Sterling Silver Plating & Finishes
Ring with pigment kiln fired enamel on sterling silver
Sterling Silver Plating Finish
Plating silver jewelry is used to protect the jewelry from oxidation, make it more durable and protect it from scratches. There are several types of popular plating options:
Gold plating - a fine layer of gold which has been electroplated onto the item. This layer can be quite fine or quite deep
Gold layer - a fine sheet of gold is placed on top of the item, cut into shape and then soldered in place. The item is then polished smooth. Gold layer is more substantial than plating.
Rhodium plating finish -a fine layer of rhodium is electroplated onto the item. Rhodium is very bright and shiny like highly polished silver.
Rhodium belongs to the Platinum group of metals. All of them present outstanding chemical inertness (will not react or change easily) thus, rhodium will not tarnish whereas silver will. They are very expensive, so only a very thin plate is applied to reduce the amount of metal in the jewel. If not subject to excessive friction and wear, they will retain their look indefinitely.
Rhodium is the rarest and most expensive of all metals used in jewelry.
Palladium/Ruthenium plating finish - a layer of palladium or ruthenium is laid onto the item to form a pattern.
Ruthenium plating on sterling silver jewelry gives a dark grey black finishing that answers the call for a different color. In addition, ruthenium can effectively prevent scratches and abrasion on the surface, making sterling silver jewelry more durable. With ruthenium plating, surface oxidation and discoloring can be avoided to a large extent.
Silver Jewelry Textured Finish
There are several different types of decorative finish that can be applied to silver and gold jewelry. The main ones are :
Scratch finish - fine random scratching across the surface forming a pattern.
Chemically etched finish - 'white powdery' finish on the surface of the jewelry forming a matte finish.
Brush finish - similar finish to chemically etched, but done using a high-speed fine wire rotary brush which makes tiny pits on the surface on the jewelry. There are no scratches to be seen.
It is very important to clean these types of finishes carefully - vigorous rubbing with a silver cloth will eventually wear the silver/gold/rhodium/palladium or ruthenium away. For plated items with a textured finish, clean using either a silver dip type product and wash thoroughly. Dry using a soft towel and leave it to dry in a warm atmosphere.
Plating silver jewelry is used to protect the jewelry from oxidation, make it more durable and protect it from scratches. There are several types of popular plating options:
Gold plating - a fine layer of gold which has been electroplated onto the item. This layer can be quite fine or quite deep
Gold layer - a fine sheet of gold is placed on top of the item, cut into shape and then soldered in place. The item is then polished smooth. Gold layer is more substantial than plating.
Rhodium plating finish -a fine layer of rhodium is electroplated onto the item. Rhodium is very bright and shiny like highly polished silver.
Rhodium belongs to the Platinum group of metals. All of them present outstanding chemical inertness (will not react or change easily) thus, rhodium will not tarnish whereas silver will. They are very expensive, so only a very thin plate is applied to reduce the amount of metal in the jewel. If not subject to excessive friction and wear, they will retain their look indefinitely.
Rhodium is the rarest and most expensive of all metals used in jewelry.
Palladium/Ruthenium plating finish - a layer of palladium or ruthenium is laid onto the item to form a pattern.
Ruthenium plating on sterling silver jewelry gives a dark grey black finishing that answers the call for a different color. In addition, ruthenium can effectively prevent scratches and abrasion on the surface, making sterling silver jewelry more durable. With ruthenium plating, surface oxidation and discoloring can be avoided to a large extent.
Silver Jewelry Textured Finish
There are several different types of decorative finish that can be applied to silver and gold jewelry. The main ones are :
Scratch finish - fine random scratching across the surface forming a pattern.
Chemically etched finish - 'white powdery' finish on the surface of the jewelry forming a matte finish.
Brush finish - similar finish to chemically etched, but done using a high-speed fine wire rotary brush which makes tiny pits on the surface on the jewelry. There are no scratches to be seen.
It is very important to clean these types of finishes carefully - vigorous rubbing with a silver cloth will eventually wear the silver/gold/rhodium/palladium or ruthenium away. For plated items with a textured finish, clean using either a silver dip type product and wash thoroughly. Dry using a soft towel and leave it to dry in a warm atmosphere.