Plating in rhodium or 14K yellow gold is a service we offer on-site. We can plate most fine jewelry like rings and bracelets. Bring your jewelry into Copeland’s and we’ll give you a quote on plating your pieces. Because of the limited size of our equipment we are only able to plate small things like jewelry.
Same price in rhodium for silvery-white metals or 14K yellow gold for yellow metals. To give you an idea of the cost of plating:
- for an average ring, we charge $75
- an average bracelet $95 – 135
- if re-plating your jewelry after a repair we make, we only charge you $40 – 85
Plated metal will wear off over time. Therefore, there is NO GUARANTEE on plating. Our plating charges are based on the cost of precious metals. Therefore, the fee for these services may fluctuate.
How Long Does The Plating Last
Most of us know that plated metals wear off. Your lifestyle and when and how much you wear your jewelry has everything to do with how long plating will last. Most plating will last at least a year. Here are some things that wear down plating:
- Chlorine & salt water – don’t swim in your jewelry.
- Soaps & detergents – don’t bathe in your jewelry and don’t clean house wearing jewelry.
- Chemicals – put your jewelry on after applying hair sprays and other similar products. Again, no house cleaning!
- Body oils, sweat & natural acids – unavoidable, but don’t exercise or workout in your jewelry.
- Rubbing – another unavoidable, most common with insides of rings and wearing more than one ring to a finger.
Rhodium or Yellow Gold Plating
Rhodium on White Metals
White gold starts out yellow and no matter how much alloy is added to make it white you may still notice some yellow undertones. Consequently, it is common for manufacturers to apply a very thin plating of rhodium.
Rhodium is a silver-white metal from the platinum group and is commonly used in this way. Because it does not oxidize it stays shiny and reflective. Over time this rhodium plating may wear thin. Therefore, some people like to have this rhodium reapplied to get back that crisp brilliant white.
We apply rhodium with an electroplating process that adds a very thin coating to your jewelry.
14K Yellow Gold
If you appreciate that glow that you only get from genuine gold, then consider 14K yellow gold plating.
Maybe you have a piece of fashionable jewelry that you love and wear almost every day. But the gold plating is wearing thin. Let’s re-plate it. Or maybe your Mom gave you that little initial pendant when you were a kid and now it looks faded. Let’s re-plate it in yellow gold.