Many times people will shy away from a piece of costume jewelry or designer inspired jewelry when they find out it is coated with a layer of  rhodium.   Rhodium is actually a shiny, highly reflective, silver metal with a finish like Mercury and is consistently used on white gold to  restore the shine. Sterling silver is actually very soft but the rhodium finish is very strong  and  mimics the brilliant finish of freshly polished silver.  It also protects the piece from natural tarnish.   So, purchasing a piece of jewelry coated with a layer of Rhodium as a finishing touch provides  shine for a longer time plus it prevents scratches and tarnishing.