JUST WHAT IS RHODIUM?

Rhodium was discovered in 1803 by the British chemist, William Hyde Wollaston.

Rhodium metal is extremely hard & durable and is a brilliant silvery white colour. It is insoluble in ordinary acids and has a hardness of 4. The metal occurs as an alloy in platinum ores, in osmiridium and in gold-rhodium ores called rhodite. Of the elements of the crust of the earth, it ranks 81st in order of abundance.

Rhodium is mostly used as an alloy with platinum; the resulting alloy has all the desirable properties of platinum and is also extremely hard and durable. Pure rhodium is used as a mirrored surface in flashlights/searchlights and as a plating finish for jewellery and silverware.

It is a metal that prevents tarnish and discolouration. Rhodium-plated sterling silver rarely needs shining to keep its beautiful appearance. It also creates a scratch and blemish resistant surface to keep your jewellery looking like new!

Rhodium-plating provides protection for sterling silver and white-gold jewellery by coating to help prevent tarnish and surface scratches.

However, a rhodium finish is not impervious to the effects of wear and abrasion that may occur in everyday use. To limit wear, one should avoid household cleansers, gardening and other activities that can quickly destroy the rhodium plating, which would expose the metal beneath.