A Brief Guide to Rhodium Plated Jewelry

What is Rhodium?

Rhodium is a naturally occurring element and a precious metal.

As of writing this post, rhodium is valued at $4,650 per troy ounce while gold is worth $2,405 per troy ounce. This makes rhodium the most valuable precious metal in the world.

Yet it's still not well-known.

In this post we'll cover:

• What rhodium plated jewelry is.
• The benefits of rhodium plated jewelry.
• The drawbacks of rhodium plated jewelry.

What is Rhodium Plated Jewelry?

Rhodium plated jewelry has a layer of rhodium that is either electroplated or PVD plated over a base metal.

There are many different types of base metals used to make rhodium plated jewelry but the most common are brass, copper, white gold, or sterling silver.

Why is Rhodium Used in Jewelry?

Rhodium is used to plate jewelry because it has a luxurious silver shine.

But pure rhodium is a brittle metal that's difficult to shape and form. If jewelry was made from pure (solid) rhodium it would shatter easily. This is why it's used only as a plating.

The optimal thickness of a rhodium layer is between 0.75-1.00 microns. This thickness is enough to protect your jewelry from normal wear and tear but not thick enough to cause the rhodium plating to crack easily.

Benefits of Rhodium Jewelry

Hypoallergenic

Rhodium plated jewelry will not turn your skin green since it doesn't contain any nickel or copper, which are the elements known for causing skin irritation.

Great Shine

Rhodium is used to make silver jewelry because it has a high refractive index, meaning it captures and reflects a lot of light.

To give some context, diamonds have a refractive index of about 2.42, while rhodium has a refractive index of about 2.15.

Durable

If the rhodium plating is between 0.75-1.00 microns thick, it makes the jewelry durable and scratch resistant. Much more so than gold.

Drawbacks of Rhodium Jewelry

Expensive

Rhodium is the most expensive metal on earth, even more so than gold. So rhodium plated jewelry is often more expensive than other, cheaper materials used to make silver jewelry, such as nickel.

Can Wear Off

Another drawback to rhodium plated jewelry is that the layer of rhodium can wear off from frequent use.

When the rhodium comes in contact with your skin, clothing, or anything else, it causes friction. A lot of friction over time can erode the rhodium plating, exposing the base metal underneath.

Also, any harsh chemicals that come in contact with your rhodium plated jewelry can strip away the plating.

This means rhodium plated jewelry often needs to be re-plated if not maintained correctly. But this is the case with all plated jewelry.

But there are ways to maintain your rhodium plated jewelry to keep it shining for years to come.

To Sum Up

Rhodium is the most expensive metal on earth and it's used to plate jewelry because it captures and reflects light better than most elements used in making silver jewelry.

The optimal thickness of a rhodium plating is between 0.75 and 1.00 microns. This is thick enough to give your jewelry a fantastic, durable shine but not thick enough to cause the rhodium to crack easily.

The benefits of rhodium plated jewelry are:

• It's hypoallergenic.
• It's very durable.
• It shines really well.

The drawbacks of rhodium plated jewelry are:

• It's expensive.
• It can fade if not properly maintained.