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Rhodium Plating to improve setting



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 15th 05, 03:59 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
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Default Rhodium Plating to improve setting

Hello all,

Here's another crazy question. I just talked to a jeweler who tells me
a solid 14k gold ring has some rhodium plating at the diamond area to
improve upon the setting strength. In other words, he says the rhodium
helps keep the diamonds secure.

This is a mens channel set diamond ring.

I've never heard of rhodium being used to strengthen a setting. Because
rhodium wears away in time, wouldn't the setting be compromised?

Am I a naive rookie and is this common or is someone telling me
something funny?


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  #2  
Old December 15th 05, 04:10 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
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Default Rhodium Plating to improve setting

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 18:59:31 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Ronald"
wrote:

Hello all,

Here's another crazy question. I just talked to a jeweler who tells me
a solid 14k gold ring has some rhodium plating at the diamond area to
improve upon the setting strength. In other words, he says the rhodium
helps keep the diamonds secure.

This is a mens channel set diamond ring.

I've never heard of rhodium being used to strengthen a setting. Because
rhodium wears away in time, wouldn't the setting be compromised?

Am I a naive rookie and is this common or is someone telling me
something funny?


Rhodium plating is commonly used behind diamond settings in order to makethat
metal very white, non-tarnishing, and somewhat more scratch resistant. It
doesn't usually improve the security of the diamond setting, but does improve,
in some cases, the appearance.

One possible exception to this might be that rhodium plating covers the white
gold with a metal that is more resistant to corrosion than nickle based white
golds can be, especially if exposed to chlorine, such as swimming pool water and
the like. This can cause, over time, stress corrosion that can weaken white
golds, but it's normally an issue with prongs, not channel settings. Butin
those cases, the rhodium plating might lessen the potentially damaging effects
of the chlorine in the water (or a couple other things that can also attack the
gold). This isn't, by the way, a major problem for most people. But thefolks
who wear the white gold jewerly while swimming at the club every day, might be
affected...

The other aspect that might be true to the statement is simply that rhodium is
indeed a harder surface than most white golds, so for at least the periodof
time while it exists on the exposed surfaces of the ring, it will slow down the
abasion and wear on the gold. Not eliminate it, but slow it for a time. Once
you've worn off the rhodium (and you will, as you note, on exposed areas,but
not in recessed ones behind the stones), then the rate at which the whitegold
will be worn down will increase.

So while one can say your jeweler was not lying, it would also be fair tosay
that he's overstating the case. The actual increase in durability of the
mounting is somewhat small, and possibly not very significant. But thereis
some increase. And certainly, the potential for the rhodium to improve the
appearance of the mounting is significant, and the main reason it's widely used.

Peter
  #3  
Old December 20th 05, 04:21 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
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Default Rhodium Plating to improve setting

It seems to me that the affect the rhodium would have on the security
of the setting would be far eclipsed by fundamental and basic stone
setting practices.

In just about everything, the application of basic fundamental
principles/practices is a necessary foundation before you can fine
tune anything. Once you have the fundamentals mastered, the fine
tuning leads you toward perfection.

This reminds me of something I learned in the Corps many years ago.
"If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with BS".

I've been absent from rec.crafts.jewelry for a while. I left an
inspection job to take a job outside jewelry in Seoul Korea. I've
finally got a shop set up here in my home and look forward to being a
small part of this community again.


  #4  
Old December 21st 05, 05:07 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
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Default Rhodium Plating to improve setting

Ronald wrote:
Hello all,

Here's another crazy question. I just talked to a jeweler who tells me
a solid 14k gold ring has some rhodium plating at the diamond area to
improve upon the setting strength. In other words, he says the rhodium
helps keep the diamonds secure.

This is a mens channel set diamond ring.

I've never heard of rhodium being used to strengthen a setting. Because
rhodium wears away in time, wouldn't the setting be compromised?

Am I a naive rookie and is this common or is someone telling me
something funny?


The jeweller in principle, may not be overstating the case, it will
depend on the thickness of the plating.
there is a parrallel here to the use of bright/hard nickel plating on
softer metals like copper , brass and the like.
This metal when plated is extremely hard and strong, in some
applications doubling the strength of the under lying metal.
As Ive mentioned before im not a stone person, but in this example ie
channel setting its unlikely to add any strength unless the setting is
very thin.
In a prong setting it might just increase the strength of the prongs
quite considerably.
 




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