If you own a piece of white gold jewelry, chances are that your jewelry piece has already been rhodium plated. Rhodium is a very durable, highly reflective, rare transition metal. It is the world’s most expensive precious metal and is commonly plated on white gold jewelry due to its many benefits. Here are some reasons why rhodium plating is so popular among white gold jewelry.

It shines. Rhodium plating enhances the overall appearance of white gold. It enhances the reflectivity and luster of the underlying white gold, causing it to be shiny and bright. Rhodium plating can also affect the appearance of diamonds.  It leads to brighter, clearer shining diamonds.

It can make your jewelry last longer. Since rhodium is more durable than any other metal, it will protect anything it is plated over. Rhodium plating allows the jewelry piece to be less susceptible to corrosion and damage, allowing your favorite pieces of jewelry to last longer.

It can help reduce the chance of an allergic reaction. Most white gold contains a small portion of nickel. Since nickel is the most common source of allergic reactions, a layer of rhodium can help alleviate any allergy problems you may have experienced without the rhodium plate.

Even though rhodium plating has many benefits, it does wear over time and needs to be replated once in a while. The frequency of replating depends on various factors including how often the piece of jewelry is worn, how often it comes into contact with your skin, the thickness of the plating, and the color of the underlying metal. Depending on these factors, plating can last anywhere from 6 months to ten or more years.