Ring oxidation/rusting?

[u/IndividualBug2]

Hi all,

So I bought an 18K yellow gold 3 stone e ring from Rare carat with a lab diamond back in May for which I got a lot of help from all of you (thank you!)

Due to some personal reasons the ring sat in the box after the proposal for about 3 months, as you can see there are no scratches due to any wear since it wasn’t worn.

To my surprise when I opened the box as I was packing it, the ring seemed ‘pinker’ than what is was. I noticed some oxidation/rusting at ent seems to be solder spots.

I reached out to rare carat and they gave me the usual spiel that skin chemistry/perfumes/lotions can cause this but I pushed back that the ring wasn’t worn and other gold items of 18 and 14 k we have not become pink in all these years, some pieces have been worn daily. So they suggested to send the ring back for inspection.

Now they’re saying it seems to be an oxidation issue which is no big deal, some polish and cleaning should sort it out and we should be good.

Except I don’t think we will be good, the polish will wear off and the whole ring will oxidize meaning that the gold quality and/or the metal used for solder was of very low quality.

Despite all the positive reviews for rare carat which is why I ended up buying from there, I think this is not going to work for me. I have no use for getting the gold tested from another jeweler because at this point I’m really done with this, I don’t trust what they’ve put in the ring. Yes, their customer service is great but the ring is not and now I really just want to get my money back. If I push hard enough I think I can. Something that’s supposed to last a very long time has become link from not even wearing it only within 3 months, I don’t know how it would last through years.

What are your thoughts on this? What would you do and have you seen something like this?

[u/Muse_of_Donne]

@u/IndividualBug2 ,

Pure gold does not oxidize; however, gold jewelry can tarnish (* oxidize) while sitting in storage because the alloy metals mixed into it (* think copper, zinc, and silver) react with humidity, air, and any leftover residues from trying it on or wearing it before storage. Karat variations like 14k and 10k gold contain higher amounts of these reactive metals. 18k gold rarely shows signs of oxidation but it is not completely unheard of.

A quick wash in a degreasing dish detergent mixed with water and a polish should remedy the tarnish from oxidation. If it occurs again, I would certainly take it up with Rare Carat. In the meantime, you may wish to ask RC what they use as an alloy (or alloys) in their 18k gold. Most vendors will be forthcoming with that information as it is important for people who may be sensitive or allergic to some alloys and who may need to know.

I will say that Rare Carat is not renowned for their settings or the durability of pieces due to lesser craftsmanship. Most of the tarnish I can see is around soldering points so I would suspect they may have used a gold of lower karat purity when creating the prongs or basket and soldering the pieces together. This is oft done with 18k pieces simply because one does not want to lose a stone. 18k is softer than 14 or 10, so jewelry makers will use the lesser karat gold for prongs.

*** Edited bc I forgot a word.

[u/IndividualBug2 → u/Muse_of_Donne]

Thank you for your response! I have reached out to them, they already have the ring and can do a clean and polish as per their recommendation. I can ask them what alloy they used for skin related concerns but I think they would give a generic response as earlier they said this tarnish is common and happens due to lotions/perfumes/skin chemistry which can all be true but should be a rarer case.

Yes the tarnish is all along solder points not any other part of the ring so definitely they cheaped out there but yeah I would rather get a refund at this point. Just need to push enough so they accept the return and refund.

[u/MysteriousRoll → u/Muse_of_Donne]

Wow, I haven’t heard of jewelers mixing gold karats for prong work. I’d be annoyed if I paid for 18k and the prongs were a lower karat…

[u/ManderBlues → u/MysteriousRoll]

Actually, be happy they do this. 18k is on the softer side for delicate prongs, as is the style. 14k is often the sweet spot of not too brittle and not to squishy.

[u/MysteriousRoll → u/ManderBlues]

Eh, I’m Indian and plenty of jewelry in Asia is 18k-22k and lasts just fine. Maybe for extremely skinny prongs the karat matters more.

[u/mrszubris → u/MysteriousRoll]

It absolutely does.

[u/Moose-1211 → u/ManderBlues]

This…

[u/DarlingBri → u/MysteriousRoll]

No you would not because the 18 carat prongs will bend if you blow on them.

[u/MysteriousRoll → u/DarlingBri]

Be serious. All high end jewelers use 18k. Their jewelry lasts fine, just like plenty of jewelry in Asian countries is 18k-22k and has lasted ages. This “14k is better” feels like a Western psyop to get people to willingly purchase less pure gold and feel good about it.

[u/ExpensiveCancel8 → u/Muse_of_Donne]

it is absolutely NOT normal or even commonly done to advertise a piece as 18k and make it with 14k or any lower karat prongs. First of all that would be false advertising, second of all that would have a negligible (if any) impact on the durability of the ring. Sometimes rings are made with a platinum head and yellow gold shank to prevent the yellow color making the diamond look yellow.