Hi Pipes,
I sent your post to Jim Heusinger, owner of Berea Hardwoods and the source of Swiss Rose Gold pen kits, for his review and comments. He contacted the owner of the company that plates these kits for him and he submitted a response to Jim. Jim gave me permission to post his reply in the IAP forum.
I thought the information he presented was very educational. I believe members of this forum will get a real understanding of this plating as I did. The more we know about these things the better off we are.
I found his comments about the rhodium plating interesting. I have two customers which have unusual body chemistry in that their perspiration will cause rhodium to turn grey.
Bill Baumbeck
Arizona Silhouette
About the author:
David Vinson (BFA, MFA Cranbrook Academy of Art) is the Director of Metal Arts Specialties. For over 35 years his company has specialized in the restoration and electroplating of fine metal objects for museums, private collectors, corporations and individuals world wide. He is widely recognized as an authority on precious metal electroplating and gilding processes on fine art and decorative objects.
His company also provides engineered gold platings for scientists, national laboratories and the medical field. In addition, he provides plating consulting services for numerous fortune 100 companies in the U.S.
Hi Jim,
After reviewing the thread I am reminded of humorist Mark Twain who remarked that "It’s not what you don’t know that gets you in trouble, it’s what you do know that is simply wrong!"
I will try to explain in laymen's terms as much as possible the main points that are covered in the thread. I hope this will help clarify things.
<b>The good platings DO NOT tarnish on Swiss Rose Gold plate even the dive watches used in salt water!!!!!!</b>
Well this is simply a bad observation based on an incomplete understanding of chemistry. Any copper, whether cast, plated or forged, will react to the chlorine and trace chemistries in salt water. There are "copper colored" nitride coatings that are inert and are sometimes used on decorative and hardware items. If there are doubts stick a common U.S. penny in warm salt water and see what happens in 20-30 minutes, equivalent to a nice scuba dive in the Florida Keys.
<b>Yes it is copper in the gold to make the Rose tone!! </b>
This is correct, but how much copper is in the rose gold? This will influence color and tarnishing. Rose gold color varies widely from a "copper rust" (22kt) color to the vivid pink colors known as "Black hills rose gold" (16kt). Solid Rose gold jewelry (not plated) and watches are homogenous alloys of silver, copper and gold and sometimes zinc. The atomic arrangement of the copper and gold are uniform and relatively stable to tarnishing. Typically 18kt gold is 75% gold, 22% copper, 3% silver.
<b>I have some watches that are hard worn fifty yrs old and plated in rose gold and other than a few scratches they never tarnish !!</b>
That may be but it doubtful they are plated. When the tarnish is removed you would be surprised at their true rose color. This is a "Sistine chapel" surprise to most watch owners once our company cleans their watch as a result of scratch removal and restoration.
<b>There is so many companies in Europe plating this stuff and in the far east and NOT many folks these days know really were its done Swiss plating in the last 10 yrs or so has become a catch all phrase for anyone using or purporting to use the Swiss method even in the watch world!</b>
This is incorrect. While companies may refer to Swiss gold plating as a marketing term few if any are using what us old guys in the plating trade would define as Swiss gold plating. This term refers to chemistries and methods that provide quality gold plating in very thick and durable layers. This is not easy or common today.
During the 50's and 60's the Swiss watch industry used neutral ph gold plating baths that provided excellent quality gold plating in thicknesses up to 20-40 microns, enough to last for years. True Swiss gold plating was and still is done using either the "Volks" or the "Spreter" gold plating chemistries. Literally 90% of the watches plated by Swiss companies during this period used these baths or a variant of them. Plating in Switzerland and Europe was done by small specialty houses contracted by the watch and jewelry manufacturers.
Today most platers in the U.S. and Asia are using acid based chemistries that are not able to provide the plated rose gold thickness, yet can provide good color and tint if properly maintained. These chemistries are purchased from specialty plating chemical companies and are common world-wide. The catch all phrase is an uncharitable description but it is mostly a marketing issue.
<b>BUT if its the top end platings like used on HI end watches NO pouch should effect it IMO I store watches in watch boxes costing hundreds a dollars and some have vinyl or leatherette pillows and it does NOT effect the plating even in the 2 I have that are leather!!</b>
As restorers of fine metal objects and antiquities this does not jive with the facts. Whether a plating is top end (usually defined as thickness and uniformity of the gold and copper in the rose alloy) or not, depending on the material, all copper based alloys will react to the discrete environment of a closed container. Tanned and dyed leathers, wood oils, leaded seams in metal boxes, etc. are not stable and oxidize constituents that will turn all metal over time. We have seen polymers form on Rhodium and platinum that diminished their brightness over time due to the aforementioned reasons. Rhodium is used as a medical implant coating due to its ability to resist tarnishing and reaction to human chemistry.
<b>There is just NO way at the price we pay for kits we are gona get the top end platings again IMHO and we should expect in things like Rose Gold to have some tarnish problems with storage and even wear !! The kits would most likely have to tripple in price or MORE ot get the really good stuff actually plated by the swiss !</b>
In this case you are getting a high end rose gold plating using Swiss rose gold chemistry that is the original Volk rose gold first patented in 1957 (U.S. patent 2,812,299). It provides a homogenous and uniform layer of rose gold where the copper and gold are atomically blended to provide good color and durability. Coatings for writing instruments are "trophy grade" in brightness and thickness. It is identical in formula to what was used on Rose gold plated Swiss watches, except it is and cannot be as thick. Its ability to resist tarnish is no better or no worse than those products. We have used this formula to provide quality rose gold plating to museums, private collectors and on Swiss watch restorations. The main difference is the thickness of the rose gold plating relative to quality. As far as we know we are the only company still using this process in the U.S.
<b>Omega got caught a while back not telling there customers there bracelets were being made and shipped from CHINA ON Swiss Made watches so I doubt Berea actually knows were the guy he is partners with in the far east is getting the plating done ! But being he is in the far east I have a good guess.</b>
This seems a bit ethnocentric and clearly is unfair. There are numerous high quality platers in Asia pacific region. Guess what, they are using the same plating chemistry world wide from a small group of chemical suppliers. Omega follows the Federal Trade commissions (FTC) requirements and I doubt this has any truth to it. I know exactly where Berea is getting the rose gold plating done and the quality methods that are used.
<b>SO IMO there is NO pen kit I know of that is really Swiss Rose Gold plated IN Switzerland IN MY personal opinion maybe the method BUT the labor costs in Switzerland are just WAY to HI..</b>
I hate to break the bad news to everyone, but the Swiss were not the only people who could provide quality plating. Firms in Germany, France Italy and even the US were providing high quality plating to the jewelry and watch trade also. In some cases the quality exceeded the Swiss, particularly in the gold plating of stainless steel watches (Germany). Quality gold plating has largely exited Europe in general and Switzerland in particular.
<b>As for rare method well hundreads a thousands a watches and jewerly specialy watches are Swiss Rose Gold plated or Swiss method plated everday... saying RARE is like saying a RED FORD Mustang is RARE but there is nothing IMHO RARE about Swiss Rose Gold plating ..</b>
This is not true. It is true that there is rose gold plating being done in the US and Asia, it is not true to suggest that they are using Swiss gold plating methods. Platers today are using acid based plating chemistry that provide rose gold that is not as homogenous and as uniform as the "Legacy" chemistries used by the Swiss and the Europeans. But bear in mind neither are the Swiss! In many cases rose gold plated items are covered with lacquer to keep them from oxidizing and to improve their durability. So true Swiss rose gold plating is not common. The main reason is that these older plating methods used plating chemistries that are harder to control and require a high level of expertise by the plating team.
Final thoughts and observations: All rose gold plating will tarnish over time. No exceptions. Solid Rose gold metal alloys are more resistant but will also color over time. Rose gold color nitrides are inert and will stay bright. They are not in wide use as of yet.
The good news is that the rose gold plating based on the Volk Swiss formula is durable and easily cleaned. A sprits of "glass plus" cleaner and a paper towel will restore the color back to its original state with no adverse affects on the rose gold. You won't hurt it so relax.
A couple oddities: Watches and belt buckles plated with rose gold plating actually stay brighter due to incidental burnishing and polishing from constant contact while being worn. Writing instruments and jewelry objects discolor quicker due to contact with perfumes, sun tan lotion, cologne and other cosmetic based chemistries. That is basic chemical and physics no matter the quality of the metal.
Fine plated jewelry should not be stored in leather, naugahide or vinyl. Wrap items in an undyed soft cloth prior to storage. If the items are fingerprinted or exposed to perfumes, remove them prior to encasing them in soft cloth.
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