| 10 facts about affordable gold or | | | | The reflective properties of Rhodium |
| rhodium plaited jewellery that is | | | | make it suitable for jewellery products. |
| suitable for both casual wear and for | | | | * Rhodium flashing is known in the |
| special occasions, and which does not | | | | jewellery trade as the process of |
| have to be stored in a vault! | | | | electroplating; whereby a white gold |
| * A gemstone is a mineral that has been | | | | metal is placed in a rhodium salt |
| cut or faceted then polished, examples | | | | solution and when an electrical current |
| of gemstones are quartz, jasper, | | | | is passed through the metal the white |
| amethyst, Ruby and Malachite. | | | | gold is coated with a thin layer of |
| * Facets are flat faces on geometric | | | | rhodium. This process gives the rhodium |
| shapes, that either occur naturally in | | | | plaited metal a highly reflective white |
| crystalline structures or as in the case | | | | surface. |
| of gemstones are cut into them to | | | | * Rhodium has a Moh's hardness of 6 |
| improve their appearance. Faceting is | | | | compared to Silver and Gold that both |
| usually applied to transparent | | | | have a Moh's hardness of just 2.5. |
| gemstones. | | | | * Cutting is usually applied to opaque |
| * The Moh's scale of mineral hardness | | | | gemstones that are impenetrable to |
| characterises the scratch resistance of | | | | visible light while faceting is mainly |
| minerals through the ability of a harder | | | | carried out on transparent gems. As |
| material to scratch a softer one. | | | | softer gemstones are more readily |
| * Softer gemstones with a Moh's hardness | | | | scratched so they are shaped and |
| scale of less than 7 are easily | | | | polished in order to reduce any visible |
| scratched by dust and grit. On the Moh | | | | signs of scratching. |
| scale a window pane has a Moh scale | | | | * Rhodium belongs to the group of |
| rating of 5.5, whilst Quartz is 7, Topaz | | | | Platinum metals and is considered to be |
| is 8, and Diamond is 10. In fact Diamond | | | | an even more precious metal than silver. |
| is fifteen times more harder than | | | | * By definition, a Cabouchon is a |
| quartz. | | | | gemstone that has been shaped and |
| * Rhodium is a hard silvery white and | | | | polished making attractive jewellery for |
| durable metal with a high reflectance. | | | | all occasions. |