[Jewelry making - Article 01348] - Re: [Orchid] White gold that isn't white?

[jmfuja]

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Jim and all,

    This is a little off your subject Jim, but I had an issue come up
    yesterday and I thought I would run it by everyone to get various
    opinions. 

    A regular customer came is wanting to order a large, 14K white gold
    fancy ring for herself, and I questioned her about the decision as I
    have known for some years she has an allergy to nickel, and all her
    previous orders were either platinum or palladium/white gold
    mixtures.  She insisted to me she could wear the regular nickel/white
    gold if I just plated it with rhodium prior to delivery.  I explained
    to her that I didn't believe a thin layer of rhodium would supply her
    that type of protection, and when wear caused the rhodium to be
    removed between her finger and the nickel, the resulting allergic
    reaction would be very unpleasant. 

    She then showed me a ring that she had purchased from another
    jeweler, stamped only "14K" and a trademark, set with a tanzanite and
    diamonds, and she informed me she had been wearing the ring for a
    month or more and had no reaction of any kind.  One sales person told
    her they had added a heavy layer of rhodium, and another told her the
    rhodium had been "mixed in with the gold" so there would be no
    trouble with the allergy. She left my store disappointed, probably
    thinking I was trying to run up the price by suggesting a more
    expensive metal, and doubting my knowledge and experience in
    manufacturing rings. 

    Has anyone out there had experience working with people with a
    nickel allergy that has allowed them to wear a ring with nickel in
    the mixture? 

Jon Michael Fuja

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