Jewelry Plating
(Rhodium or 14K Yellow Gold)
Restore the shine and beauty of your favorite jewelry with our professional jewelry plating service at Copeland Jewelers. If your jewelry needs a fresh look or a little extra shine, our gold plating and rhodium plating services can restore its beauty.
What is Jewelry Plating?
Jewelry plating is a process that adds a thin layer of precious metal to the surface of your jewelry. At Copeland Jewelers, we offer two types of plating:
- Rhodium Plating – A bright, silvery-white finish often applied to white gold and other light-colored metals to make them look crisp and reflective.
- 14K Yellow Gold Plating – A warm, golden layer perfect for refreshing gold jewelry or enhancing fashion pieces.
Plating helps restore color, shine, and the overall appearance of your jewelry. It’s a great option if the original plating has worn off or if you want to give a piece a fresh new look.
What Jewelry Can Be Plated?
Our plating services are available for most fine jewelry, including rings, bracelets, and pendants. However, due to their flexibility, adhering plating to chains can be very difficult and sometimes will not work.
Plating typically works well on fine jewelry made of gold, silver, and platinum. However, it will not work on some types of non-precious metals.
All plating is done on-site at our Austin store by our experienced jewelers. While not every piece is suitable for plating, we will gladly assess your jewelry. If it’s a good candidate, we’ll offer a tailored quote based on the metal type and current market conditions.
How Long Does Jewelry Plating Last?
Plating is not permanent. Over time, the layer of metal will naturally wear away, especially if the jewelry is worn frequently. On average, plating can last around a year, but this depends on how you care for your jewelry and how often you wear it.
Here are some things that wear down plating:
- Chlorine & Saltwater: Don’t swim in your jewelry - pools and oceans wear plating down fast.
- Soaps & Detergents: Take jewelry off before bathing or cleaning the house.
- Chemicals: Put jewelry on after hair spray, perfume, and lotions. And skip the housework with jewelry on.
- Body Oils & Sweat: Daily wear and tear is fine, but don’t work out in your jewelry.
- Rubbing: Normal wear causes friction, especially with rings. Wearing multiple rings on one finger wears plating faster.
There is no guarantee on how long plating will last, as it depends heavily on your lifestyle and care habits. However, most plating will last at least a year but this depends on how you care for your jewelry, how often you wear it, the type of metal, and the surface area of the plated item.
Rhodium or Yellow Gold Plating
Rhodium Plating for White Metals
Most gold starts out yellow. Even when mixed with white alloys, it can still show subtle yellow tones. To brighten the look, many jewelers apply a thin layer of rhodium plating. Rhodium is a rare, silver-white metal from the platinum family. It doesn’t tarnish, so it keeps jewelry looking shiny and reflective.
Over time, rhodium plating can wear off, especially on rings and other frequently worn pieces. When that happens, we can reapply a fresh layer of rhodium to restore its bright, white finish.
At Copeland Jewelers, we use a professional electroplating process to carefully apply a thin coat of rhodium to your jewelry.
14K Yellow Gold Plating
If you love the warm glow of gold, 14K yellow gold plating is a great way to refresh your jewelry. Over time, gold plating can fade with regular wear. We can re-plate your favorite pieces—whether it’s a fashion ring you wear every day or a special pendant passed down from a family member.
Our team can restore the look of your jewelry with a fresh coat of real 14K yellow gold, bringing back that rich, golden shine.
Choose Copeland Jewelers
With over 40 years of jewelry expertise, our team takes pride in providing professional, high-quality plating services. We use trusted electroplating techniques and handle every piece with care. Our pricing is fair and based on the current cost of precious metals.
If your jewelry is looking dull, faded, or scratched, bring it to Copeland Jewelers. We’ll help restore its original glow and give it new life!