[Jewelry making - Article 00974] - Re: [Orchid] Rhodium plating platinum?

[David L. Huffman]

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>        What are everyone's views on rhodium plating platinum? 

    It pains me to see that most noble metal brought so low as of
    lately. First, there were the clunky castings made by self styled
    goldsmiths who had no understanding of platinum's characteristics,
    let alone it's potential. Then, to accommodate these hacks, who had
    no clue how to carve a wax for a platinum casting, let alone
    fabricate with it, they came up with an alloy of platinum with
    cobalt, which markedly compromised it's best aspects of being tarnish
    proof and resistant to wear.  Now, the indignity of Rhodium, which
    covers the beautiful, silky whiteness of the metal with a hard,
    steely sheen.  Platinum is, in my opinion, primarily a metal suited
    to fabrication, and used as such, one can exceed any work in any
    other metal in terms of delicacy and complexity.  It is wonderful to
    set stones in and far outlasts gold.  If your gravers are properly
    polished, it carves easily.  I once had a vendor who expressed his
    distain for platinum by saying it was "gun metal gray".  I knew right
    away his ignorance and surmised that this was sour grapes on his
    part.  He probably secretly wished he was selling a platinum line. 
    Take what vendors tell you with the proverbial grain of salt. 

David L. Huffman

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