Does White Gold Bend Easily?

Are you thinking of buying some white gold jewelry or have recently acquired some and aren’t sure if it easily bends or not? The answer to your question depends on the kind of white gold used in the jewelry and how well you take care of it.

Read ahead to find out all about white gold, if white gold jewelry will bend easily, what you should do if your jewelry does end up getting bent, and how to avoid bending it in the future.

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Is White Gold Malleable?

Did you know that white gold is not made from pure gold? It is an alloy made of pure gold mixed with durable metal like nickel, zinc, copper, palladium, or manganese. This is because pure gold is a very soft metal and is too malleable. Because it is so soft and can easily be bent out of place, it cannot be made into jewelry easily. It has to be mixed in with harder metals to be formed into jewelry that will hold its shape.

Does White Gold Jewelry Bend Easily?

Have you found yourself wondering just how careful you need to be while wearing white gold jewelry? You wouldn’t want to wear it roughly and risk bending it out of shape. The answer to whether or not white gold jewelry bends easily depends on the quantity of pure gold in the alloy.

White gold usually comes in three industry standards: 10 karats white gold, 14 karats white gold, and 18 karats white gold. 10k white gold is 41.7% pure gold and 58.3% metal alloy, 14k white gold is 58.3% white gold and 41.7% metal alloy, and 18k white gold is 75% pure gold and 25% metal alloy.

The more metal alloy there is than pure gold in the jewelry, the less easily the white gold jewelry will bend. This means that higher karat white gold, which is more valuable, is actually more easily bent, breaks and wears more quickly, and is less durable. This is why purer white gold jewelry should be worn and stored very carefully.

Does the Rhodium Plating Prevent White Gold from Bending?

White gold is not actually white but slightly yellowish. White gold has to be plated in a thin rhodium coating to give it that platinum-like bright white appearance. Rhodium is a reflective, bright white metal that is quite rare and precious. It is also very hard and durable. Rhodium does not scratch easily, tarnish, wear down, corrode, or oxidize.

So, in addition to making the white gold appear more white, rhodium coating can also make the white gold strong and more durable and prevent it from bending. However, one thing to remember is that because rhodium is so precious and rare, the coating on white goal jewelry is very thin. This means that it wears off over time and only strengthens the jewelry for a short period. If you get the jewelry replated whenever the coating has worn off, you can prevent it from bending easily.

What Should You Do If Your White Gold Ring gets Bent?

While gold is a very popular choice for wedding bands and other rings. When you first get your ring from the jewelry store, it will likely be bright, shiny, and perfectly in shape. However, after some time of wearing the ring, you might notice that it has changed shape a bit. This is because, as discussed, white gold jewelry can sometimes bend and lose its original shape.

So, what should you do if your white gold ring has become bent out of shape? The answer is simple, just take it to the jewelry store and ask the jeweler to bend it back into shape. Because white gold is easily bent, it can also easily be bent back into its original shape.

The jeweler will likely place the ring onto a mandrel, a cone-shaped rod, and then press the ring back into a round shape. If the ring is a simple band, this is a relatively quick and easy process. The process becomes more difficult if the ring has become too thin in certain places or encrusted with gemstones.

If it has been bent and become too thin, the ring might be at risk of breaking in the future. It will have to be recast to prevent this, which is a more expensive process. If the ring has gemstones in it, reshaping it while avoiding damaging it is a difficult process and will also be much more expensive to reshape.

How to Avoid Bending Your White Gold Ring

The easiest way to avoid bending your white gold ring is by being careful when you wear it and avoiding doing any intense work while you wear it to prevent putting too much pressure on it. When you aren’t wearing the ring, keep it safely in a jewelry box or any other designated spot. This will help prevent the ring from falling or coming in contact with other things that could damage the ring or bend it out of shape.

Additionally, you could opt for getting a white gold ring that is 10k or 14k so that it is stronger and more durable. You can also ensure that you get the ring replated in rhodium as soon as you notice the plating wearing off.

Conclusion

If you’ve been wondering does white gold bend easily, the answer is yes. White gold can bend depending on how many karats it is, whether it has a strong rhodium plating, how careful you are while wearing it, and how much wear and tear it faces.

If you take care of your white gold jewelry and do not do any intensive work while wearing it, you likely won’t have to worry about bending it out of shape. And even if it does bend a bit, the good news is that a professional jeweler can fix it.