White Gold Suddenly Fading

[Kath]

I have a ring that was my grandmothers that I wear everyday. I thought it was platinum for the longest time but I went to a jewelers 2 weeks ago (to look at engagement rings!) and had her look at my grandmother''s ring and she told me it was white gold. At that point, i decided I liked WG''s finish much more than platinum''s and began my search for a white golf engagement ring. I examined my ring VERY well that day and it was definitely 100% a bright shiney silver color.

Tonight I looked at my grandmother''s ring on my hand and the WHOLE underside is yellow! I was aware that the rhodium dip could wear off, but not that the whole thing would turn a pale yellow in 2 weeks! The only product that I''ve changed in the past 2 weeks is an antibacterial hand soap. Could this be causing the rhodium to fade? I don''t wear my ring to shower or clean the house, so I don''t know of what else it could be, unless it''s just normal wear and tear.

Is this yellow-changing something that happens rapidly every year, or something that should occur slowly over time? I think having to have your ring re-dipped every 6 months is a big hassle - should I pay the extra money for platinum?

P.S. The setting that I''ll be getting is a half eternity, so the white gold will only show on the underside and the prongs. Will this cause dipping complications? Will the prong color eventually turn yellow too and I''ll have to have to whole ring taken apart to be re-dipped?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Rod]

IMHO, re-rhodium plating is a pain in the "patootey!" It seems the plating wore off pretty quickly in your case, but it wore off none-the-less, which is why I don''t care for white gold. There is a white gold that is alloyed with Palladium (a member of the Platinum family) which doesn''t require rhodium plating, but it doesn''t have the heft and there (again IMHO) lacks the quality feel of Platinum to begin with.

I had a white gold ring once. I saw it being replated. They just basically drop in a solution and the rhodium just sort of attaches itself to the metal. The stones don''t need to be removed to replate a ring. I''m sure I''ve been overly simplistic, and I''m sure one of the experts out here can provide better input, but I wasn''t impressed and vowed then and then to never have such nonesense for my ring.

I don''t know if I''m helping you or not. But that''s my story and I''m sticking with it.

Good Luck!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 1/16/2006 9:02:10 PM
Author: Rod

I don''t know if I''m helping you or not. But that''s my story and I''m sticking with it.


Good Luck!

HAHA!

LOL, Rod!

I had an 18K WG setting first, and OY, whattapaininthebutt THAT was. It turned yellowish SO FAST on me... it was crazy! A local jeweler told me it was probably my body chemistry that did it. I don''t know about THAT!

I do work in a hospital and have to wash my hands 10,000 times a day, but he (the jeweler) said that had nothing to do with it.

Which or whatever, like Rod, I decided then that WG was just not for me. So... I''ve gone to PLAT and I ain''t going back!

And that''s my story and I''m sticking to it! (With Rod''s OK, I may just make that my new tagline!!!!)

 

[AndyRosse]

Depending on your body chemistry, the plating may need to be reapplied more frequently. Also, the alloys that are mixed into the gold to make it white also play a big part in whether the ring will turn a yellowish shade. I know people who have worn their WG rings for years without ever having them replated, and I know others who go routinely to the jewelers to have it done.

Also, since we are on the topic, make sure that the WG setting you choose for your e-ring does not contain nickel, as many people develop an allergy to it over the years of wearing the piece of jewelry.

As for why all of a sudden the ring seems yellow on the bottom, I have no clue. If you have been wearing this ring for a long time and just checked it two weeks ago and there were no signs of yellowing, I don''t know how it happened so fast and why it did not occur sooner (man, that is a run on sentence LOL, sorry!). Did you expose the WG to chlorine or any other chemicals?

 

[valeria101]

If yellowish is bad and it must be YG, palladium YG does not turn yellow - but slightly grayish.



My 2c

 

[ame]

I had awful whitegold experiences too and will never own it again, at least not in ring form.

 

[Kath]

On second thought (and I have no idea why I didn''t think of this before!), I had the ring re-sized about 3 weeks ago. I read somewhere else on this site that resizing can remove some of the rhodium. The reason I didn''t think of this earlier is that it was after I had it resized that I inspected it and it was stilll shining white, but maybe it just took 2-3 weeks for the rhodium to wear off after the sizing.

Is this probably the explanation?

I really don''t want to pay the extra for platinum if I don''t have to (because of the 1/2 eternity diamonds covering up the metal), but what do you all think? I want to wear the new engagement ring for the rest of my life without having to worry about its maintenance more often than a once-a-year check.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d go for platinum for your ering. Yes it is more money, but in the long run you will have less headaches and won''t have to keep going back to have it rhodium plated, which does add up over the years. Just my 0.2

Oh and please post pics of your grandmother''s ring. We would love to see it.

 

[Kath]

Here are some pictures. Now I'm understanding why it's so hard to capture a ring on camera! I also included a picture of my grandmother's ring flipped around so you could see the yellowed underside. The ring in comparison is a platinum ring I have.

I have no idea what the specs are for this ring - but I do know the stones are "real" : )

My ring size is 5 - it was originally around a size 7 before I had it resized.

 

[Kath]

Sorry I had to do them in multiple posts!

 

[Kath]

The color comparison....

 

[BrownEyes]

OMG! What a gorgeous ring!

 

[princessv]

Oh! That thing is simply gorgeous!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing!

About the WG thing..my e-ring is WG and currently getting reset because I have an allergy to the alloy.

I only wore it for about 2 months and there were some scratches on it already but it wasn''t turning yellow...maybe you''re right the resizing might have done it?

I would definitely say go with plat.

 

[Rod]

Hey Lynn......Feel free to use the line. If you do, it will give me a smile everytime I see a post from you.

Cheers..........

 

[gailrmv]

When you were at the store 2 weeks ago, did they clean the ring or do anything to it? Once, I had my original e-ring setting (which was white gold) repaired. Well, they also polished it, and did not re-plate it. I did not know at the time about rhodium plating and I couldn''t figure out what the store did to make my ring look so yellow! I wasn''t happy! Could the same thing have happened (maybe when they resized it, or when you were looking for e-rings?)
I now have a plat set for my e-ring and w-band, and so far am very pleased with it. I think it will be worth the extra money over my lifetime. Also, it feels a lot heavier and more luxurious and high quality.
On the other hand (literally) I also have a WG ring that I got in August and have worn nearly every day since. I sort of wish I had gotten it in plat, but thus far am pleased with the WG. It has not needed rhodium plating yet (in the past, I needed it every few months, so must be a better alloy). Will it stand the test of time, though? Not sure!
In summary, if you can afford it, go plat if you want to keep the same ring your whole life!

 

[AndyRosse]

I love love love that ring!

I would have it replated and see if that solves the problem for hopefully a very long time

 

[Hest88]

Get palladium white gold. It''s harder to track down but you won''t have to rhodium plate your ring.

 

[FireGoddess]

What a gorgeous ring! Now wipe that fingerprint off of the center stone!

LOL. The yellowing could have to do with the resizing, as well as your body chemistry as others have said. I had 2 links added to a bracelet wg bracelet last year. They polished the whole thing, then returned it to me. I immediately noticed it looked yellowish - they freaking polished it (removing the rhodium) and returned it to me w/o plating it....so I could bring it back to be plated and then they charged me for that. They should have dipped it before returning it. So possibly that happened with your ring when they resized it. Alternately, I know a jeweler who wears a wg ring all the time - and the back of her ring is YELLOW...her skin chemistry (and she says too much caffeine) turns it yellow really fast, so this could be the case with you as well...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Kath,

Since I know you live near Charlotte, I want to tell you that I visited a jewelry store there yesterday called the Karat Patch. They carry a beautiful selection of settings and I think I am going to have mine custom made through them. I discussed the metal issue explaining that I did not like the gray/lead look of platinum once the newness wears off and I definitely did not like replating of white gold. And he told me that I should use 18k white gold with paladium. It stays relatively shiny and white and the plating is not necessary but can be done if someone prefers the new look all the time. I talked to Bill S. there.

 

[Patty]

Wow, Kath, your sapphire ring is stunning! I bet they did not rhodium plate it when they sized it. I''d take it back and ask them to dip it.

My 3-stone ring is 18k white gold with palladium and after two years, it''s still totally white. I like the shine of white gold better than the dull grey that platinum turns. But if a ring does not have a lot of metal showing, like an eternity band, then I say get whatever you want!

 

[Kath]

Thanks for the ring comments! I did notice that fingerprint, but I was too lazy to re-take and re-upload another picture : )

I''m glad I''m getting the eternity band since not much of the metal shows so hopefully whatever I go with won''t be a huge problem. Basically, if platinum and WG were exactly the same price, I''d get platinum. I do prefer the shineyness (is that a word?) of WG, but I don''t want any hassle with the color chaning and re-dippings any more frequent than a year. But we''re on a tight budget, so price is definitely an issue.

Should I be worried about the security of the diamond if I plan on getting with WG prongs? I''ve read some things that have said to get platinum prongs and a WG band, but I''m not sure if that is available for the ring I picked.

I just want an expert to tell me what to do!
1) YES Pay more for platinum - it will last longer and WG will wither away

or

2) NO WG will be fine for everything except the dippings, which you shouldn''t have to do more than once a year

I''m going to the jewelry store this afternoon to see if my ring even comes in platinum and see how much that would cost.

Any advice on what I should do?!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Kath,

Did you see my post above? You can get 18k white gold with palladium which stays shiny and does NOT have to be dipped! And yes, it is FINE for prongs!

 

[Kath]

Diamondseeker - I did see your post - and I''m definitely considering that as well. But I read that lots of places don''t carry that kind. Am I wrong?

I know you said Karat Patch has the metal, but I think we''re going to stick with Diamonds Direct because of the wholesale prices on diamonds. I''m going to ask them this afternoon if they carry it and if it''s available for my setting, and if they have it, it will definitely be an option.

Is it the same price as WG? How does it hold up long term?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Kath,

Any good jeweler should be able to order you a ring in the style you want in any metal even if they have none in stock. If they won''t, then I would look elsewhere. White gold with palladium should not scratch as badly as platinum and there is no reason to think that it wouldn''t hold up as well as anything else. I was unhappy with platinum and regular white gold and did not know what to do until I found out about 18K palladium WG.

(I had planned ot go to Diamonds Direct yesterday but ran out of time since I stayed at Karat Patch all afternoon!).

 

[Kath]

Diamondseeker,

I will def. ask if Diamonds Direct could order my ring in palladium WG. It''s a Christopher Designs ring, so do you think it''s up to DD or Chris. Designs whether or not they offer palladium WG? I''m worried Chris. Designs just doesn''t carry the metal.

Also, is palladium WG the same price as nickel WG?

 

[Ellen]

Just a thought here. I have two rings in white gold. Never had a problem with them looking yellow, and one is 24 years old. I started looking at rings, in real life and pics on the internet, quite extensively. Like you, all of a sudden, my one ring looked tinged yellow. I freaked, then I looked at my other ring, same thing.

I pondered this a bit, and came to the conclusion that this didn''t happen overnight, but I had become sensitive to NEW white gold and it''s coloring, hence making my old WG rings show their true color.

 

[Kath]

Ellen, I might agree with you except for the fact that I throughly examined my ring 2 weeks ago and it was definitely not yellow at all (jeweler agreed and said she could see only a tiny bit of yellow on the inside of the bottom, but that the rest was perfectly white) - now it it totally yellowish.

But I''m almost positive this all has to do with the re-sizing.

 

[Rod]

I hear people talk about the dull gray patina of Platinum, and I guess I''ve missed something. After having platinum rings for over 6 years, they never developed this so-called patina or ever looked dull. Sure, I was very careful with them, but I never had the same success with my white gold rings, which scratched just as easily (at least mine did).

Perhaps white gold with Paladium solves the problem, but I''ll always prefer the luster, heft and quality feel of platinum over any other metal. When you hold a ring made with Platinum, there''s a weighted difference that immediately speaks to me. It doesn''t have to speak to you though and thank goodness we all have options that suit our particular interests.

Enjoy whatever you get!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh! We got my Tacori at the Karat Patch. We worked with Howard and he is very nice and understanding. When I had problems with my setting he did everything in his power to fix it. I do not like their cheesey ring boxes but I guess this cannot be a perfect world.

I have never been to diamonds direct but heard they are very pushy over there. I probably will stop in there in my quest for a wedding band. Now to the topic of WG gold ring. I have a WG diamond band that I wear basically everyday for the past 5 years. I only started noticing a light yellow after 3 + years. I still have to get it dipped but it is based on your body chemistry. It really doesn''t bother me that much. The top of the ring is diamonds so it is not that noticeble. With that said I do like the PLT of my e-ring. I like how heavy it is and I don''t mind the patina (though mine does not have it yet). I have seen palladium rings. They were slightly more expensive than WG but our heavier (not as heavy as PLT of course) I was thinking of getting one for FI as a wedding ring.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 1/17/2006 4:02:02 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Oh! We got my Tacori at the Karat Patch. We worked with Howard and he is very nice and understanding. When I had problems with my setting he did everything in his power to fix it. I do not like their cheesey ring boxes but I guess this cannot be a perfect world.

I have never been to diamonds direct but heard they are very pushy over there. I probably will stop in there in my quest for a wedding band. Now to the topic of WG gold ring. I have a WG diamond band that I wear basically everyday for the past 5 years. I only started noticing a light yellow after 3 + years. I still have to get it dipped but it is based on your body chemistry. It really doesn''t bother me that much. The top of the ring is diamonds so it is not that noticeble. With that said I do like the PLT of my e-ring. I like how heavy it is and I don''t mind the patina (though mine does not have it yet). I have seen palladium rings. They were slightly more expensive than WG but our heavier (not as heavy as PLT of course) I was thinking of getting one for FI as a wedding ring.

Oh, it was fun, fun, fun looking at those Tacori settings in the Karat Patch! I plan on having something simliar made. You might want to talk to Bill, the gemologist at KP, because he may have some ideas for you to custom make a band to go with your Tacori. I am having a milgrain edge and engraving done (if we ever find the diamond that is!).