e ring turning yellow

ribbicks

Hi ladies!  I got engaged a little over a month ago to an amazing man.  He makes me laugh more than anyone else in this world!  Wedding planning is fun, a little stressful but totally worth it.  The problem I am having is with my engagement ring.  It is a white gold ring that he bought from zales.  It is very pretty, although a little tight on my finger.  Now, it didn't even take 2 weeks before the ring started to turn yellow!  I went into zales and they told me that it is bc yellow gold is now mixed with a metal called rhodium (it used to be nickel but they stopped bc a lot of people are allergic) and when the rhodium wears off the yellow gold starts to show through.  Their solution to this is to buy thier lifetime insurance and bring in my rings as often as needed (which would be VERY often if it already started happeneing at 2 wks) and send them off to be re-rhodiumed.  I've looked this up online and this is a pretty common thing.  However, I think it's ridiculous to send my ring off so often for the rest of my life!  Has this happened to anyone else?  What are you doing about it?  I've thought about getting it reset in platinum (i wouldn't want to change to yellow gold and change the whole look of it) but I think it'd be really expensive!  Especially since I still need to get a wedding band!Any input or suggestions would be great! Thanks!! And congratulations to you all!

pag41989

Thanks for the info... I am having the same problem and guess where my ring came from... zales! I havent talked to them about it yet but I was about to go talk to them but now I dont have to. Yeah I think it is ridiculous to get it sent off but at the same time I dont want to get a diff one because this one has so much meaning behind it so I think I might get it sent to get rhodium plated once before the wedding but after that I think I might just live with it being a little yellow.

mrileyoct1

Is the ring plated? It sounds somewhat like it is plated and then it would come off. 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Go to a jeweler that isn't Zales. It sounds like you have to have your ring "dipped" to make it pretty again. See what the jeweler says about how often you'll have to do it (usually every 6-12 months). Look up a good jeweler in your area on yelp.

ribbicks

Good idea! I'll try looking on yelp!  I don't believe that it is plated since white gold is a mixture of yellow and another metal ( in this case rhodium).  However, I will have to get it "dipped"  very often!  I'll try to find another jeweler in the area.  It's a little scary getting work done by a smaller business in this economy.  What if they belly up? I wouldn't be able to get the insurance through Zales after someone else did work on the ring!  It sounds like a lot of other brides are dealing with this (however, I may be experiencing the yellowness sooner than others) and are just dealing with it.  They are planning getting it re dipped every 6 months or so.Thanks ladies!

janedoe1113a

My rhodium started to wear off after about 3 months.  I got mine from Kay.  They told me that it's because I have extra of some kind of compound in my skin that makes it wear off faster than some other people.  You might have even more than me!  Most people's rhodium doesn't start wearing off for about a year.  I get mine dipped every few months.

SarahSmile23

As navybaby said, it all depends on your personal skin chemistry. Unfortunately, some people have to get theirs re-dipped far more often than others. This is why we picked palladium for mine lol. I knew I'd end up being one of the people getting mine re-dipped once a month!

megan1381

My sister's ring is also WG, and has a slight yellow tint now also. Unfortunately, gold isn't naturaly white, and they have to make it so. It's just the price you have to pay i guess. If they have offered to take care of it, I say go for it b/c it will be a life long problem. I have also known others that haven't had that problem however, regardless of where it was purchased, and it really does depend on your personal body chemistry. You must be one of the lucky ones!

megan1381

Also, I worked in jewelry for many years, and don't worry, you are not being scammed in any way. It is just a natural occurence.

austinandstella

My ring is white gold. It came from Jared and when me and my fi went in to look at wedding bands they offered to clean it.  The man we were talking to said that it will start to look yellow just from being worn and getting dirty.  After they put it through their cleaner it looked better.  After this my fi bought me an at home jewelry cleaner machine. I don't think it costs that much and my ring looks so nice after it comes out.  You might want to look into this yourself.

Pixel'sMom

Congrats on your engagement! While shopping around for e-ring, a few salesmen told that most damage/wear&tear happens to your e-ring during the first 3 months. After that, once you're used to it, maybe less maintanance will be needed?My class ring is WG, I've had to redip it only every 4 years.... Sorry to hear it's more often for you... For my E-ring we went to platinum so I don't have to worry about it turning yellow... It was hard to justify the price jump, but it looks clean, shiny and new between cleanings.

SarahSmile23

or palladium.

linz_e_moore

I guess I have super awesome skin, because my white gold ring is also from Zales, and after almost 6 months of engagement, it is still super sparkly and no yellow. That is good to know though.  Good luck!

kelnyc

Mine is not from any of these stores, but I did have to get mine redipped about a year after having it (that was 6 months ago and with my wedding 10 days away, it still looks silver enough to not have to do it again!). Your skin chemistry is partially to blame, but can be affected by the acidity in your sister. So, if you drink a lot of OJ, wine, coffee, soda or use a lot of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it can exacerbate the yellowing. Moral of the story, Treat it as the precious metal it is and try to remove it when washing your hands or dishes or showering, putting on lotion, etc. HTH! ~Kelly

MustangSally67

We went platinum for this reason. While is is expensive upfront (my setting was about double the price from the white gold setting) I plan to wear the e ring with my band for the rest of my life, and it was worth it to us not to have to have it re-dipped so often and have it look not so good in between. If you're planning to wear the e ring forever, you might want to just upgrade to platinum.

SarahSmile23

can be affected by the acidity in your sisterwait, what?

catbarnes09

I think she meant system

Gardini5

This is why you spend more and get platinum. Seriously, my FI shopped and shopped for my ring and finally found one he liked and during his research, he found out that the white gold would have to be dipped and redipped. No way Jose. I can barely remember to make dinner. If you can, maybe buy a platinum band when you get some money saved up. It will be cheaper in the long run and you never have to deal with the tint of yellow!  Happy Wedding!

moontide26

I think you should absolutley go to another jeweler and get a second opinion.  I mean a non-retail jeweler.  This really sounds like a scam.  Also, instead of the hassle of constantly waiting for the color to change & having to bring it back, would you consider resetting it in silver or platinum?  You could go to another jeweler, explain your dilemma and ask them if they will give you a deal on the bands if you choose them to reset your diamond.  I assume they will want the business and help you out.  If you buy that insurance, you will be at the mercy of Zales literally forever.  What happens (god forbid) they go out of business or something?  Additionally, if you buy your band in the same metal, I assume that will effect the changing even more because it will be more of the metal.  I give you a lot of credit, I would have LOST my mind on the people at Zales.  Good luck!!!  And remember you deserve to be happy at this time, not staring down at this amazing ring waiting for it to change color.  -Amy

SarahSmile23

Amy, it isn't a scam. It's the nature of white gold. White gold is not a natural metal. It is yellow gold that is treated to appear white.

tavareskimberly

Mine is doing the same thing, but just a little on the back side...its VERY common, but I wouldn't buy any sort of insurance thing through zales...it costs bout $25 to get it "dipped" again...I'm going to do it right before my wedding in april....don't worry about it....

BenandDina

I also have a white gold e-ring, but I only had to redip it once before our wedding. If you take it off when you are at home, don't do dishes with it on, don't sleep in it, etc., it will reduce wear and tear on it and reduce the speed of the yellowing process, resulting in you having to have it "dipped" less often. And, if you have small sidestones, don't overclean your ring - it will yellow, and you could loosen a side stone. Having it cleaned every few months is sufficient. I would also encourage you to consider a smaller local jeweler; I would never in a million years go to a retail jeweler - the people in the stores are salespeople, not jewelers or diamond setters, and you will be at the mercy of their corporate policy. Their markups are also ridiculous. An established local jeweler who is on site all the time is a much better bet in my opinion; if you are in a larger city, consider going to the "diamond district" and shop around for a good jeweler. Congratulations on your engagement, and take good care of your ring!

cha_kev

I have had my ring (also purchased from zales) for over a year and it also had to be dipped not too long after FI gave it to me. It is common but should only be done once every few years. I havent had any problems and have had my ring for almost 2 years.

soflyawayforever

You should take your ring to a jeweler who will make it better quality (not trying to be offensive) I used to work with an IJO jeweler. He was great and could do anything, and we never had any complaints like i've heard about the big name jewelers.

Dianalouise

my ring was bought from helzberg and they also told us about that. the salesman said that the more it is worn and the more you do with your hands, if it taps on tables or keyboards, if you wash your hands with your ring on all the time, etc., the faster it will wear the rhodium down. but if you get the lifetime plan or whatever they call it they will re-coat it for free as often as needed. my advice would be to be careful of how often your ring gets knocked on the table etc. and to take it off when you wash your hands or anything. good luck!

meagandpt

Hello girlies! I've worked and sold diamond engagement rings for the past 7 years (and i LOVE IT!).  And here's the scoop on your rings turning:  it CAN be your skin compound, but MOST LIKELY it was "dipped" in a bad batch of Rhodium (all the stores go through this...it's not just Zales, trust me).  IF your ring was sitting in the case at the store (under the case lighting) your Rhodium wears off due to that (I don't quite understand the how in that, but I know it does and had to resend it out many times to get "dipped") So the fact that it turned does not mean there ring is defective.  IF you like the "shiny" look to a ring, stay with white gold.  Platnium is white through the whole ring BUT it loses it's shine after a while and becomes dull (yes it can be buffed, but it will cost extra that is not covered in your lifetime coverage plans).  Just because you need to get it dipped to turn white again right now, does not mean you will have to do this over and over and over again.  You will have to do it again soemtimes through your life, but they will not have your ring more than you do.  I ALWAYS recommend buying the lifetime warranty (and no, once your ring has been worked on someone else, you cannot buy the store warranty) ALSO, the warranty pays for itself if you get it re-rhodium and if you would need it resized or if a prong breaks (repair work is costly).  To get it "dipped" is around 50 dollars and up.But don't sweat, keep the ring (unless you want the weight and dull-look of platnium) and just get it re-rhodiumed and it shouldn't be a problem  :)Hope this helps all of you out!!!  Let me know how it goes!!!

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the tip off on Zales. I've worn my 14 K white gold wedding band and engagement ring for over 30 years now. They are still white and have never been dipped. I get them cleaned occasionally and that restores the original shine, but they have never yellowed. You should check with another jeweler to find out whats going on with your ring.

Ryan&Steph

Hello - I saw the post below about palladium and wanted to add my two cents. My fiance chose palladium for my ring for fear that white gold would need to be dipped too often. He wasn't sold on platinum (I had tried on friends rings and did not like how heavy they were). I got engaged last March and highly recommend palladium, it looks like platinum (everyone assumes it is), but is very, very light, does not ding as easily as platinum, and is much more affordable. Best of luck!

SarahSmile23

yup, palladium is in the same metal family as platinum, so people often think mine is platinum, too!

suz62984

Oh goodness.  I got my engagement ring a week ago....ITS FROM ZALES! I'm seriously scared and will be looking and waiting for it to turn yellow. At least we have the insurance but they told me it was going to take them TWO WEEKS just to size the thing.  I'm missing my ring already and can't imagine having to send it off again to have the white gold put back on!

CarterAThomas

In order to be sure you don't make the same mistake with your future husbands ring I suggest looking into something like tungsten for him.  It stays permanently polished and won't react with his skin.  Its super durable also, which is perfect if he works with his hands.  I have been in the Jewelry biz for years, just my 2 cents...