Gold Alloys or Plating?

Jewelry Discussion
1

Anybody else run into this problem? I do trade work for a
large department store that sells various jewelry manufacturers
products. Some times I run into different colors of what is
supposed to be 14kt yellow gold. Some of it is the nice mellow
yellow we all know and love, but some of it is really bright.
The really bright stuff that looks like 18kt or 22kt gold, seems
to be “flash” plated and discolors when hit with heat. ??? It
turns a coppery color. I’m told that a lot of Italian Mfg.'s do
this “flash” plating. I’ve seen a lot of this in my recent chain
purchases and a lot of downtown Los Angeles dealers have this
kind of chain. Yuck! I purchased a couple of these chains and
put them out for sale. One of my customers asked me if it was
costume jewelry!!! Is this stuff really plated somehow or is the
alloy just loaded to the max with copper?? What’s up? Thanx,
Linda

2 
 Some of it is the nice mellow yellow we all know and love, but
some of it is really bright. The really bright stuff that looks
like 18kt or 22kt gold, seems to be "flash" plated and
discolors when hit with heat. ???

Hi Linda,

I have seen the same thing and am sure your diagnosis is
correct. I have always assumed that manuf. do it to give the
mounting a uniform color. Its also shows up on chain, as you
said. I figure its to serve the same purpose and hide any color
irregularities caused by difference in solder color. I think that
this is usually a problem with cheaper jewelry and is a problem
you don’t need on top of the difficulties of running a trade
shop. I know it’s easier to say than to do, however, you might
be much happier if you were able to find a way to “weed out”
accounts who carry such merchandise. It will save you a lot of
time.

Mark P.

3 
 Some of it is the nice mellow yellow we all know and love, but
some of it is really bright. The really bright stuff that looks
like 18kt or 22kt gold, seems to be "flash" plated and
discolors when hit with heat. ???20

I worked in the chain wholesale business for about 4 years and
we did encounter this problem when repairs were necessary. I
mixed my own plating solution to replace the rich yellow color
after finishing. Most of the repairs were done on 14kt, however
we also repaired some 18kt yellow items.

We also made clip-out pieces for the larger hollow link chains
and needed to plate the items to match the chain. Never could
find a commercial solution that would match our color needs, so
had to mix up our own. I look at plating in yellow the same as
rhodium plating white gold, it all adds to making a good product
look better.

Regards,
Roger
http://www.jewelrycrestions.com/roger