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The secrets of rhodium jewelry

Published on August 25, 2023

What is rhodium plating? And how do you clean a rhodium-plated jewel? Here’s what you need to know about rhodium plating and what the differences are with a non-rhodium-plated jewel ♦

How many times have you read that a jewel is rhodium plated, but do not you know what that means? If you are among those (many) who do not know the meaning of the word rhodium, and what the rhodium needs, read this article. It will erases away any doubt about rhodium, but it will also teach how to clean and store jewels treated with rhodium.

A sinistra rodiature, a destra metallo opacizzato — Left rhodium plating, right opaque metal

What is it

As the word indicates, rhodium plating is a process that is used for jewels and uses a particular metal called rhodium. It is a rare, white, very durable metal. It is often used in alloy with platinum to increase the hardness of that metal. The rhodium is not only very durable, but also used to make other metals more shining. It is, however, very expensive: its price exceeds that of platinum and gold.

Anello Mezzaluna Collection in oro bianco rodiato nero e diamanti — Al Coro, Mezzaluna Collection ring in black rhodium-plated white gold and diamonds

The rhodium plating
The jewelery plating consists of covering the jewel with the thin layer of rhodium. The minimum layer thickness is 0.1 micron, the maximum 25 micron. Rhodium is often used to shine white gold and, rarely, silver: it is, in fact, a fairly expensive procedure. The method for plating a jewel is similar to what you use to cover it with the gold: it is a galvanic process. In practice, they use electricity and a bathroom where rhodium microparticles are found, covering the jewel metal with a thin layer. The result is a much brighter metal.

Anello in oro bianco e diamanti della collezione Milano di Pomellato — Ring in white gold and diamonds from the Milano collection by Pomellato

Because rhodium is used

The rhodium is used to make the shiny jewel, but also because it protects metal from corrosion and wear, and preserves its original appearance. Finally, rhodium is usually tolerated by allergic people, for example, nickel that has often been used in gold alloy. The rhodium cover prevents the skin from touching the jewel metal. Of course, if you are not allergic to rhodium …

Bracciale in argento rodiato con diamanti neri. Prezzo: 33.600 euro — Georg Jensen, rhodium silver bracelet with black diamonds

How to keep rhodium
As we have written, the plating process consists of metal covering with a thin film of rhodium. Rhodium is a durable metal, of course, but with time it all wears off. To keep the the jewel plated longer, and therefore to keep the glitter of the jewel, be careful not to rub the metal against objects that can scratch it. Also, it is not advisable to clean the metal with aggressive detergents. Better a very soft and simple water cloth, or a toothbrush, provided it does not have hard bristles.

Bracciale Annali. Diamanti, tanzanite cabochon, oro rodiato — Neha Dani, Annali bracelet. Diamonds, cabochon tanzanite, rhodium-plated gold

You can do it later?
If you have a jewel that has a few years and with a matte metal, you can turn to a jeweler to polish the metal with a rhodium. The cost depends (besides what the jeweler wants to collect) from the thickness of the metal that is added to the jewel.

Anello in argento rodiato con finitura oro e cubic zirconia bianchi — Rhodium plated silver ring with gold finish and white cubic zirconia

How to clean gold-plated jewelry

Published on January 18, 2023

Campus

Gold-plated jewels are not all the same. Discover the differences and how to clean gold-plated jewelery ♦ ︎

The proverb teaches: all that glitters is not all gold. True. Because gold jewelery often has only a small part of it. Sometimes very small: it is a thin, very thin patina of gold that covers another metal, like silver, copper or bronze. But, be careful, not all the gold covers are the same: there are more resistant or those so light that they threaten to disappear after the second dusting. So when you buy a jewel, you have to pay attention to how it is described. Because the differences are really many. And if a technical data sheet of the jewel is not provided, ask the manufacturer or retailer for the characteristics of the workmanship.

Collana in ottone placcato oro — Rosantica, collana in ottone placcato oro

Gold plated

With this technique a thin layer of gold is applied on a less expensive metal, usually copper or silver, but in some cases also bronze. On average the plating provides to cover these metals with a layer of gold of about 2 microns (ie 2 thousandths of a millimeter) that can be applied with different techniques. The most common system for obtaining plating is the immersion of the jewel in a tank filled with a solution containing metal ions to be applied, which are integrated into the surface thanks to the action of the electric current and the resulting chemical reaction, phenomenon that is called electrolysis. Naturally, the thicker the applied gold layer the more the jewel’s plating will last over time. In a nutshell: Galvanic is a technique, used mostly in the industrial field, which allows to cover a non-precious metal with a thin layer of a more precious or noble or passivable metal, exploiting the electrolytic deposition.
Tip: the gold-plated jewelry should be cleaned gently with water, a drop of soap, and dried with a soft cloth, without rubbing it with too much energy.

Gold filled

This term comes from the USA. The gold-filled jewels have the composition 14K 1/20 G.F. In practice, on the surface of the object there is a 14 carat gold layer, with a minimum of 5% to a maximum of 20% of the object’s weight. In comparison to a simple plating, in short, the gold filled jewel has a higher percentage of gold. It is therefore more difficult for a scratch to bring out the underlying metal: a jewel with this type of cover will not be easily distinguished from a jewel of only gold. But, beware: in the case of sale, its value will be lower.

Tip: You can clean a jewel made with the gold filled technique with some peace of mind: a drop of liquid soap in warm water and a toothbrush with soft bristles is enough to make the jewel clean and shiny, after drying it with a cloth cotton or, better, synthetic fabric. But be careful not to rub too hard.

Vermeil

It is a French term: the vermeil is 925 sterling silver covered with thin layers of gold. While the standard plating is about 2 microns of gold, a vermeil coating is on average 1 micron and a half. The gold used is 14 carats. Although the gold cover layer is very thin, the integration between gold and silver works very well and guarantees good resistance. Also in this case the process used is the electrolytic one.
Tip: even in this case, do not use aggressive chemicals for cleaning. Just a little bit of lukewarm water with soap and a lot of delicacy in polishing with a soft cloth.

Tous, anello in vermeil con gemme e perla

Collezione Baoli, collana con pendente in argento placcato oro — Flora Bhattacharya, collezione Baoli. Collana con pendente in argento placcato oro

Collier Aida, in ottone placcato oro. Prezzo: 1480 euro — Hervé Van der Straeten. Ottone placcato oro 24 carati

Collezione Peggy, bracciale placcato oro giallo con lapislazzulo. Prezzo: 850 dollari — Aurélie Bidermann, collezione Peggy, bracciale placcato oro giallo con lapislazzulo

All about gilding

Published on May 26, 2022

Campus

The techniques of gilding in jewelry. Here are the things to know before making a purchase and what to do to avoid damaging your jewelry with gold plating ♦

You don’t need to buy a solid gold piece to show off something gold. And there is no need to resort to jewelry plated with yellow metal. If you want to save, just choose something that has the color of gold or, better, is covered with a layer of precious metal. More or less subtle, it depends. But be careful not to ruin it: here are the things to know and how to clean your gold plated jewelry. But, first of all, what is gilding? How do you do?

Guscio di riccio di mare dorato con diamanti

The gilding

But have you ever wondered how earrings, rings and necklaces are made of steel or silver and gold-colored on the outside? The most common method of gilding is the galvanic process. It is a complicated and rather recent process: in the past, in order to make as gold the jewels made of another kind of metal, the laminating system was used, that is the application of a thin sheet of gold on the underlying surface. For this you will never find an antique jewel with a galvanic gilding. Galvanic gold plating is, in fact, a fairly recent type of electrochemical process: in the so-called galvanic bath, a thin layer of gold is adhered to a metal using electrical current.

Rosato, bracciale in argento 925%, galvanica oro rosa con cuori e cubic zirconia bianchi

This current carries positively charged gold ions and adheres to the metal of the jewels which, on the other hand, has a negative charge. The result is that a uniform and thin layer is deposited. This processing is not performed by companies that design and sell jewelry, but by specialized companies. Be careful, though: sometimes this layer is so thin that it can be very easily erased or scratched. So, be aware that not all jewels with gilding are the same: it depends on who performed the galvanic process and how thick the ionized gold layer that covers the jewel is. Obviously, a greater and more resistant gilding is reflected in the price … Any case, the gilding can be made in the classic yellow, or pink or white. But there are also galvanic processes with other metals, such as titan or silver.

Lyra, anello in argento dorato. Prezzo: 76-88 euro — Bjanca Judith, Lyra, anello in argento dorato

How to clean the jewels

Since the galvanizing process only adds a very thin layer of gold powder, the jewels made with this technique should not be rubbed against rough surfaces: it is very easy to scratch them. For cleaning, it is better to use warm and not hot water and a very soft cloth, or a toothbrush but with natural bristles. If the jewelry is very dirty, you can dissolve in the water a drop of neutral liquid soap.

The history of the galvanic process
Now it is used all over the world, but the galvanic gilding was born in Italy, in 1802. To be precise, at the University of Pavia, where Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli experimented with this procedure (not particularly for gilding jewelry), with the use of the new galvanic pile, developed by Alessandro Volta, of which Brugnatelli was a friend and collaborator. The solution used was based on gold fulminate. When you say destiny …

Bracciale in argento dorato con quarzo — Ottaviani, bracciale in argento dorato con quarzo

Orecchini della collezione Malha, in argento dorato. Prezzo: 130 euro — Liliana Guerreiro, orecchini della collezione Malha, in argento dorato

Ciondolo della collezione Blue Note, in argento dorato e lapislazzulo — Giovanni Raspini, ciondolo della collezione Blue Note, in argento dorato e lapislazzulo

Non sembra un laboratorio orafo, vero? Infatti sono i bagni galvanici della Landi, un'azienda specializzata nella doratura dei gioielli — Non sembra un laboratorio orafo, vero? Infatti sono i bagni galvanici della Landi, un’azienda specializzata nella doratura dei gioielli

Prodotti che servono per la lavorazione galvanica

The fashion jewels of Dvccio

Published on April 30, 2022

/Argento/Rings

Roberta Marinelli and Giovanni Selvi are founders and owners of the Dvccio brand. For those who are not Italian, it is necessary to specify that the name is written as it was in ancient Latin and, therefore, it is more easily pronounced as Duccio. Which is also a typical Tuscan name: in fact, Dvccio is based in Sansepolcro, near Arezzo, one of the Italian jewelry districts. Not only that: the brand is also the expression of a company that has worked for years as a supplier of chains and more: the Egr Italia Group, which gave birth to the Dvccio brand, chaired by Giovanni Selvi, while Roberta Marinelli is director delegate.

Among other things, Dvccio is also planning a brand extension with Dvccio Jewel Bag, an innovative line of jewel bags that can be personalized with your own initial. It is the same philosophy as the jewelry of the Tuscan brand, which also has a line of jewelry with the letters of the alphabet. Dvccio focuses on fashion jewelry in bronze or silver, sometimes treated with galvanic gold, enamel or semi-precious stones, handmade. The brand has already conquered its space in Italy and has appeared on foreign markets in Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, with good success.

Collana della collezione Dea con la lettera A

For news please call 6229

Published on November 5, 2019

Showroom/Argento/Rings/COLLANE

Girocollo in argento galvanica oro rosa con cubic zirconia neri e quarzo bianco idrotermale

Bijoux design and moderate prices in the catalog of 6229 Jewels, a small Milanese brand founded by Giusy Liguori ♦

Giusy Liguori, founder and designer of the newborn brand 6229 comes from fashion. He worked for brands such as Etro, Francesco Scognamiglio, Rena Lange. But then he heard the call of the origins family: his grandparents opened the jewelry in 1958. And she four years ago has opened his workshop in central Milan, just steps from the Brera district, even if the production is made in Neaples. The 6229 brand, is its presentation, “it has as its objective to create unique and special pieces to suit each individual client by providing a range of materials to create their own tailor-made jewel.”

The style is inspired at the seventies and nineties. But also, it lists the designer, to gothic, neoclassical, Deco, Art Nouveau and contemporary art, literature, architecture and installations, short films, music, indie rock, alternative, folk, grunge, artists such as Matthew Barney, Carsten Nicolai, Thomas Saraceno, the traditions of many cultures and, not least, his land with its origins in Southern Italy. Here are some of his works (that you also can purchased online) and a video, made for the launch of its collections. G.N.

Anello in argento con galvanica oro rosa e cubic zirconia neri

Orecchini arrotondati in argento martellati con galvanica oro rosa

Collana con maglia a catena, onice nero, ametista e cristallo rosa

Orecchini art déco in argento placcato oro giallo

Anello in argento con galvanica oro giallo