Jewelry made from ordinary gold has not surprised anyone for a long time, so products made from white precious metal are becoming increasingly popular.
This type of gold looks like silver or platinum, but has the ability to change color. Such changes can be noticed after 2-3 years: the gold begins to turn yellow, which gives the jewelry a careless appearance. However, not everyone knows why this happens and how to prevent it.
Adele in white gold and diamond earrings
Alloy composition
The precious material is not mined in its pure form ; in the jewelry industry, noble gold is mixed with other chemical elements. To create white gold you use:
- Silver . The most popular companion material gives gold a silvery tint. Silver is sometimes used in combination with a small percentage of copper.
- Platinum . This is the most expensive metal, so products with its addition are more expensive. Platinum gives jewelry a snow-white hue with a noble tint.
- Palladium . Very rarely used.
Jewelry is plated with rhodium, which gives shine, pallor and a silvery tint.
Over time, due to the admixture of silver, jewelry may turn black. Rhodium plating protects products from this effect.
There are 2 processing methods :
- Immersion in solution . This is the cheapest and easiest method, but this layer of rhodium comes off the jewelry faster. In addition, the solution is unevenly distributed over the surface of the product, causing areas of yellow gold to show through.
- Galvanization. This is a higher quality and more efficient processing method using electrolysis and electric current. The layer lasts for a long time.
Gold earrings “Diamonds of Yakutia”, SL (price on the link)
What should not be cleaned, according to the recommendations of jewelers
If you decide to clean gold jewelry yourself at home, you need to know that not all substances are suitable for cleaning this metal.
Dangerous ammonia
Ammonia is an indispensable assistant in the arsenal of housewives. It is used to clean absolutely everything: from clothes to gold items. But, according to jewelers, ammonia is also harmful to gold plating.
You cannot clean white and regular gold using the same solution at once. You should also not clean gold and silver together.
Ionization occurs and, in simple terms, the jewelry changes colors with each other. Gold unprotected by other coatings can react with ammonia, causing it to darken. Instead of pure ammonia, it is recommended to use an ammonia solution - a solvent solvent - to clean gold jewelry.
Why does white gold turn yellow?
The rhodium layer can last for 4-5 years, but sometimes the coating wears off and yellowness appears. This happens in the following cases:
- Long-term wearing around the neck . Human sweat can gradually erode the rhodium layer, so over time the ring or chain may turn yellow even with regular care. In addition, the rhodium layer disappears due to friction.
- Aggressive cleaning of jewelry . Concentrated acids and other chemicals cause white gold to yellow.
- Mechanical damage . It is contraindicated to polish and grind white gold, otherwise the protective layer will be erased.
White gold necklace
How to maintain rhodium plating as long as possible?
In order to avoid rapid damage to the coating , you just need to follow a few simple rules.
- Avoid mechanical damage to rhodium-plated products. Under no circumstances should you attempt to polish or sand them. This will erase or ruin the protective layer.
- If possible, it is best to store such accessories separately from other jewelry to avoid friction or exposure to other metals. To do this, you can simply use separate bags, boxes or cases.
- Do not wear the product for too long to avoid contact with sweat, which can corrode the rhodium plating over time.
- Protect jewelry from contact with aggressive chemicals: chemicals, acids, detergents, cosmetics, perfumes and creams. Take them off when visiting the pool, solarium, before taking a shower, washing dishes or cleaning.
- Carry out easy and gentle cleaning of products. Either using special products that can be purchased in jewelry stores or from craftsmen, or simply rinse with running water. When cleaning, you can use a sponge or soft, lint-free cloth. After the procedure, be sure to dry thoroughly by placing it on a dry towel. When cleaning at home, you should never use toothpaste or tooth powder, ammonia or soda. With their help you can polish and clean only some products without coatings.
If you take care of your jewelry and follow all these simple rules, the coating will last long enough . In the future, when it begins to wear off, specialists in almost any jewelry workshop will restore it in just a couple of days.
What products should not be used to clean white gold?
Do not use vinegar, toothpaste or other acidic cleaners to clean gold They contain chemicals that destroy the protective layer of jewelry .
To prevent the product from turning yellow, it is recommended to use preparations with ammonia
They delicately remove yellowness and do not harm jewelry. However, products containing ammonia should not be left on the metal for a long time, otherwise the opposite effect will occur.
How to return whiteness to a product, what to do, methods of prevention
It is easier to prevent any problem than to eliminate the consequences. To prevent white gold from turning yellow, you need to store it properly and take care of it in a timely manner. Simple preventive measures can help maintain noble whiteness:
- All existing jewelry must be stored separately. White gold in one container, classic yellow in another. Silver, precious stones and jewelry are stored separately. You can keep jewelry in their original boxes. You can purchase special cabinets for jewelry.
- It is necessary to prevent the decoration from coming into contact with chemicals. If your hands are treated with cream, the rings from your fingers must be removed. All jewelry is removed during water procedures, when swimming in pools and reservoirs, when visiting baths and saunas. If the house is cleaned using detergents and cleaning products, then this should also be done without jewelry.
- It is not recommended to polish gold items yourself. The damaged structure of a ring or bracelet is almost impossible to restore. It's better to trust the jeweler. A specialist will polish the precious metal using special tools and products. Taking a gold ring to a jeweler for polishing is much cheaper than buying a new one later.
As you can see, caring for white gold is quite simple. Timely preventive measures will extend the life of gold jewelry for many years.
Jewelry with stones
Most often, jewelry is made with precious stones. Stones are divided into 2 types: hard, i.e., whose hardness coefficient on the Mohs scale is above 5, and soft stones. Depending on what stone is inserted into the jewelry, the cleaning method is selected.
1) The fact that a diamond is a hard stone is no secret. What other stones are called hard:
- topaz;
- quartz;
- aquamarine;
- ruby;
- beryl;
- emerald;
- sapphire.
They will not be harmed by the detergent solution, so you can use the method described above.
If you have gold with diamonds, then to make the stones more beautiful, place earrings or rings in water with ammonia: 1 tbsp. add 6 drops of water. Leave the decorations for half an hour. Then dry them with flannel. A solution of ammonia is also necessary for cleaning cubic zirconia, citrine, and zircons. It is prepared as follows: to 6 parts water, 1 part ammonia.
2) There are soft stones:
- malachite;
- apatite;
- turquoise;
- opal;
- Moonstone;
- amber;
- pearl;
- coral.
It is not recommended to wet soft stones, as they do not tolerate moisture well. Therefore, white gold jewelry with soft stones should not be soaked in water. Clean them with a soft flannel or suede cloth. Or wash gently in soapy water, wipe with a damp cloth to remove soap, and dry with a flannel.
Cleaning the product with a flannel cloth
If you have jewelry with pearls, coral or turquoise, they cannot be washed with soapy water, as they will lose their shine. They are also afraid of ammonia.
How to determine by hardness?
Silver alloy is always softer than gold. The latter, in turn, is much stronger and tougher. Thanks to this fact, it is possible to determine the metal from which a certain product is made. To do this, you only need a piece of paper and a specific decoration that needs to be identified. The hard gold alloy will not harm soft paper and its surface will remain white. If the product is made of silver, then its soft alloy will leave a mark on a sheet of paper.
Jeweler's opinion
Molokanov N.M.
Jeweler, 26 years of experience in jewelry production.
The most common reason for the appearance of yellowness on white gold is poor-quality jewelry. Therefore, you need to purchase precious jewelry in jewelry stores. There is no need to be shy about asking for a certificate for decoration or asking for an examination. In all serious salons there are special devices with which you can determine the composition of the alloy. It is also recommended to buy gold jewelry of the highest standard. They will cost more, but their quality is much higher. There is no need to save on yourself. In addition, jewelry will retain its attractive appearance for a long time if you care for it correctly: - do not get carried away with cleaning with unknown means; act delicately; - regular laundry soap or dishwashing detergent works best; - if the ring or earrings have a precious stone, then rinse with regular running water or soda water. The safest thing to do is to entrust your favorite jewelry to a specialist who will return it to its whiteness using professional methods.
How are they visually different?
You can recognize silver and white gold by eye if you put both of these metals in front of you and examine them carefully. This way you can see small differences. The first is that the white gold alloy contains an alloy that gives the metal a more distinct white sheen that silver does not have. This method of checking is simple, but also not always relevant, because it is applicable only to products not coated with radium, which gives silver a bright white color.
In addition, there is a slight difference in the shades of the noble metals themselves. White gold has a slightly golden tint, while silver is completely cool, with a slight gray undertone.
White gold looks like it has a shiny lacquer coating on it, while silver has a matte finish. Gold has many subtle differences that are not characteristic of silver. Even if, under bright lighting of the store counters, these 2 metals are absolutely similar and, at first glance, do not differ, then when the light changes or by simply putting it on the hand, the difference becomes obvious.
How to choose a product made of real metal?
If you do not want to delve into all the subtleties of the differences between the metals described and will not conduct experiments at home, but still need to buy a quality item, then use these simple tips that will help you when choosing jewelry.
- Purchase goods only from large jewelry stores with many years of successful reputation. In such establishments there is very little chance of running into a fake or low-quality product.
- Handmade products are much more difficult to counterfeit than factory stamped products, although they cost many times more. This product is considered a real exclusive.
- Take a magnifying glass with you - it will help you examine the sample on the product, since it is not always possible to see and understand the shape of the mark.
Using these simple rules, you can sort dubious products from those that suit you.
To learn how to distinguish white gold from silver, watch the following video.
