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Deco Belle Global Jewelry
Monday, April 20, 2009
 The rarest and most expensive of all precious metals.
A note as to why we would not recommend altering or resizing any rhodium plated jewelry (rings, pendant bails, etc.). In the past, we've been asked by our customers if we suggest resizing rhodium plated jewelry, as we carry an extensive collection of nickel-free, rhodium plated, 925 sterling silver in our Venice Millacreli, Millefiori, Designo, plain silver, and China Cubic Zirconia (CZ, cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) to be exact). In short, no.
 Our original blog article on Rhodium, the metal, provides a background as to the reasons why this is highly prized in jewelry.
Despite being a part of the Platinum family of metals, Rhodium does not tarnish, or oxidize, and has a very high reflectance, optimal qualities in the jewelry market. It is the rarest and most expensive of all precious metals, giving each piece a lustrous, white gold appearance. For this reason, when a piece of jewelry is coated with this (rhodium plating, rhodium finishing, rhodium flashing) it can be thought of as having a seal, or a shell.
 Heating the metal to expand it would break this "shell" and the newly exposed metal skin would not be rhodium plated; therefore, suceptible to tarnishing. The recommended way to enlarge jewelry would be to add metal, not heat it and stretch it. In this case, that new metal would then need to be nickel-free, and rhodium plated as well once the jewelry has been re-sized to the desired size to avoid tarnishing in the portions of the metal that are not rhodium finished.
 Have a jewelry question for Deco Belle? Let us know and we'll do our best to provide insightful information on jewelry care to keep your jewels shining brightly and gleaming. Deco Belle Global Jewelry carries a large selection of rhodium plated jewelry, giving the ultimate in brilliance at an affordable price. Labels: care, cz, rhodium, ring, silver, venice
by: Deco Belle Inc.
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