regrettably there is not much you can do at this point besides having the ring re plated every so often. You can try to extend the life of the plating by wearing the ring less, especially around the house (most damage and hard wear on jewelry occurs in the home) and keeping it clean – which is a good idea anyway.
You can also try to talk to the jeweler that sold you the ring about your dissatisfaction. Calmly and politely tell the jeweler your problem and ask for their help in resolving it.
Ideally you want to replace the mounting with one in platinum, palladium or a "tru" white gold alloy; this will cost you some money. But if you are reasonable - the jeweler, in the interest of keeping a good customer, may be willing to work out something that is fair to you both. I cannot say if the store will be willing to do anything for you – but it is worth a try.
I hope this has been of some help to you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know.
Take Care, Dave

[Cate]

Thanks for the helpful information. I have a similar problem, that is baffling me (and the local jeweler).
I wore my white gold engagement ring (also from Blue Nile) for a year and a half before I needed to take it in for replating. It looked great when they were done, but not even 3 weeks later it was yellow again... and even more yellow than before. It was even yellow on the top of my ring where it doesn't touch my skin. I showed the jeweler who replated it. He couldn't figure out why that happened, but he offered to replate it again, and the same thing happened in three weeks.
My other white gold ring (my wedding band) has never been replated, and it is still perfectly white. So what is about the replating that is making my ring turn so yellow so fast?

Hello Cate,
Without having seen the ring it is always difficult to say what the cause of a problem or its solution might be.
There are many reasons why plating might not last – it could be the age, condition or type of equipment, the amount of current used, or the amount of time the ring was in the solution. It could be that the rhodium plating solution itself is spent or contaminated.
It could have something to do with the ring not being properly refinished and cleaned –or not – I really cannot say.
There are a couple of likely reasons why there is a color difference between your wedding band and engagement ring. It could be that your wedding band is made from a “whiter” white gold alloy, so the difference in color between the rhodium and white gold is less noticeable. It is also possible that your wedding band is a “tru white alloy and was never plated to begin with or it could simply be that the plating done at the factory is heaver and therefore more lasting.
It has been my experience that the finishes on wedding bands tend to wear more evenly and somewhat less quickly (although there are plenty of exceptions – especially those with diamonds or other gems) than engagement rings. The lower profile of most wedding bands and the tendency to let them “turn” on the finger leads to more even wear. Engagement rings tend to have raised settings and the tendency is to keep the ring “centered” on the finger. This leads to quicker wear around the raised settings and the back, or bottom, of the ring.
I hope this has been of some help to you,
Dave

[Ann Hazen]

I have just purchased a 14k white gold ring and within two weeks it is already turning yellow. I have only worn it three times for evening events. I don't wear it during the day due to the setting is very high and I don't want to ruin it. At this point I would like to return the ring for a refund. I'm not sure after reading your comments on others if they will even take it back. I have had a 14k white gold ring for five years prior to purshasing this ring and have had no problems with it turning a yellow color. I would have it polish once a year and it looked great in color.If I knew this was going to happen I would of picked a different metal. Any suggestions on why this ring is turning so quickly. If I have this ring replated does it sound like this might just happen again or should I just try and return the ring and go with a different metal.
Thanks,
Ann

Hello Ann,
The “whiteness” of white gold alloys can vary quite a bit. It sounds like you have a very yellow white gold alloy with very light rhodium plating. Your other ring is probably a higher quality alloy (even though it may be the same karat quality) that is white enough so you don’t notice the difference as much as the plating wears off.
I cannot say if the store will take a return or not but it is worth a try – especially if you want to exchange it for one of a different metal.
Dave

[Judy Hunt]

What do you think of a ring that is being made with 18k white gold and palladium? Will it stay white?

Hello Judy,
With the holiday rush I apologize for not getting to your question sooner.
The white gold alloys with palladium that I am familiar with are a better quality and often need no rhodium, or if they are plated when it wears the color difference is not noticeable.
Since I don’t know anything about the ring you are asking about I cannot say for sure - but my guess would be that you are buying (or own) a better quality piece and it would be less likely that you will have problems with the color of the alloy.
Dave

[x-ray fluorescence]

Thanks for the useful information.I also encountered the same problem with my 18k white gold given by my fiance.

[tungsten carbide ring]

thank you for this very informative post.
I had the same problem like they said, What is the better solution to prevent my ring to become yellowish?

-jewel-

[Sarah]

I just rec'd a 14K white gold engagement ring. I keep seeing where the white wears off and the ring turns yellow. I actually wanted a yellow gold ring. Is there a way to replate my ring in yellow gold?

Hi Sara
It is technically possible to re plate your ring in yellow but I don’t recommend it. The results won’t be that good.
I would suggest you look into seeing if the store that sold the ring would be willing to let you trade it in for a yellow gold one.
Dave

[tungsten carbide ring]

have you already solved your problem? that ring was so especial.

by: rhianne

[silver bracelet]

My wife and I recently returned from Phoenix and after a couple of days she realized her jewelry bag that she was traveling with was nowhere to be found. She believes the jewelry was in her bag up until we got to the rental car return. She had in the bag a vintage platinum and diamond necklace, platinum and diamond bracelet with heart shapes, 2 platinum rings(one with a floral pattern and the other here wedding band with filigree work on the sides) and several pearl necklaces not to mention some random costume jewerly. Does anyone know how best to track down lost/stolen jewelry? Any recommendations on who to call in Phoenix and or Dallas to track down such items? regards

[Vintage Ring]

Hi Dave,
I have purchased a 18k White gold Bracelet 6 months ago, but now its color is turning yellow.Can you please suggest how to take care of my bracelet so that it does not loose its shining? Thank you.

Hello,
By the sounds of it the rhodium plating is wearing off your bracelet.
This is a common problem especially with high contact white gold jewelry like rings and bracelets.
Your bracelet can be refinished and re-plated, however I don’t recommend that this is done frequently because it will over work (small amounts of metal are removed each time you refinish and polish jewelry) and prematurely wear out the piece – not to mention the expense.
The best way to keep your jewelry looking good and to minimize the wear on the rhodium plating is to keep it clean (most jewelry stores will professionally clean and check your jewelry at no charge) and don’t wear your bracelet around the house, to bed or in the shower or during any rough physical activities. These steps should help extend the life of the rhodium plating as well as the jewelry itself.
Dave

[John Rodrigues]

Hi Dave, I just bought an amazing wedding ring set circa 1920's from an estate here in new england. It is marked - "M''18k. Any Idea what that hallmark means? It also has what looks like "118" Is there an email I can send a picture of it to you? Thanks! -John

[David W. Nytch, CGA]

Hi John.
The “M” on your ring is probably the trademark of the manufacturer followed by the quality stamp of the gold alloy “18K”. The “118” could be any number of things – the total weight of the diamond(s), a design or mold number etc...
Take care, Dave

[Debra Oliver]

My 14k white gold setting is turning pink.Originally it was plated in Rodium. Is it possible, or a better idea to have it plated in Palladium?

Hello Debra,
Without being able to look at the ring your question is a difficult one to answer.
What I can say is that the problem probably has more to do with the underlying gold alloy (which is being exposed as the rhodium plating wears off) than it does the plating itself. Given that – re plating in palladium or rhodium would just cover up the problem for a while longer and not get to the root of the issue.
My advice is to find a jeweler in your area that has a good shop on premises and have them take a look at your ring – they should be able to give you a better idea of what is going on.
Please let me know what you learn.
Take Care, Dave

[puma shoes]

I want to thank for that information which is provided here. I also thank the people who contribute their comments on this blog.

[Natasha Green]

Hi ya Dave

I too have a ring going yellow after only a month of wearing it - it is Rhodium plated 18ct white gold. We are very disappointed and are currently having conversations with the jeweller about the problem.

I wore it in the sea for a couple of days whilst on holiday. In your experience, should this cause any problems of contribute to the discolouring of the ring?

Thanks

Hi Natasha,
I don’t see any reason why wearing your ring in the ocean a couple of times would cause the rhodium to wear or contribute to its premature wearing.
Dave

[Rick]

Not happy with white gold, but platinum is not a possibility? Then try palladium. Palladium is naturally white, and a better choice over white gold if platinum is just not an option.

[G]

Hi Dave I bought a two toned band for my husband, the "white gold section is on the inner part of the ring and is surrounded by yellow gold, for me, its the yellow gold at the border of the white that is turning red and the surface of the ring touching his skin is looking no longer yellow, but dull red and silver. I bought it at Sonia's jewelers Have I been swindled is the ring fake? it should be 14k.

Hello G,
Unfortunately with out being able to see your ring I really cannot say what might be the cause of the discoloration – although I do have some suspicions.
Although anything is possible I doubt the ring you purchased was not 14k.
My advice is take it to the jeweler that sold you the ring and have them take a look or if they have no goldsmith try a good one in your area who can give you more information on what is going on.
Dave

[Michelle Nicol]

Hi Dave...My fiance and I were looking for a wedding ring for myself, and I have found one that I like. The ring I found says that it is Platinum Over Sterling Silver.

Here is the link so you can see the ring.

http://www.palmbeachjewelry.com/products/detail-Platinum-Over-Sterling-Silver-DiamonUltra-Cubic-Zirconia-Wedding-Ring-Set-47624.cfm

My questions are; Will the platinum strengthen the rings finish and make it last longer? Will I have to get it re-plated often? and how expensive is it generally, to get a ring of this size re-plated if necessary?

I am not a person who needs real diamonds or high priced jewelery to be happy, as long as it looks good and is of good quality, that's all that matters to me. In your opinion is this ring I'm considering, good quality and price?

Best regards,
Michelle

[rare gems]

Hi Dave,

I really enjoyed looking at your website. I too have a love of gems and learning about them. I do not have any professional learning just a passion for gorgeous gems. I really liked all the information that you had provided about the various gemstones.

[MF Lu]

Hi Dave
Firstly, apologies if you have been repeatedly asked these questions.
I have an 18K white gold engagement ring and thankfully to date, I have had no problems with it turning yellow.
However, I am a nurse and not able to wear my ring for work.
My partner and I get married next year and I am in the process of considering wedding bands.
Given the problems with white gold, I wanted to ask your opinion on Palladium? I am able to wear a plain wedding band for work and given the frequent hand washing and use of alcohol gel, in your opinion would Palladium be more hard wearing?
Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards, Lu

Hi Lu,
Although I’m not a huge fan of mixing metals in a wedding set – a palladium wedding band to wear at work is, I think, a great idea.
Both palladium and platinum are white metals that are not usually plated – so there is no color difference as the rings wear to worry about.
White gold is an alloy of gold (yellow) and other metals that are added to “bleach” the color out – but it is impossible to bleach all the yellow color out of the alloy – although some higher quality alloys do come pretty close. To make the white gold alloy appear whiter the jewelry is often plated with rhodium or occasionally with palladium or platinum. When the plating begins to wear off and the actual slightly yellowish color of the white gold alloy begins to show it is often confused with or referred to the metal “changing” color.
Both palladium and platinum are durable long lasting metals and many customers assume that means that both are also very hard. In actuality both metals are relatively soft and scratch and bend easier than white gold alloys which tend to be harder and stiffer.
Over time both metals develop a nice unique patina to them that I find attractive – but not everyone would agree.
The other advantages to palladium and platinum are the most common alloy is 95% pure (there are newer lower quality alloys being produced so it is important to check) and both are hypoallergenic – perfect for a nurse.
I hope I’ve been helpful – if you have any further questions please feel free to ask.
Dave