Newby collector

Ordinary Fool, posted: "Have you ever removed the flash plated rhodium from gold? You might be surprised what is actually under it and how little damage was done to it in the process."

You have demonstrated a great deal of knowledge on subjects I know nothing about. That was a great question for that poster who doubted your expertise!

Will you please answer the question you posed above as I'm sure no one here can!

1. How do I remove the flash plated rhodium from the gold mountings I have in the shop?

2. What equipment/chemicals do I need to purchase?

Thanks in advance.

 

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I don't have any experience with rhodium plating, but a bit of Googling indicates that step one in the process is cleaning and polishing the piece to be plated. Do you find that this often isn't done?

As for removing a rhodium-plating layer, rhodium is a platinum-group metal, and I'm not sure how you'd attack it without attacking the underlying gold. If there's a nickel preplating layer, maybe you can get through to that and loosen it from underneath...? I remember coming across an article some time back on ionic liquids that can selectively attack some platinum-group metals while sparing others, but I don't think that's made it into commercial practice yet.

I still think it's a color-balance issue. I'll try to get some pictures this evening showing the effect, but it'll be hard, given all the time I've spent learning to avoid the effect...

 

Have all you want, you're welcome.
Absolutely not a single video vetted although that search thing found at the top of youtube will likely garner floods of free information relative to your unspecified specifics.

 

Thanks Ordinary fool! I guess I could have looked it up for myself. Color me lazy. I assumed you had ACTUAL experience about removing Rhodium plating by what you posted and the way you asked the question. You know what that makes us. Sorry for my stupid assumption!

What are you an expert at anyway? If not numismatics or jewelry plating you sure seem to know a lot about photography.

 

Your presumption is that I have any interest in playing your games or engaging you.

Your whole life has been nothing but coins and when somebody won huge, somebody else lost equally. So that's the nature of the whole sheebang and as long as humans exist, some will always ruthlessly prey on the innocent. You could say I may be a fascinated study of those types, albeit, probably nothing like an "expert".

I don't have any interest in playing your games, being your "friend", I also have no interest in knowing anything more about you than I already know, which is a lot, and I don't care to share with you what I do or don't know, am or am not, per your terms since I have no respect for your methods, history and pathology.

Beyond that, it's all swell and nothing personal. ;-)

 

O...kay. I'm not big on watching videos, but it looks like you've found several demonstrations of putting rhodium onto gold, one demo of removing silver plating from stuff, and one demo of recovering gold that's plated onto other stuff (probably by dissolving everything and then precipitating out the gold).

Now, what about removing rhodium without "polishing it off"? Or were you proposing that the OP dissolve the whole thing in aqua regia and then somehow recover a mint-state coin?

 

Reverse the current and who the hades knows what is under it? None of you that chimed in with grease smeared glasses that you voluntarily put on, have any real idea of the actual conditions of either side of the actual coin.

I can just imagine any of Rago's top flight professionals, many of which give amazing free appraisals, even acknowledging receipt of an email asking for value or information about this piece based on what you guys virtually blind folded attacked. At most, you would receive an answer something like, 'Sorry, the quality of your pictures are woefully inadequate for any determinations."

Do you think it is possible that bezel has any precious stones giving of that red color? How did that manifest? Not using an 18% gray background?

Who signed that piece of jewelry? You can ALMOST see it, but, no cookie.

Don't get mad at me because you jumped in and made lots of what may truly be some ridiculous assumptions.

 

Ordinary Fool, I'm really sorry to have pushed that "hot button" and exposed a nerve.

You really had me going all this time as I thought you might be a professional something from reading your replies here and in other discussions. Perhaps a jeweler, photographer, or chemical engineer! Perhaps even a detective as you seem to see every possibility in your answers to simple posts.

Although Your comments are usually very entertaining, in the future I will be very careful not to ask you any questions about the statements you make.

PS There do not appear to be any "stones" in the bezel. The "red color" and also the "gold color" is the reflection of the gold coin's edge on to the bezel. But what do I know, the image is terrible, I'm not an expert photographer, and my glasses are greasy.

 

Did I really have you going??? Really? Awwww, c'mon! That's just too precious, everyone needs to be something that others can understand in less than half a sentence. I'll keep that in mind. ;-)

Maybe one day when I grow up I can be a professional coin collector!!!

For my one and only 'follower' on this site, you're not a very adept stalker/recon type.

 

Hello to all of you! Wow! I never expected so many replies to my original posting. Like one of your fine people remarked, "I do have a life" and getting ready to go out of town. Jeff B --appreciate your advice on photographing the coin on a white piece of paper. I took the photo on my cheap LG Rebel phone and the lighting probably was not the best. I am not a pro in taking photos. Yes ---the bezel was not purchased from some "cheap roadside stand". My aunt and her sisters had many custom made pieces in their jewelry collections. I know this to be factual. so I am sure my aunt went to some upscale jewelry in Fla. where she lived and had it made by the suggestion of the jeweler. Wish I knew where it was made but I don't.
The color of the coin on both sides is bright gold to me. That being said, you very experienced collectors have the knowledge of many years to state if the coin had flash plating ---or rhodium ---applied to the coin. As I stated before, auntie may have polished it herself---I never have. I do realize that some things have a patina and shoud never be touched or altered. The bezel is unique in my opinon and is 14kt , stamped as such. All I can say is I do truly appreciate all the comments and knowledge you folks have imparted to me. I never did expect to receive offers on the coin on this site and was surprised when this individual contacted me . It was NEVER my intention to drum up sales ---only to get advice. Thanks again to all of you . By the way, I do have some other gold coins that were left to me but that is a story for another day and time. I need to pack. Blessings to all.