White Gold Cleaning

Introduction

Are you prepared to discover the keys to maintaining the brilliance of your white gold jewelry? Bright shine is here to replace dullness! Cleaning white gold is a breeze when you have the necessary skills and knowledge. You’ll discover the tried-and-true techniques to maintain your priceless white gold pieces looking their best with the help of our helpful guide. White gold is a popular jewelry material with a seductive charm that appeals to people worldwide. But to keep its shine, it needs regular upkeep, just like any other precious metal. The good news is that cleaning white gold is a straightforward procedure to work into your daily practice. You may keep wearing your white gold jewelry for years to come if you follow these easy instructions. So go ahead and master the technique of cleaning white gold to make your priceless pieces sparkle like never before!

Table of Contents

What is White Gold?

There is no white gold as a metal in and of itself. In other words, you can’t mine white gold like yellow gold (or plain old gold). This is because white gold is actually a gold alloy. A blend of two or more metals is called an alloy. This means that white gold is a mixture of pure yellow gold and other valuable metals such as palladium, platinum, and silver.

Why is White Gold Mixed with Alloy Metals?

For two reasons, alloy metals are employed in white gold jewelry.

They are engaged, first and foremost, to impart white gold with its unique silvery-white hue. As mentioned, pure yellow gold is the foundation for creating white gold. Jewelry makers must mix a small amount of silvery-white precious metals to turn it from yellow to white. These alloys are typically “white-colored” metals like silver, platinum, and palladium.
Second, the alloys metals help make white gold more durable. All gold jewelry uses alloy metals, whether yellow, rose, or white gold. This is due to pure gold’s extreme softness. It is easily bent out of shape on its own. That wouldn’t be good for jewelry like rings, as you can coat it with White Gold.

White gold jewelry is plated in rhodium, a pricey metal, in addition to the alloys. This is because the white gold alloy, made from pure gold and other metals, does not have an utterly silvery-white appearance; it retains a faintly yellow sheen. Rhodium is a pure white, brilliant metal that belongs to the same family as platinum. It contributes to giving white gold jewelry a shiny surface. Furthermore, because it is a rigid metal, it shields the softer alloy beneath from dents and scratches.

White gold: Is it truly Gold?

Yes. Despite having alloy metals, white gold’s primary component is pure gold. You may check this by examining the hallmark on your jewelry. All jewelry in the UK must be hallmarked by law if it weighs more than one gram. This verifies that the jewelry item you purchased from a jeweler indeed contains the specified percentage of pure gold.

What Results in the Gradual Yellowing of White Gold?

Your white gold jewelry gradually loses its rhodium finish, exposing the yellow gold underlying. That is typical. This eventually occurs to all white gold jewelry. The tarnishing rate relies on various elements, including your skin’s pH and the housekeeping or toiletries your jewelry comes into contact with.

But don’t worry; you can fix this problem that quickly. Ask your jeweler to rhodium-plate your jewelry. The expense of recoating jewelry is tiny, and you can decide how frequently you do it.

How to Clean White Gold?

Gather a soft-bristle toothbrush, mild dish soap, lukewarm water, and a lint-free cloth as a starter kit.
Prepare a light cleaning solution by mixing a few drops of dish soap with warm water in a small basin.
Your white gold jewelry should soak in the solution for ten to fifteen minutes. It will accumulate any dirt or oils on the surface and will help to lose by doing this.
Then, carefully scrub the jewelry using a soft-bristled toothbrush, paying close attention to any little or difficult-to-reach features. To avoid scratching the metal, don’t apply excessive pressure.
After properly cleaning the item, rinse it in warm water to get rid of any soap residue that may have remained.
Finally, use a soft, lint-free cloth to pat your white gold jewelry dry. To avoid moisture-related problems, ensure it is dry before storing or wearing it.

White Gold Jewelry Cleaned with Gemstones

Pearls and onyx stones are two examples of softer, less resilient gemstones that shouldn’t be submerged in water and soap for an extended time.
Do not immerse the item in the cleaning solution if your white gold jewelry contains such jewels or unsure how to clean your stones.
Instead, gently massage the metal components of the jewelry with a delicate cloth dipped in soapy water. The jewels can be cleaned by delicately cleaning them with a moist cloth.

Alternatively, you can use a more flexible jewelry cleaning and polishing kit like this one, which you can use on various jewelry materials. Just ensure your chosen equipment is compatible with your metals and gemstones.

The Drawbacks of Polishing White Gold

Following are some disadvantages of polishing gold:

White gold is made whiter and shinier by rhodium plating; however, because of this coating, it is not the most extraordinary material for polishing.
When your jewelry is polished by a professional, the piece is buffing, which involves removing a thin coating from the jewelry’s surface.
And as you might expect, this process gradually removes some of the rhodium coatings from your white gold piece with each polish.
After wearing your jewelry for a while, if the top coating of your white gold has already worn down, cleaning it can remove the little plating it still has, exposing the layer underneath, which is yellowish.
Even if it isn’t very worn, your white gold may have deep scratches that must be removed with a more vigorous polish. This could result in severe rhodium plating removal.

Protecting Your White Gold Jewelry

Follow given precautionary measures to protect white gold jewelry:

When cleaning the house, please remove your white gold jewelry or ring to protect it from harsh chemicals.
This is especially true if you are using chlorine-containing detergents to clean. Chlorine is a chemical that, over time, may harm white gold and hasten the deterioration of your jewelry’s components.
Wearing white gold jewelry while showering or swimming is not advised because chlorine can be found in tap water and swimming pools.

How to Deal with a Scratched White Gold Jewelry?

You can always take your scratched jewelry to a jeweler to get the scratches cleaned out. White gold’s rhodium plating will lose its shine if it is too frequently polished. If this occurs, you can pay to have the jewelry rhodium-plated again. Every white gold piece eventually needs to have its plating renewed, but the speed at which this happens depends on how frequently you wear and shine your jewelry.

How Frequently Should White Gold Be Polished?

Generally speaking, white gold will lose its rhodium plating more quickly if it is polished more frequently than once or twice yearly. Most of the time, getting your jewelry polished a few times a year is sufficient.

However, wearing your jewelry will scratch more efficiently, and you can polish it more regularly. Getting the color of your white gold restored when the plating fades off will cost more in this situation.

How to Restore White Gold’s Color?

Is there anything you can do to restore the whiteness of your piece now that the lower layer of your white gold is visible and it seems yellowish?

Rhodium plating can be applied to white gold again. Such a service is offered for a price by virtually every jeweler. However, this could cost you $20 to $50 or more.

Ask the jeweler about the process and the plating thickness before deciding where to have your jewelry replated; the thinner the coating, the shorter its lifespan will be.

Conclusion

In conclusion, maintaining the luster of your white gold jewelry doesn’t have to be a complicated process. You may effortlessly preserve the shine of your priceless artifacts using the straightforward and efficient cleaning techniques we’ve provided. Remember to gather your tools, make a mild cleaning solution, and use a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub your jewelry gently. Enjoy the brilliant sheen of your white gold as you thoroughly rinse it out and dry it with care. Your white gold jewelry will last for years if you give it a little care and love. So enjoy cleaning your white gold while allowing its beauty to be seen.