Rhodium Plating Should Be Banned Now, by Stephen Fortner
Introduction:
Stephen Fortner is a goldsmith and manufacturer, based in Victoria, BC, Canada. He also works as a consultant for manufacturing in Thailand.
Rhodium plating is yet another jewelry manufacturing process that is incredibly toxic, and yet the public does not know. Stephen Fortner contacted me about this. He is on a campaign to educate the trade and public about the damaging elements of rhodium plating. I have published, with his permission, a short excerpt from an email he sent me which outlines the issue.
~ Marc Choyt, Publisher, fairjewelry.org.
At one time the color of white gold was not very good. It had a nickel content of around 10%. So…..along came Rhodium plating.
When Rhodium solution wears out (and gets weak) it more than likely, especially in the third world and here to a certain degree in North America, to get poured down the drain. This solution, with sulfuric acid, is nasty especially when it gets into the water table.
Sulfuric acid is a known cancer causing agent. Not only that, but the fumes are toxic. Generally, employees are given the best safety gear to protect themselves from the fumes.
I worked with this goldsmith from Hong Kong. His brother was still working making jewelery in Hong Kong.
I asked him, “What kind of work is your brother doing in Hong Kong?”
“Platinum,” he said.
“What kind of safety glasses does he use?” I asked.
He said back to me “Oh….no one wears safety glasses as it slows you down”.
I would believe that this is the same for work place ventilation in Asia. This rhodium plating should be banned now. There is no reason to use it anymore.
The new ultra white alloys that are out there. I use the Argen alloy in my own business
I have not made a piece of rhodium plated jewelery in four years.
I would like to start to educate the general public. There is no reason in the world to be still using the old white gold. The newer alloys (Argen) has a nickel content of 15% and is still soft enough to bead set into without snapping off beads.
I know, as I use it myself. The colour is not like rhodium, but it is white. I have never had one person tell me it is not white enough. Most of us that make higher end jewelery now use these ultra whites.
A certain percentage of my business now is remaking peoples engagement rings from the old white gold to the “new ulta whites”.
People say to me, “Why did they not tell me about this?”
To educate people, more, I have also started up on ‘Linkedin’ – “Increase your sales by selling environmentally manufactured jewelery” I have about 25 members. Some are Ben Bridge people.
Contact me if you would like to join up: fortnergoldsmith@gmail.com
July 8, 2009 at 12:03 pm -
I agree with the new alloys that are now available no rhod is necessary.
We also took a new direction – 100 % recycled metals in platinum, palladium, gold and silver.
Please review our website – Harmony Metals and Gems to environmental issues.
Look forward to discuss more on where goldsmiths can go for the newest alloys and services.
July 8, 2009 at 12:03 pm -
I agree with the new alloys that are now available no rhod is necessary.
We also took a new direction – 100 % recycled metals in platinum, palladium, gold and silver.
Please review our website – Harmony Metals and Gems to environmental issues.
Look forward to discuss more on where goldsmiths can go for the newest alloys and services.
July 10, 2009 at 2:31 pm -
Great article Stephen.
Argen prides itself on being a leader when it comes to being environmentally friendly. None of the white gold we sell requires rhodium plating. We have also been using 100% recycled gold for years.
It is great to see people that are concerened with the environment. Please take a look at our web-site http://www.argenjewlery.com and feel free to email me about any environmental impacts our products have.
-Peter Godoy
pwgodoy@argen.com
July 10, 2009 at 2:31 pm -
Great article Stephen.
Argen prides itself on being a leader when it comes to being environmentally friendly. None of the white gold we sell requires rhodium plating. We have also been using 100% recycled gold for years.
It is great to see people that are concerened with the environment. Please take a look at our web-site http://www.argenjewlery.com and feel free to email me about any environmental impacts our products have.
-Peter Godoy
pwgodoy@argen.com
August 7, 2009 at 5:18 am -
Hi ,
I am also jeweller. I have been working Australia more than 7 years.Orginaly Im from sri lanka.Now I am sick of this with rhodium platin prosses.When i came first I refused to do rhodium plating.After 6 years they forced to me to do rhodium plating without trainng, no safety equipment, poor ventalation, no information and not concern about my health and safety.
Because I thought Australia is good place to work and,
to live. I cant see it anymore it hapening here.
So if you can give me more information about rhodium platin prosses and that chemical toxity i can prove that.
At this stage I have only Stephan Fortner’s statement.
I belive you can give me more information and help for me. I am loking foward to reply from you ASAP.
Thanks, Sunil
August 7, 2009 at 5:18 am -
Hi ,
I am also jeweller. I have been working Australia more than 7 years.Orginaly Im from sri lanka.Now I am sick of this with rhodium platin prosses.When i came first I refused to do rhodium plating.After 6 years they forced to me to do rhodium plating without trainng, no safety equipment, poor ventalation, no information and not concern about my health and safety.
Because I thought Australia is good place to work and,
to live. I cant see it anymore it hapening here.
So if you can give me more information about rhodium platin prosses and that chemical toxity i can prove that.
At this stage I have only Stephan Fortner’s statement.
I belive you can give me more information and help for me. I am loking foward to reply from you ASAP.
Thanks, Sunil
October 31, 2009 at 1:49 pm -
Stephen, I am a Rhodium manufacture. and I agree with your article about the toxicity of “throwaway Rhodium baths” , You should see how they do this in India… they overuse a 1 liter or 2 liter bath for a week, then toss it and start a new one…right down the drain, its an appalling abuse of our habitat. I show our customers in Latin America how to keep the SAME bath for 5 to 10 years and more, with simple continuous filtration systems and good cleainng proceedures, it not very expensive, and certainly cheaper than starting a new bath every time the bath gets contaminated. We manufacture Rhodium plating systems that are well ventilated, and designed to alleviate the problem you are describing. Glenn Thompson- http://www.davis-k.com glennt@davis-k.com
October 31, 2009 at 1:49 pm -
Stephen, I am a Rhodium manufacture. and I agree with your article about the toxicity of “throwaway Rhodium baths” , You should see how they do this in India… they overuse a 1 liter or 2 liter bath for a week, then toss it and start a new one…right down the drain, its an appalling abuse of our habitat. I show our customers in Latin America how to keep the SAME bath for 5 to 10 years and more, with simple continuous filtration systems and good cleainng proceedures, it not very expensive, and certainly cheaper than starting a new bath every time the bath gets contaminated. We manufacture Rhodium plating systems that are well ventilated, and designed to alleviate the problem you are describing. Glenn Thompson- http://www.davis-k.com glennt@davis-k.com
August 16, 2011 at 4:35 pm -
This article is misleading and needlessly alarmist. Sulfuric acid can be dangerous or damaging to the environment if misused, but the author appears to be unaware of several important points:
-Over 100 million tons of sulfuric acid is produced and consumed annually throughout the world. The amount used in rhodium plating in the entire world is less than a percent of a percent of a percent of this.
-Although care should be taken when disposing of H2SO4, sulfuric acid is a naturally occurring chemical and poses no threat to the environment or its users unless mishandled or improperly disposed of.
-“Incredibly toxic” should be reserved for actual toxins, such as hydrogen cyanide, mustard gas, or botulinum toxin. Sulfuric acid (and rhodium salts) are certainly harmful if consumed but to call them “incredibly toxic” is a stretch at best.
-Failure to adhere to safe practice and environmental protection standards does not mean that the rhodium plating process is at fault. It means that the people who take short-cuts are at fault.
Try to be a little more thoughtful.
August 16, 2011 at 4:35 pm -
This article is misleading and needlessly alarmist. Sulfuric acid can be dangerous or damaging to the environment if misused, but the author appears to be unaware of several important points:
-Over 100 million tons of sulfuric acid is produced and consumed annually throughout the world. The amount used in rhodium plating in the entire world is less than a percent of a percent of a percent of this.
-Although care should be taken when disposing of H2SO4, sulfuric acid is a naturally occurring chemical and poses no threat to the environment or its users unless mishandled or improperly disposed of.
-“Incredibly toxic” should be reserved for actual toxins, such as hydrogen cyanide, mustard gas, or botulinum toxin. Sulfuric acid (and rhodium salts) are certainly harmful if consumed but to call them “incredibly toxic” is a stretch at best.
-Failure to adhere to safe practice and environmental protection standards does not mean that the rhodium plating process is at fault. It means that the people who take short-cuts are at fault.
Try to be a little more thoughtful.
August 24, 2011 at 12:20 pm -
Hi
I have read the article and the replies to it.
First of all I must say to a website like this: To have article recommending third parties ass business companies which has nothing to do with the content of the article is called a hidden agenda/commercial. Then the content is of no value for me and unreliable.
Second of all there is written no proof for any of his statements from researches or anything, which is also unreliable for me especially on a website like yours who is trying to make the jewellery industry a better place.
Then I would like to say the text is written very bad. Is the purpose here, to make a commercial of buying more clean metals with Argen or a commercial for the so called Stephen Fortner’s jewellery or is it to tell that rhodium plating is bad, if so, then I think you should write what is bad about Rhodium and specify it more professional.
I am my self a jewellery designer and have my own company. I really care about the environment and people. So I would really like to know how bad it is to rhodium plate my jewellery for the workers. But in this article I see no trust worthy information about this subject.
This is so unprofessional as help organisation to approve such an article filled with commercial an no prober information regarding the subject.
June 22, 2015 at 8:37 pm -
It’s ironic that you would accuse the article of being “written bad”[sic] when your own writing is bordering on infantile.
Also, the article presents certain claims, such as the fact that sulphuric acid is carcinogenic and that other substances are toxic that require no citation. What proof do you want of these claims? Do your own research. Your criticism in that regard is quite frankly lazy.
August 24, 2011 at 12:20 pm -
Hi
I have read the article and the replies to it.
First of all I must say to a website like this: To have article recommending third parties ass business companies which has nothing to do with the content of the article is called a hidden agenda/commercial. Then the content is of no value for me and unreliable.
Second of all there is written no proof for any of his statements from researches or anything, which is also unreliable for me especially on a website like yours who is trying to make the jewellery industry a better place.
Then I would like to say the text is written very bad. Is the purpose here, to make a commercial of buying more clean metals with Argen or a commercial for the so called Stephen Fortner’s jewellery or is it to tell that rhodium plating is bad, if so, then I think you should write what is bad about Rhodium and specify it more professional.
I am my self a jewellery designer and have my own company. I really care about the environment and people. So I would really like to know how bad it is to rhodium plate my jewellery for the workers. But in this article I see no trust worthy information about this subject.
This is so unprofessional as help organisation to approve such an article filled with commercial an no prober information regarding the subject.
November 27, 2011 at 6:23 am -
hi ,my name parvaneh niksokhan ,I have a question I wonder if you could answer me i would to know about the rhodium water combination basic and electrolit and the best method for usage in gold electroplating , my of you thanks a lot
November 27, 2011 at 6:23 am -
hi ,my name parvaneh niksokhan ,I have a question I wonder if you could answer me i would to know about the rhodium water combination basic and electrolit and the best method for usage in gold electroplating , my of you thanks a lot
July 18, 2013 at 8:43 pm -
This article is very misleading at best, or completely false with a hidden sales agenda at worst.
We offer a rhodium plating service and 95% of our trade is clients existing jewellery, should we just tell them they need to break their jewellery up and have it remade?
When making new items we do use a very white palladium rich white gold which is very good and has a very natural white colour, but does carry a premium in price. All the time the multiple high street jewellers are selling the cheap yellowish (under the rhodium) white gold that reverts to a horrible yellow within a few months customers will always require rhodium plating.
In our workshop we have very powerful extractor fans that will remove all fumes so there is no danger of the user breathing the fumes in. We change our solution as and when required, our current solution is several years old and not disposed of after just one week as the article suggests.
Our spent rhodium is never disposed of down the sink under any circumstances. We bottle the spent solution up and return it to our supplier for reprocessing. This service is free so there would never be any reason to dispose of the rhodium in a way that damages the environment.
For more information on our services please read http://www.jewellery-workshop.co.uk/buy/Rhodium-Plating.html
And an interesting article about rhodium here http://www.qualitysilver.co.uk/acatalog/White-Gold-Rhodium-Plating.html
July 18, 2013 at 10:45 pm -
Happy to see that people are voicing their opinions! Now, I am basing my opinion of being in the industry for over 30 years. I am a goldsmith and have managed for Henry Birks and Sons as well. I have had my own business since 1997. I know the ‘joy’ of selling and servicing rhodium plated jewelery. I have been working on this file now for over 7 years. I think I have been to Bangkok close to 14 times. I have experienced first hand the types of conditions that workers face in the third world(Thailand.) I have spend time in small, medium and large factories in Bangkok. Thailand is one of the largest manufacturers of quality jewelery for the western world. So sorry if you are making money from rhodium plating and you feel threatened. It is a free world do what you want. I am not saying that you are not operating in a safe manner. I have seen rhodium plating stations in Thailand and especially in the small to medium factories…….it leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the jewelery you see in the west is made off shore. I think you are looking through rose colored glasses if you think they are following the same safety standards that are in place in North America and Europe.
My point is this. There is no reason what so ever to use a rhodium plated white gold these days. Why would you want to anyways??????????????? I have dealt with so many unhappy people who buy rhodium plated white gold in chain stores,,,,,,,,………..and you know what…….they are never told that the color is not the true color of the metal. Try doing that with emeralds in the USA and not tell the people the stone has been oiled. One has to have signs in the showcase to indicate the emeralds have been treated. At the very least I think there should be signs in the showcases to announce to people that the color they are looking at……..is not the true color of the gold but is a coating. See what happens then!!! Lots of push back from the industry already on this point.
The bottom line………is this………”profit”. In the third world many companies only have a profit margin of perhaps 10- 20%. I have often asked the managers of the factories what their brand names want. Are they asking for any ‘green’ products? They say “No”……they want the same product that they bought from us last time……..but they always want it cheaper.
I have quit using rhodium plating many years ago. As I say here……I use the ultra whites. There are lots of companies that make a ultra white gold these days……take your pick!!! No more customers going back to have the piece rhodium plated. Either I had to pay for the plating or they did. That is a lose……lose…..scenario. I often tell people……if we were making cars or trucks and the client had to come back to have his car repainted once a year……..how long would we be in business? Have a nice day! Cheers. Stephen. P.S. I still think rhodium plating should be banned. 🙂
July 18, 2013 at 11:08 pm -
As a jeweler myself, (www.artisanweddingrings.com) I would never use rhodium plating. I sell white gold wedding rings all the time and no one complains that they are not white enough– even in the case when people want 18K white gold, which I generally discourage.
If someone wants white gold, I say, go 14K because it has more white alloy in it. And it is a stronger material. That’s the honest approach. Selling 18K white and then rhodium plating to me is a bit of a scam.
On the other hand, if someone wants yellow gold, I encourage 18K yellow, unless they are professional rock climbers…
July 29, 2013 at 11:40 pm -
Wow! Lots of emotion here. I guess I’ll toss in my 2¢ as well.
Been a to-the-trade bench jeweler for a while and I use rhodium plating on white gold and yellow gold. I (and my clients) explain to the end user what their jewelry is plated with and why. And I offer free replating of rhodium for life! I have my clients tell their customers to bring the piece in once a year to “freshen up” the rhodium and while it’s there, check the prongs or bezels, make sure rings are still round and have no cracks, and refinish/repolish them.
It’s all about customer service. How else to compete with Asia?
And while they’re there, maybe they’ll buy something else. (If you sell a piece for an anniversary and tell them to come back in one year for some free service, it will be their anniversary at that time as well. They’ll be in a jewelry store; Yours.)
As to throwing the solution away, I use mine for 5-10 years, I filter it through a toxic particle face mask, and put the filter in my refining bucket, along with my floor sweeps and bench sweeps. (Jewelers have been recycling since before it was cool.)
Some customers want their yellow gold pieces rhodium plated and later they want them yellow again. So long as they’re happy, I’m earning a living.
I was waiting to read in the original article why rhodium plating is do dangerous…
Sulfuric acid? Really? You know what’s in every single battery (wet cell) in every car and motorcycle in the world? Sulfuric acid. Modern life couldn’t exist without sulfuric acid, and I seriously doubt any life on earth would have existed without it. Don’t drink it. Don’t splash it in your eyes. Don’t dump solutions containing precious metals down the sink. Don’t breathe the fumes when you electroplate. Don’t eat or smoke in a plating area. (I use cyanide plating solutions as well, same safety measures apply.) Don’t mix acids with cyanide. Don’t taste the jewelery before you rinse it off.
That white gold alloy you mention sounds interesting. How does it compare to the cost of Stuller’s rolling white alloy? Is it X1? Is there matching plumb solder for it?
email me
August 6, 2013 at 3:51 pm -
Nobody should use nickel based white gold in jewelry production. It leads to contact allergies.
Without rhodium plating, people with a nickel allergy can’t wear jewelry made with the unfortunate alloys the author recommends.
Also, while dangerous, the author has no idea what he’s talking about when it comes to releasing small amounts of sulfuric acid into the environment. It’s a strong oxidizer, and reacts with too many minerals to ever make it to the water table. Which is why it’s approved to be used as a common household drain cleaner. That’s right, you can legally go buy some specifically for the purpose of pouring down your drain.
October 14, 2016 at 11:25 am -
Exactly my thoughts are expressed by the prior debunking of this article. Stephan Fortner is simply a liar using this as a platform for false advertising of his work.
Nickel the main gold-diluting ingredient in his Agren white gold is far more carcinogenic than Rhodium.
Rhodium is a noble metal like platinum – completely safe and inert. Nickel elicits a sensitizing allergic reaction to users of nickel jewelry and should be banned. It is similar to poison ivy in that repeated contact causes more and more people to develop the allergy and nickel allergies are a huge problem for over 600,000,000 of people (17% of all women and 3% of men inhabiting our planet).
Nickel production is far more environmentally damaging than Rhodium.
Sulfuric acid is not a carcinogen. Sulfuric acid salts (neutralized sulfuric acid, which occurs instantly upon dilution in the water supply) are present in all naturally occurring water including and especially spring water like Evian and the amount dwarfs the acid used in Rhodium plating. It is a nutrient required for the plant growth that anchors the ecosystem. Trillions of times the volume of sulfuric acid is used by humans than the absolutely negligible amount in Rhodium plating.
Unfortunately Nickel is used in many industrial processes which produce toxic, deadly, residues, and we will not be rid of Nickel anytime soon. Another poster mentions nickel (15% of Argen is said by Fortner to be nickel) is banned in Europe for jewelry – good for the Europeans if true!
Do not believe Fortner the liar. Look up the facts yourself on Wikipedia, etc. It is necessary to call out marketeers that abuse environmental sites for their selfish lucrative purposes like Stephen Fortner. His only contribution here is to criticize poor disposal methods. However on custom pieces like he deals with, there is no reason to buy imports when you can get professional Rhodium plating done in the USA.
I am a chemist, not a jeweler, so forgive me if I call out this abuse of an environmental site by an opportunist/profiteer makings false environment claims intending to falsely claim he offers better work or product. In both cases Stephen Fortner is either unacceptably ignorant, or in my opinion just a common phony. Don’t be duped.
Cheers
Andrew
September 18, 2013 at 10:57 am -
I use Rhodium for replating vintage Safety Razors and I’d far rather deal with Rhodium solutions than Chrome Plating Solution – now that really is horrible stuff and it’s used far more often than Rhodium Plating – think of all the chromium plated items, from car parts to bathroom fittings and Chrome is used in large quantities too.
If used and disposed of responsibly and there is a need, then plating in Chrome, Nickel, Rhodium or whatever poses few issues.
February 15, 2014 at 8:52 pm -
looking to find out what is the best way of fume removal in Rhodium plating , could rotoclone be a good solution with the right media to remove the fume what is a safe substitute for rhodium.
February 15, 2014 at 8:55 pm -
what is the best filtration technique to collect the fine gold dust in our shop + what is the best way of refining our water waste.
February 16, 2014 at 1:18 pm -
Collect all dust from your shop, from machines, compounds, even what you sweep off the floor. This can be sent to a refiner who will cut you a check. As for water wastes, you can use a trap that allows gold to sink inside it before it flows out into a septic system. This sludge can then be dried and sent to a refiner, with the dust collected.
March 15, 2014 at 6:11 pm -
I disagree with the premise that Rhodium is incredibly toxic.
The jeweler is correct that Rhodium can be toxic, if it is being used overseas in regions that don’t have strict and enforced chemical laws. For example, China has lax laws on the use of Sulfuric Acid in the rhodium plating process. This is in contrast to the The United States which has banned the use of Sulfuric Acid in Rhodium Plating materials.
At Edward George Jewelers, we use a German-Made Rhodium Plating that is completely devoid of Sulfuric Acid and/or Sulfur byproducts. This allows women, and men, to purchase jewelry from us that is made from precious materials like Gold or Platinum. The problem is that these new “ultra white” metals have no intrinsic value and tend to contain higher amounts of nickle – a common allergen that commonly onsets later in life.
When choosing what materials to use for your jewelry, go to a reputable jeweler who can advise you of all your options with pros and cons. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Edward George Jewelers or email us at info@egjewelers.com
March 15, 2014 at 6:17 pm -
I want to correct an error in my previous comment. The United States has not banned the use of Sulfuric Acid based rhodium plating. However, there still are non-acid based alternatives that don’t have the toxic side effects.
April 19, 2014 at 8:23 pm -
I’m happy you’ve taken a stand on this. It’s only a drop in the bucket but it needs to start somewhere!
I do have to giggle when some of these jewelers tout thier recycling of precious metals! LOL! What’s the other option ? Tossing gold in the garbage because it’s used? Save/aquire & smelt! HELLO!
June 19, 2014 at 8:45 am -
Hi,
I do not work in the jewelry industry, and i have read all the comments on the story regarding the Rhodium plating.
I am getting married soon and would like to have a ring that is black in colour i have contacted a few places and they said they could manufacture my ring and plate it with rhodium to give it that black colour.
Is it dangerous for me to wear the ring like that with the rhodium plating? and also they told me that i would have to come and have the ring replated when it gets scratched.
There was also mention of Argen, is that better to use or does it not matter and would i still be able to have my rings in black if they used that?
My last question is which metal is better to use under the plating? I would not want to have a black ring and have the colour fading off and seeing a Yellow gold underneath. Could I uses silver and have the plating put over that?
Your responses would be greatly appreciated.
June 25, 2014 at 3:13 am -
I’m not sure what you mean by having a ring that is black in color. Rhodium is a white metal plating. There’s no danger as far as I know to wearing a rhodium plated ring. Personally, I would not get a wedding ring that is plated; you have to maintain it over years which is a hassle. Marc Choyt– FJA USA. http://www.artisanweddingrings.com
September 27, 2014 at 5:49 pm -
Hello,
There is a product called black rhodium and I have used it quite a bit. It does wear off and if you design a ring using it, it should be a candidate from a design perspective for black rhodium treatment.
If you Google trinity ring, one of my black rhodium plated rings may show up so you can get an idea of the look.
I use rhodium regularly and I like it.
July 1, 2014 at 4:45 pm -
just a very little research into rhodium shows that it is chemically inert (it is classed as a noble metal). Compounds of Rhodium can be poisonous – RhCl3 has an Ld50 in rats of just under 200mg/kilo. Scaled up that would mean a human sized rat consuming 16g of it, which you just might notice! If you want to scare people, do it with facts please, not an advertising campaign for an alternative alloy that is certain to cause issues due to the nickel content!!
July 16, 2014 at 1:27 pm -
Many years ago, I purchased a rhodium ring for my daughter .,I did have to get it recoated. My concern is if it is dangerous for her to wear. Can it be recoated with a white gold bath?
July 28, 2014 at 12:31 am -
I am an independent consumer (as opposed to someone who owns or works in a business related to the subject of this article). Nevertheless, I am not entirely ignorant of the manufacturing processes described within it.
Somebody who is unaware of the processes described might reasonably be alarmed to read it unless they carry out independent research to discover the accuracy – or otherwise – of the claims that are made in the article. I suggest that the majority of consumers who read the article fall into this category, because it seems to be human nature to accept without question such things that are published in apparently authoritative places.
I recommend to anybody who reads the article to take the time to verify its claims by looking at sources that are independent from the industry of jewelry manufacture and retailing.
The argument, as put by S. Fortner, and published by M. Choyt, fails on several key issues:
As a person who is an interested party to the process, he makes no attempt to demonstrate his impartiality. On the contrary, he is open and unapologetic about his self-interest in a cessation of rhodium plating.
There is no balanced approach to his argument. Either rhodium plating ceases, or people’s health will suffer because it is a toxic process.
He suggests that a lack of adherence to safety regulations in the process of using platinum to fabricate jewelry is relevant to rhodium plating. But it is not. Neither is the refusal to wear protective eyewear an indication of the toxicity of rhodium plating, because there is no connection made between the two except that both appear in the same article.
Neither can it be deduced that wearing protective eyewear can make someone safe from sulfuric acid fumes. However, the article suggests that wearing protective eyewear somehow prevents somebody from breathing fumes.
Others have made observations about the literary style of the article. I agree that the use of such a vague claim as “This solution, with sulfuric acid, is nasty especially when it gets into the water table”, which is devoid of any more amplification than the statement that sulfuric acid is known to cause cancer, would be sufficient to make it fail a test of critical thinking as well as college English.
If it is true that the entire process of rhodium plating is so harmful to humans and dangerous to the environment, then please let us have chapter and verse of proof how and what those harms and dangers are, and how they are an inescapable effect of all rhodium plating techniques.
Rhodium is not in itself harmful to humans or the environment. It is an inert metal. Why not mention that in the article?
Why not include a mention of the harmful effects of the process by which gold is extracted and refined? For some of us, the degree of harm to us by that is much, much worse than the refusal by some jewelers to wear protective eyewear.
And, finally, please refrain from the last but very blatant misuse of human rights, which is to make bold and emotive, but unsubstantiated, claims against a process in order to gain more business for the process you yourself use.
September 16, 2014 at 3:41 pm -
Larwood, thank you for your well-articulated comment. I was looking at jewelry for my upcoming wedding and noticed all the rhodium plating (which I do NOT like, by the way). My research into rhodium led me here. I would prefer facts and statistics to help me make my jewelry purchases. I second what Larwood stated – please state facts to support your claim.
Other than this, I am very confused about rhodium now. I know it is a transition metal, inert and completely harmless in it’s pure form but that large doses of rhodium compounds are lethal. Supposedly, rhodium is resistant to corrosion yet everyone here states that the plating wears off and must be repeatedly re-plated. Definitely need facts as well as citations if you want to present a persuasive argument against rhodium.
Personally, I do not value anything that is plated – whether it is rhodium-, silver- or gold-plated. I’m doing research to try to understand why plating is used and to me – a consumer – it appears that plating is merely used to hide low-quality metals in a temporary fashion. Definitely not my idea of what any respectable jeweler should be doing. So whether a jewelry store plates in gold, silver, rhodium, platinum etc., I definitely will be skeptical of the honesty of the business and the quality of the items made there.
November 13, 2014 at 2:23 am -
Your solution of using alloys with nickel in them is not really ideal. About 1 in 9 women are allergic to nickel. Almost all metal allergies are actually nickel allergy. I am allergic to nickel. I react if I touch keys, silver colored coins, stainless steel tools, cutlery and cookware (anything that contains even a small percentage of nickel), or if I eat anything cooked in stainless steel, or eat foods with high nickel content like chocolate, nuts/legumes, spinach, canned foods… AND nickel allergy is a rapidly growing problem, so more and more people are getting it. California state has even banned it’s use by jewelers as an ingredients in their alloys, (except for surgical steel, which ironically is still allowed to contain around 6% nickel. That is crazy, considering how common the allergy is. !!! )
15% nickel is actually quite high. Even the 8% of many stainless steel items is more than enough to cause my skin to fall off leaving nothing but gross, oozy red caverns, AND the molecular bond in stainless steel is much stronger than that of other alloys, making it much less reactive, so imagine what 15% in a gold alloy would do. :O
I’m hoping that you will consider shifting your focus to finding a much safer alternative to nickel in your solution, otherwise the solution just creates another big problem. OR, perhaps promoting safer handling practices with rhodium is another option. I doubt people are going to stop using it, so IMHO educating them as to why more care should be taken, and developing better handling practices stands a greater chance of making a major difference, and I think is an admirably socially responsible and altruistic endeavor to undertake. 🙂
January 5, 2015 at 1:52 pm -
So the argument seems to be that Rhodium plating should be banned because people throw sulphuric acid down the sink and don’t wear safety glasses while working with Platinum?
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that it is not necessary any more thanks to modern alloys. Of course some people have old jewellery made from inferior white gold that they are attached to and might want a touch-up as it gets older, but for new jewellery use new alloys, yes.
However, as arguments go, these are non-sequiturs. The problem is not that rhodium plating happens, it is that proper safety measures are not being observed. That’s a problem that could affect a great many processes and banning one of them is no answer.
March 14, 2015 at 7:47 pm -
It is unclear what is being suggested to me here – is the issue sulphuric acid or is it Rhodium.
If it is sulphuric acid then why has the argument not been extended to simply “ban all plating activities in Asia” since you will invariably find sulphuric and hydrochloric acids involved – if not in electrolytes then in pickling solutions – acid copper plating for instance uses sulphuric acid and is extremely wide spread.
Yes sulphuric acid is suspected of being a carcinogen but in strong mist form ( which can occur in badly managed plating shops ) but then the gist of the argumeng being made here seems to be about pouring the acid down the drain so again why not also attack acid coppper plating in Asia which uses sulphuric acid in the electrolyte.
I agree with those folks who question the argument being made about sulphuric acid when taken in isolation. Concentrated sulphuric acid is available to janitors in many countries for ublocking drains – surely if we are concerned about sulphuric acid disposal then there are bigger fish to fry than electroplaters? Gross dumping of any acid will affect river Ph levels but smaller quantities will be very quickly neutralised in nature – sulphuric acid is so reactive is simply does not remain sulphuric acid for long, I do not advocate complacency regarding introducing any chemical into the environment but I do advocate we look at the effect of each chemical, whether it breaks down easily and if it does then what the by products are and what damage will be done in the process. Chemical management must be informed and should target the most damaging activities.
I can see a concern but I think the message here is confused, sulphuric acid alone does not make the argument unless the levels of dumping are out of proportion to (for instance) domestic chemical dumps in the form of drain cleaners and so on.
Jon
March 31, 2015 at 1:46 am -
Good morning,
I have found this strand of conversation because of my wanting to know why rhodium plating has become so much more popular during the last 5-10 years, and why the term ‘plating’?
I am a retailer who has very minimal knowledge of chemistry, and therefore I am here to learn why many larger retail chains have been promoting the sales of rhodium plated chains over the sale of silver chains, without informing their customers!!
If they state that rhodium is one of the most expensive metals, how is it that retailers are able to sell chains for substantially less money than silver? Who is being tricked or fooled?
I have come here to find out why peole who require a nice silver chain to hold a beautiful pendant, are being told that a rhodium plated base metal chain is just as good & cheap…? — and more importantly IS this base metal nickel?
Why hasn’t there been more information in jewellery shops about the changes in the nature of sales from silver to either palladium and or rhodium plated base metal?
I ONLY sell silver chains, of course these may tarnish over time, if left in the open, but are easily polished up in seconds when one needs to wear it. Why is the jewellery industry tending to now favour palladium & rhodium when silver has done its job for many years?
Is someone up to something sneaky out there? Sometimes people need to pawn silver & gold, which is understandable if in need of a buck or two! However, is there likely to be any point in attempting to pawn a rhodium plated chain – they say rhodium is the most expensive metal, but how would someone measure the depth of rodium on a chain if they needed to do so.. you can’t weigh it like you would silver or gold to ascertain its value. I need more information in this area, as I would like to inform my customers of the truth about purchasing a good chain as opposed to a cheaper model when they visit stores in the high street. Can someone please advise me in this area?
I cannot believe that a high profile company, Swarovski, is no longer using silver to hang their crystal pendants, but are using base metals & rhodium plate, it does seem rather odd that they have cheapened their products in this way, but are still selling at extortionate prices! —> but NOTE.. they do not make this known, unless a customer’ asks’, & this is what I fear some other major stores in the high street are doing in order to gain sales … hmm… this is a sneaky way of gaining sales, as joe public is unaware of this clever ploy. A customer assumes they are buyiing a silver chain, when it looks ‘silvery’ but in fact there is no silver value in it whatsoever!
Please, can a qualified jeweller email information to me :~) even somebody from the BJA . Many thanks
Deborah Austin.
March 31, 2015 at 2:05 am -
I have just corrected the spelling of my email address!
thanks.. sorry!
:~)
Deborah
June 22, 2015 at 8:43 pm -
In addition to the environmental factors involved in rhodium plating, I would like to point out that it’s just not very good in general. I found this article while looking to see if anyone else had the same feeling about it that I do, which is to say that I have seen it marketed as a means of keeping your jewelry protected and scratch-free. At this it does an incredibly poor job. My job involves cleaning, polishing and photographing jewelry. When taking high-fidelity photographs of pre-owned jewelry, virtually every piece needs to be polished. Otherwise the scratches would be incredibly unphotogenic. My experience working with white gold is that the rhodium plated pieces look every bit as scratched as the ones that don’t have this plating and that polishing them basically entails removing the rhodium plating. The rhodium does not in fact keep the pieces safe from scratching in the real world, no matter what claims anyone makes. There in fact nothing one can do to keep jewelry from being scratched except not wearing it. So if it does not improve the color (and according to this article it does not), it is 100% pointless and in fact makes the process of polishing your jewelry periodically to return it to its original shine more complicated.
August 8, 2015 at 2:54 pm -
We do something more radical.
We have the staff wear safety goggles when plating. We also have them wear a chemical resistant apron, as well as nitrile gloves. We teach them how to add acids to water and not water to acids, so they have proper training with chemicals. We have fume hoods so the area is well ventilated. We NEVER throw RHD down the drain, nor any of our chemicals.
My point is, this should just be the practice everywhere. Because some don’t follow it is NOT a reason to call for banning it. Using this same logic, let’s ban radiator fluids, motor oil, aluminum foil, propane, and for that matter, refrigerant. Oh, and let’s not forget we need to ban natural gas, because if you run it in a closed space it could cause death.
You don’t ban substances because people don’t know how to use them. You educate people HOW to use them. This is alarmist reasoning.
August 19, 2015 at 4:35 am -
I have decided it is just better to ban jewelry.
Almost all jewelery is, in someway, made with conflict minerals and hence coated with the blood of thousands of innocent women and children.
Our gold imports are funding north korea, and we use this gold to make pretty rings and necklaces.
March 29, 2016 at 1:19 am -
What’s protective about plating gold with rhodium if it’ll need refreshing in a year?
May 10, 2016 at 2:31 pm -
In my 30 plus years in the jewelry industry, I have never once heard anyone claim that rhodium would help to keep your jewelry from scratching! Anyone with a little common sense, which seems to be absent from so many of the comments on here, would know this!
The main reason that rhodium plated jewelry is available, is for the masses to have what they want and not pay exorbitant fees for it!
All that needs to be said about this subject is use common sense when handling rhodium solution. Explain to your customers that there is no danger to them when wearing their favorite piece of rhodium plated jewelry. Don’t go around scaring people half to death!
June 15, 2016 at 1:04 pm -
I work in the jewelry industry too, and I’ve seen this crap come along before. Someone lambasts expensive jewelry as being bad for the environment or bad for people in some poor country, then offers their own overpriced alternative as an “eco-friendly” example. Let me guess, “Argen”, like “Argentina” got its name from the Latin word for silver? Hence, it has $30 an ounce silver in it, rather than $2000 an ounce rhodium in it? Gee, I wonder what the primary motive is behind the people hawking this stuff as a rhodium replacement?
There is absolutely nothing carcinogenic whatsoever about sulfuric acid. It’s just a strong acid that can burn you if you’re not careful. And if you’re so worried about people pouring sulfuric acid down the drain, perhaps you should start with the people who make acid-based drain cleaners, IN WHICH SULFURIC ACID IS THE ONLY ACTIVE INGREDIENT. When you pour sulfuric acid down the drain, it immediately reacts to form sulfates, which are ubiquitous in nature. Epsom salt, for example, is magnesium sulfate.
Rhodium is generally the preferred plating material because it has the highest luster and lowest reactivity of any metal. If you silverplate jewelry, for instance, hard water will blacken it. Rhodium plating does eventually wear off, but any other plating would wear off more quickly.
August 2, 2016 at 3:32 am -
I am working in a jewelry retail company and I know it is common for white gold with rhodium plating. Now as the nickel is banned in EU, we changed the nickel to palladium to replace nickel and the outside is rhodium.
August 25, 2016 at 9:32 pm -
Buzz off.
White gold stands heads and shoulders above sterling silver1!
That’s the relevant comparison like it or not.
May 15, 2017 at 9:56 am -
I just bought 2 things from the Swarovski brand and am about to buy a third one. Paid a fortune for it, from my perspective, I mean, considering that it’s just a christal, not diamond, which I would dream to buy, but the problem is I somehow do not believe anybody anymore regarding the diamonds and gold. These plating technics are so suffisticated now: one would make a iron ring, then plate it with a thinnest layer of gold and then sell it as a golden one. For a golden price. Go and guess then, if you are not a professional working within the industry. So I decided not to fool myself and just got a ring and a bracelet from the industry. So I decided not to fool myself and just bought ta ring and a bracelet of Swarovski. When I asked, what metal are the peaces made of in the store, they told me, it was Rhodium. They also of course did not forget to mention that it’s more expensive than silver. I had never heard about Rhodium before, so I believed them on a spot. Because I really paid for these 2 peaces, I decided to at least Google, what is Rhodium. And then I saw that purely Rhodium made jewelery is very rare, because it’s hard to manufacture it. That Rhodium is mainly used for plating. And here now I’m reading that Rhodium ware away really easily. That’s not what I really wanted to hear. When buying the ring and bracelet, I didn’t expect them to be of any precious metal, I just bought them for the sake of brand and hoping that whatever they are made of they will last for good. Very sad to hear, buut, I guess, that’s a bitter reality
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