Rhodium: It’s Rare, White, Beautiful . . . and If You Find It, It Can Make You a Lot of Money

Platinum ScrapRecycle Refine RhodiumRecycle Refine Platinum
Written By Barry Lenson

Rhodium is a hard metal. It looks like chrome, and it is highly resistant to corrosion.


But mostly, rhodium is extremely rare . . . and extremely valuable. It is a precious metal. And “precious” is the right word, because rhodium is trading today at $10,900.00 on the London Fix. But there’s a lot more you should know about rhodium too – information that can help you refine this “other” precious metal for quite a lot of money.

Here’s a primer of useful information about rhodium.

The History of Rhodium

We don’t usually tell the histories of precious metals on this blog. But we’ll make an exception in the case of rhodium because the story is so doggone interesting.

Way back in 1803, a British scientist named William Hyde Wollaston used a chemical process to extract rhodium from ores that also contained platinum and palladium. Because the metal is reddish in color, it was named rhodium from the Greek word rhodon, which means “red.” 

For a long time, the metal wasn’t widely used, but about 100 years after its discovery, it found its way into laboratory devices that measured high temperatures. Rhodium’s “big break” came in the mid-1970s, when rhodium-containing catalytic converters were first used to reduce the pollutants in automobile exhaust emissions. Since then, the demand for rhodium – both new and recycled – has remained strong.

And in case you have forgotten, rhodium is an element. It is element 45 on the periodic table.

How Rare Is Rhodium?

Rhodium is one of the rarest elements. It is estimated to make up only 0.0002 parts per million of the earth’s crust. The largest known concentrations of it are in the Ural Mountains in Russia, in South Africa, and in Ontario, Canada. Because rhodium is both scarce and expensive to extract from ores, it’s worth a lot and because it is finding increasing use in aerospace, labs, and other applications, its value is almost certain to increase.

Where Can You Find Rhodium to Recycle?

The “common knowledge” about rhodium is that it is most commonly found in automobile catalytic converters. But the reality is that not all cat converters contain rhodium – and those that do contain only a tiny amount. Here are some alternative rhodium-containing items that can return higher value to you…

  • Platinum-rhodium alloy mesh, wire, sheet, rods, foil, and tubes that you can reclaim from several industries that include aerospace manufacturing. 

  • The rotors that are used in some jet engines contain small amounts of rhodium that is used to plate their surfaces. 

  • Platinum-rhodium thermocouple wire that is used in advanced medical and other testing facilities. 

  • Some laboratory crucibles, evaporation dishes, electrodes, tongs, loops, and mesh screens.

  • Rhodium and rhodium-plated rings, watches, and other items of jewelry. They contain only a tiny amount of rhodium, so you will have to collect a very large number of them to profit from recycling them. 

Answers to the Most Common Questions about Rhodium

How Can Rhodium-Plated Jewelry Sell for So Little Money?

If you do some searching online, you will discover that some items of rhodium-plated jewelry are selling for amazingly low prices – on the order of $30.00 - $100.00. How can that be? It’s because extremely thin layers of rhodium are used as plating. A tiny amount of rhodium is enough to add a bright, shiny surface to a ring or another piece of jewelry. 

Why Is Rhodium Used as a Plating?

It is used because it is bright, tarnish-resistant, and abrasion-resistant. It has a beautiful bright finish, not unlike platinum. And it retains all those properties, even when only a thin layer is applied to other metals. If a plating of rhodium is added to silver, for example, that silver becomes more scratch-resistant. 

Is Rhodium Always Bright White in Color?

No, rhodium can be colored yellow or even black by adding other metals. 

What Metals Are Most Likely to Be Plated with Rhodium?

Rhodium can be plated onto gold, silver, platinum, and base metals too. But most of the better quality rhodium-plated jewelry you will find is made of silver that has been given a thin plating of rhodium. 

Is Rhodium Used to Make Electronic Devices and Components?

Generally, no. Even though rhodium conducts electricity well, it is no better at doing so than copper, which is far cheaper. So rhodium has not become widely used in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards and other electronic components.

Where Is Rhodium Used?

  • In small nozzles that are used to manufacture glass fiber threads.

  • In liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

  • In specialized glass that is used in cathode ray tube displays.

  • As a finish for that is electroplated onto jewelry.

  • As a finish for specialized mirrors that are used in aerospace and lab applications. 

  • In electrical connections in aerospace applications. 

  • In alloys for aircraft turbine engines and spark plugs.

  • In nuclear reactors.

  • In specialized thermocouples that are used in laboratory equipment. 

You Need a Specialized Precious Metal Refinery to Recover Rhodium

We are called Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners because we perform highly specialized processes to recover precious metals. And recording rhodium is one of our specialties. 

If you have rhodium to reclaim from the kinds of scrap we describe in today’s post, give us a call at 800-426-2344. Our specialists are here to help you profit from all precious metals, including rhodium. 

Barry Lenson
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