My sister's white gold ring is turning yellow, one year after it was purchased - why?

Question

Is this normal? The jeweler says it is, but I can't imagine that people would want to buy a product that is going to change for the worse within a year. I don't know anything about white gold, and was hoping for a quick lesson. Thanks!

Answer 1

it is probably white gold plated. translation: crappy. the jeweler should take it back. my engagement ring has been on my finger for over 2 years, and it hasn't changed, and my wedding band hasn't been taken off for almost 1.5 years, and it still looks the same. the jeweler is lying.

Answer 2

my high school ring is white gold and I wore it everyday for 3 years. it is still white gold

"Gold is an element, so pure 24 karat gold is always gold colored. But jewelry is never made of 24 karat gold because it is too soft. Instead, pure gold is mixed with other metals for use in jewelry. If it is half gold and half other metals it is 12 karat. And if the other metals in the mix are white, like palladium or nickel, the 12 karat alloy can be fairly white or at least gray-white, and that is called 12 karat white gold.

If the jewelry is highly polished and as shiny as chrome, it is rhodium plated. If it is not shiny, it is probably not rhodium plated. But all jewelry that is rhodium plated should be made of white gold because as the plating wears thin in spots, the contrast with yellow gold will be unacceptable whereas with white gold you may see nothing but a faint dullness in spots when the plating wears.

I think, but I do not know, that in times past rhodium was only plated onto white gold jewelry, never onto yellow gold. I think this because I never saw otherwise, although I'm not in the jewelry industry and not in the loop. I know that today some jewelers put rhodium on yellow gold; many people including me think that this is shoddy practice but the longer it goes on and the more pervasive it becomes, the less able we are to say it's unethical. So remember where you bought it, and don't patronize a jeweler who offers rhodium plated yellow gold."

Information listed above is from the site in the url. this is not my information but from that site

Answer 3

Wikipedia: "White gold rings are frequently coated with rhodium. Rhodium is similar to platinum and shares many of its properties, including its white color. Because the natural color of white gold is light grey, rhodium plating makes white gold whiter. Plating increases luster in greyer jewelry, and prevents oxidation. Since rhodium eventually wears away, white gold should be replated with rhodium every 12 to 18 months. However, palladium and silver alloys are of a higher quality than nickel and are sometimes not coated with rhodium. Unlike silver, white gold does not tarnish."

Or your sister and others could just not purchase white gold, since it's more of a pain than anything. Silver is equally beautiful and a once a year cleaning (free at most jewelers) keeps it from tarnishing. Or there is just gold, which should also be cleaned once a year to retain it's beauty.

It's also possible that the jeweler screwed her over and didn't really sell her high quality. I'd go speak with other jewelers about it. Maybe have the man return her her money and go someplace else.

Answer 4

It was probably just electroplated in white gold. ( Which is a fancy way of saying they used electricity to stick a coat of white gold over the yellow) After it is rubbed between the fingers a while it wears off. She can take it in to most jewelers and have a new coating put on.

Answer 5

Try asking a different jeweler. That just does not seem right to me.

Answer 6

I'm not sure but it might need to be cleaned/polished or maybe its fake and the jeweler is lieing...?