Where the white comes from
Yellow gold alloyed with white metals such as palladium, nickel or silver comes out a pale, faintly warm grey. Close to white, but not it. Rhodium, which belongs to the platinum group, is then electroplated over the top in a layer thinner than a human hair. It is harder than gold, brighter than platinum, and completely colourless.
How long it lasts
Anywhere from about six months to a couple of years. For a bridal ring worn every single day, twelve to eighteen months is typical.
The shank wears first, because that is the part rubbing against your other fingers, the steering wheel and the gym bar. You will usually spot it as a warm yellowish cast on the underside of the band while the top still looks perfectly white. That is not damage, and nothing has gone wrong. It is the plating doing exactly what plating does.
What makes it go faster
- Hand sanitiser, which is harder on it than most people expect.
- Chlorine and cleaning products.
- Lotion and hand cream applied over the ring rather than around it.
- Gardening, lifting and anything with a bar or a handle in it.
- A loose fit, because a ring that spins wears on every surface instead of one.
Replating
It is a straightforward bench job. The ring is cleaned, polished, and re-plated. Most people fold it into the same visit as a prong check and a professional clean, which any ring worn daily should have roughly once a year regardless.
If you would rather not deal with it at all
Platinum is naturally white and never needs plating. It is denser, heavier on the hand and more expensive, and rather than wearing yellow it develops a soft matte patina over time. Some people prefer that look and ask for it deliberately.
Palladium white gold also holds its colour longer than nickel white gold does. If the replating cycle is the thing putting you off white metal, that is the conversation to have before the ring is made, not after.
