What You Need to Know Before Buying Rhodium-plated Jewelry If you have a piece of very shiny jewelry that dates back to the 1930s, then chances are high that you have a piece of rhodium-plated jewelry. There are a number of reasons why rhodium plating is popular for jewelry, but there are also certain caveats that you should know before purchasing rhodium-plated items. Rhodium and its Properties Rhodium is a silvery-white, hard, and corrosion-resistant metal. It is very shiny and reflects up to 80 percent of light. Rhodium gives off one of the best sheens achievable, making it a very popular metal for jewelry. Rhodium is very rare as it is never found as a single mineral. Rather, it is cultivated in very small quantities within nickel and platinum ores. The production rate of the metal globally is roughly 30 tons yearly, which is actually very small compared to other metals. Copper, for example, is produced at a rate of 20 million metric tons per year. Aluminum comes in at 63 mil...