On Sat, 10 Apr 2004 17:13:20 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "-SP-"
wrote:

Well, I can only speak from experience Peter. Yes, my experience
has been with silver items that are only gold plated, but in 20 odd
years, I can't say that I've ever come across a silver chain that's
been plated with rhodium. Silver plating after polishing? Yes, but not
rhodium plating. How strange. Perhaps it's unique to America at the
moment? I wouldn't have a clue...

I've been seeing these things for at least those 20 years, here in the U.S.,
where I'd guess of the commercially sold silver chain, the majority of it is
rhodium plated. Probably, it's that where you are, stamping laws or other
such regulationss are sane enough to prevent perfectly good sterling silver
from being mucked up that way. It might also be that usually, the rhodium is
plated over an underplate of first copper, then nickel, and perhaps that nickel
underplate is what makes it not allowable for your location. Either way,
it's a good thing you don't have to contend with the stuff. Makes it really
hard to work on, and isn't as good looking, IMHO, having that steely chrome
white of rhodium rather than the considerably whiter/lighter color that so sets
silver apart from the other precious metals. but the bottom line seems to be
that dealers and retailers prefer a product they can keep in stock without it
yellowing or tarnishing to black when it sits around. A silver ring that does
that can be easily buffed up again. Chain, with it's many recesses, is a lot
harder to clean up unless one has equipment fancier than just the polishing
cloth most people running sales showcases might easily have available.

Here, the practice is, I think, driven more by retailers than consumers.
Retailers who didn't like sterling tarnishing in their show cases liked the
idea of rhodium plated silver chain, and in fact, a slew of other commercially
mass produced sterling items too, if they're likely to sit around in inventory
for a bit before sale. (rings from the home shopping channels on the T.V. for
example, are often rhodium plated over the silver.) Mostly it's an issue with
the mass produced ware, and it's not confined to goods produced here in the
States. A good deal of it is italian, or from other overseas sources. .It's
possible that it may be made just for export to this market, if the EU has a
problem with the nickel underplate (which they well might, though you'd perhaps
know better than I).

Those manufacturers doing hand made or otherwise higher end silver chain and
jewelry don't usually do this. They, at least, have some respect for the nice
look of actual sterling silver, which of course is totally hidden when you give
it a rhodium electroplate.

cheers

Peter