A warning about white Gold

[macafee2]

If you are thinking about buying something that is white Gold particularly jewellery and especially if it is to be worn frequently this is for you.

white gold is only a plating, it is not solid. On such things as a ring, the ring may need re-plating with white gold every 6 to 12 months depending how often it is worn. Rings such as engagement or wedding may be worn every day. The cost is between £30 and £50 a time so over the years this will add up and could end up being more then the price of the ring.

macafee2

[ratchet]

Thought this was going to be about Ed Westwick

[humphshumphs]

My wedding ring is dual colour - Gold and White Gold. It's been worn now for just under 12 years, and the White Gold is still fine.

I thought White Gold was mixed with Silver?

[Nige B]

Originally Posted by ratchet

Thought this was going to be about Ed Westwick

If that is Ted ( aka Whitegold on here ), me too ..Not seen for a while ..will have to catch up over a breakfast sometime .

[ratchet]

Originally Posted by Nige B

If that is Ted ( aka Whitegold on here ), me too ..Not seen for a while ..will have to catch up over a breakfast sometime .

Nah, it's certainly not Ted.

White Gold is a very funny tv series about dodgy double glazing salesmen, set in the non pc 1980's. The star of which (Ed Westwick) has subsequently been accused of very serious sexual offences - which has led to a very expensive re-shoot of an upcoming Agatha Christie TV show.

Getting back to the OP reasons for posting - The Rhodium plating on white gold can often need re-plating, but as humpshumps has pointed out - it might not need to be done that often. My white and yellow gold wedding ring is still as new, even though it's 16 years old. Presumably it's down to the thickness and quality of the plating, as well as the wear the jewellery is subjected to.

[macafee2]

2 interesting replies.

macafee2

[trikey]

Originally Posted by Nige B

If that is Ted ( aka Whitegold on here ), me too ..Not seen for a while ..will have to catch up over a breakfast sometime .

Spoke to Ted last week, all is well with him

[RPWC]

I thought it was something to do with the paint colour,not Ted or jewellery

[wraymond]

Always thought 'white gold' was an alloy of gold of any carat and Palladium which also has a lesser but still 'golden' hint. So uncoated. Never realised it was actually plated.

[humphshumphs]

According to Wikipedia:

White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal (usually nickel, manganese, or palladium). Like yellow gold, the purity of white gold is given in karats.

White gold's properties vary depending on the metals used and their proportions. As a result, white gold alloys can be used for many different purposes; while a nickel alloy is hard and strong, and, therefore, good for rings and pins, gold-palladium alloys are soft, pliable, and good for white gold gemstone settings, sometimes with other metals, like copper, silver, and platinum, added for weight and durability (although this often requires specialized goldsmiths). The term white gold is used very loosely in the industry to describe karat gold alloys with a whitish hue. It is a common misconception that the color of the rhodium plating, which is seen on many commercial pieces, is actually the color of white gold. The term "white" covers a large spectrum of colors that borders or overlaps pale yellow, tinted brown, and even very pale rose. The jewelry industry often conceals these off-white colors by rhodium plating.

A common white gold formulation consists of 90 wt.% gold and 10 wt.% nickel. Copper can be added to increase malleability.

The strength of gold–nickel–copper alloys is caused by formation of two phases, a gold-rich Au–Cu, and a nickel-rich Ni–Cu, and the resulting hardening of the material.

The alloys used in jewelry industry are gold–palladium–silver and gold–nickel–copper–zinc. Palladium and nickel act as primary bleaching agents for gold; zinc acts as a secondary bleaching agent to attenuate the color of copper.

The nickel used in some white gold alloys can cause an allergic reaction when worn over long periods (also notably on some wristwatch casings). This reaction, typically a minor skin rash from nickel dermatitis, occurs in about one out of eight people; because of this, many countries do not use nickel in their white gold formulations.