To make white gold stronger and give it its look, it is actually a combination of other metals, such as nickel, platinum, or palladium. To have the best white gold, you should get something that is between 10 and 18 karats.
To get the ring to be white, jewelers usually plate it with a white metal called rhodium. Like any metal, even extremely high quality, white gold can change colors over time. Here are a few reasons why:. Take your white gold to the store you purchased it, and they will place a thin coat of rhodium over the gold, returning it to the shiny white color you had originally. If you take it off before swimming and showering, the rhodium will fade slower.
Like some of us at the studio here…. Do you wear your jewelry when you jump into the pool or let it come in contact with household cleaners? Do you surf and forget you've got jewelry on and have had at least three close calls to losing your bling in the barrel?
If you answered yes to any, or all, of the above, chances are your white gold ring is turning yellow even now as you're reading this. There's no other way around it — your white gold jewelry will have to be re-plated to get that white platinum shine again. It's not a complicated process and your local jeweler should be able to do it for you.
If you purchased your ring from us, you're welcome to send it back and we'll gladly dip that piece in rhodium for you. In fact, we've done it for many of our clients.
The first re-dip is on us. Just get in touch to let us know if you need help in the whitening department, and in the meantime, feast your eyes on some glorious pieces that'll inspire you to go for the gold.
Then you'll love our love letters. Filled with exclusive offers, heart-to-heart talks, and secret sales. Get on The List. What is white gold anyway? Then how is white gold made? So why does white gold turn yellow? While some jewelry may change colors because of cheap metals or improper plating, the color-changing properties of white gold have nothing to do with its quality or price.
Although white gold is known as an affordable option for your engagement ring or other luxury jewelry, it is still quite valuable; in fact, white gold is more expensive and valuable than traditional yellow gold. Because pure gold is a soft, malleable metal that can be easily scratched or dented, jewelers mix it with a stronger metal to create something that is both elegant and wearable. The metals used to create white gold — silver, palladium, and nickel — are much more valuable than copper — the metal used to create yellow gold — making white gold the more expensive option.
Contrary to the name, white gold does not achieve its color naturally. In order to keep its white color through the years, white gold needs regular upkeep from a professional jeweler. When you see a yellow sheen on your white gold jewelry, it is not the result of oxidation or another chemical reaction, meaning the metal does not actually change color.
The outer layer of rhodium slowly wears away over time, eventually revealing the creamy-yellow color of un-plated white gold. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years for white gold to begin showing a yellow color, depending on how quickly the thin rhodium plating wears away. A wide range of factors contribute to the wear and tear of rhodium, such as how frequently the ring gets wet, the pH balance of the oils in your skin, or even the amount of pollution in the air.
Generally, the more you wear your ring, the faster the rhodium will wear away and cause the silver-white color to transition to a yellow shine. Although white gold naturally turns yellow over time, there are several steps you can take to maintain the color of your white gold jewelry at home.
One of the biggest contributors to wear and tear on jewelry is interaction with natural oils, fragrances, soaps, salt water, and chlorine. Reduce the amount of wear by taking your ring off to do laundry, shower, swim, or wash the dishes.
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