Posts Tagged ‘Tungsten Wedding Rings’

The Titanium versus Tungsten wedding band debate

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Since Titanium and Tungsten have become available to jewelry designers, the two metals have become incredibly popular. While traditionally both Titanium and Tungsten were used in manufacturing, medicine, and engineering, in the last decade they have become a widely sought after material for wedding rings. Some say that Titanium is such a desirable metal for creating jewelry, that if it had been discovered earlier, gold would never have achieved its status as the wedding band standard.

Due to the unique strength and beauty of both Titanium and Tungsten, brides and grooms across the globe have found themselves puzzling over which of the two metals they should choose, and have completely forgotten about the platinum, gold, and white gold rings of yesterday.

Which do you chose? While Titanium and Tungsten have many mutual benefits, there are some differences that make Titanium a better choice for a wedding ring. Before you make your purchase, you should consider these facts…

  • Tungsten wedding bands can crack. If you drop a tugngsten wedding band, and it hits a surface in such a way, it will crack.
  • Titanium wedding bands are more cost effective. Due to the manufacturing process of Tungsten, rings made from this metal will be a little pricier than their Titanium counterparts.
  • Titanium is 100% hypoallergenic, where many Tungsten rings contain cobalt. Cobalt can react to human skin and create spots on the wedding ring that are impossible to remove.
  • Titanium rings are lighter than Tungsten rings. Many men wearing Tungsten jewelry complain about the heavy feel of the metal on their hand, where as those wearing Titanium bands hardly know they are wearing a ring at all.
  • While Tungsten jewelry designers boast about the metalʼs “permanent polish,” Titanium jewelry can be engraved. Attempting to engrave your wedding date, or names on Tungsten metal is not recommended, the text will be almost invisible.
  • Titanium is very scratch resistant, much more so than gold, and any wear can be easily polished away, bringing your ring back to its original shine.
  • When under pressure, like in the event you slam your finger in the car door, the Titanium ring may bend and can be easily repaired. Tungsten metal bands would fracture and have to be replaced entirely.
  • Tungsten wedding rings cannot be adjusted. As years pass, your finger size may change, and only the Titanium band can be adjusted for fit.

Both Titanium and Tungsten are strong metals that suit regular wear well, however Titanium is more fitting for a wedding band. The metal was named in honor of the Greek Titans, the Gods of mythology, and while stronger than steel, has the light-weight of aluminum. Titanium can be sized, engraved upon, and polished. Tungsten, while four times stronger than Titanium, is much heavier, and thanks to itʼs extra ductile quality, cannot be adjusted, or engraved. So, while the Tungsten band may not scratch, you cannot personalize your wedding day on the very thing that symbolizes the event.

WeddingRings.net has decided to sell and promote Titanium wedding bands and does not sell Tungsten wedding bands. To see our large selection of very attractively priced titanium wedding bands, please go here.

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Tungsten Wedding Rings for Men

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Tungsten wedding rings for men are actually an unusual choice, but highly attractive because of its unique gray color. While tungsten rings can not entirely be called mainstream yet, there’s no denying they are becoming a popular choice because of the many benefits tungsten wedding rings offer the wearer.

 

The Benefits of Tungsten Wedding Rings

 

Tungsten is one of the hardest metals available for commercial use in jewelry, and they make exceptional wedding rings for men. In fact, tungsten wedding rings are so resistant to damage that you can wear them even in the most labor-intensive job and it will resist normal nicks or scratches that softer metals simply cannot.

 

What’s more, tungsten’s natural gray finish is considered pretty much permanent, and will not wear away even with frequent wear like other metals can.

 

Tungsten Wedding Ring Styles

 

While not surprising, the vast majority of tungsten wedding rings are actually specifically created for men. Knowing that, it’s not that surprising to see how popular these rings are becoming for men who need a durable, strong wedding ring for their active lifestyle.

 

Because they are primarily designed for men, they often include a much wider or thicker band and less detailing than a woman’s wedding ring.

 

Styles Include:

 

Metal inlays, where a different type of metal such as gold or silver, is incorporated into the tungsten band for a distinctive, polished look. You can also design a tungsten ring to have nearly any kind of finish you want, be it a glossy sheen or a matte finish.

 

Including various gemstones, such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds or even your birthstones is also a great way to make the ring unique and interesting.  Designers can also create visual interest by rounding or squaring the edges of the band, or adding ridges for aesthetic appeal.

 

Cautions

 

Even though tungsten wedding rings for men are some of the strongest available, they still have their own share of problems. Customizing a tungsten ring via engraving is impossible (because the metal resists scratching,) and resizing the ring is almost impossible to do by typical means.

 

What’s more, the strength and durability of tungsten make it exceptionally brittle, which means it is much more likely to be the victim of serious damage if it is exposed to repeated heavy blows. Take care to look after your tungsten wedding ring when it is not being worn, and treat it like you would any piece of fine jewelry.

 

Praised for both their distinctive gray hue and incredible strength and durability, tungsten wedding rings for men are an incredible choice, especially for very active lifestyles.

 

Even though your customization options might be limited, you can still find the perfect tungsten wedding ring for your groom-to-be that will far surpass the wedding day and beyond.

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Trendy Tungsten – Facts, Figures and Follies!

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

As a base material used in the construction of many pieces of jewelry, the element tungsten is growing in popularity with each passing year. Outside of the unique beauty it provides to jewelry design, most people know nothing of the hard data behind the element itself. Let’s see if we can’t discover some new and unusual facts about tungsten, while at the same time examining its uses and functions within the jewelry industry.

 

The word tungsten itself comes from two Swedish words, “tung” and “sten”, which translated literally means “heavy stone”. Formally it was called Wolfram, which is where its modern chemical symbol “W” is derived. Considering its ‘Swedish’ ancestry, many people might find it odd to know that it was first discovered by a pair of Spanish brothers in the year 1783. Two interesting elemental facts about tungsten are that it has both the highest melting point and lowest vapor point of any known metal. This makes tungsten an ideal material for use in applications which require long exposure to high temperatures or extreme electrical currents.

 

The scientific data alone though can in no way begins to explain or account for tungsten’s popularity as a material component in jewelry. There are perhaps several main reasons which are contributing to tungsten’s popularity in the jewelry market, particularly in the area of wedding rings. The fact that the metal can be polished to a high gloss, grey-ish sheen, makes it a fine naked eye substitute for platinum. This high polish should last the entire lifetime of the ring. It is an extremely durable metal, resistant to scratches and able to keep pace with most any lifestyle, also makes tungsten an attractive wedding ring component. In fact, it is 10 times harder than 18 karat gold in nearly 5 times as hard as carbide steel. This general durability, coupled with tungsten’s resistance to corrosion, account for a tungsten wedding ring’s ability to truly withstand the test of time. Be those tests of normal wear and tear or surviving a mountain climbing expedition! The durability of tungsten could be sung about all day. Tungsten is four times harder than its close kin, titanium, and unlike titanium will not bend. On a side note, tungsten, like many alternative metals used in wedding ring construction, is hypoallergenic.

 

When purchasing a tungsten wedding ring there are a few things that an individual needs to keep in mind. First off and foremost, any tungsten wedding ring that you may purchase is permanent in its nature. The vast majority of tungsten pieces, and any tungsten carbide piece, cannot be resized or retooled once the ring is complete. Because of its hardness, processes normally used in ring resizing, such as stretching the ring, adding a stint or bridge, or removing a small piece from the ring to decrease its size become impossible. Lastly, for those individuals who are environmentally conscious, they may want to take the time to educate themselves regarding potential health and/or environmental risks. Though no conclusive research has been published, there is evidence to show that tungsten, when present in microscopic amounts within the environment, poses a health risk to animal life.

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Wedding Ring Metal Trends… Past and Present

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

As a symbol of love and fidelity, wedding rings have been with us for thousands of years. For as ancient as the concept might be, and putting aside the fact that it has spread to every corner of the globe, there are several things  that have trended forward. An example of one such design specification that all wedding rings have incorporated, be they ancient or modern, is the fact that more often than not they have been constructed from something precious.

 

Archaeological evidence shows that in the early Bronze Age, where wedding rings first appeared, they had a tendency to be made from either copper, tin or of course bronze. Rings such as these were cast in stone or clay, and were simple, unadorned bands. Still, when one takes into account the rarity of such metals (for the Ancients, at least), and the fact that humanity had only just begun to understand how to utilize them, their preciousness and unique value becomes clear. As ancient humanity’s knowledge of metal working advanced and the chemical compound arsenic was incorporated into ancient bronze smithing techniques, which made the metal alloy much more durable, design features like engravings and carvings were incorporated into wedding rings. Again, the archaeological record shows that the styles of wedding rings remained the common standard until the early Iron Age. Early wedding rings made from iron were hand wrought and time-consuming to manufacture. Moreover, even though such a metal is taken for granted now, and in fact has been for quite some time, its preciousness as a metal in the years leading up to the common Era was unparalleled.

 

As time marched on and humanity’s understanding of metalworking improved, metals such as bronze, copper and iron became far more commonplace. Though precious for their uses, the fact that they had become so common and indeed had been incorporated into average everyday household items, made their overall aesthetic appeal less and less of the grand thing it once was. As such, wedding rings worn by common people became more like those worn by the wealthy. Metals such as gold, silver and platinum… once reserved as the province of the elite… became affordable to the masses and thus were incorporated into wedding ring design. 

 

This trend has maintained itself for well over 2000 years. Few could argue the fact that gold and silver, and yes even platinum, are by far the most common metals used in the designs of modern wedding rings. Time is cyclical as some say, and if only in the design of wedding rings we do in fact have an example of how that is true. Many modern consumers and wedding ring designers are beginning to shy away from the most precious of metals and begin to purchase or have rings designed from industrial alloys or common dense elements. Metals such as titanium or tungsten-carbide alloys are two of the most common, “less than precious metals”, which are currently being incorporated in the latest wedding ring design trends. In fact, one could say that the incorporation of such metals is a trend in and of itself!

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Hypoallergenic Ring Alternatives

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Okay we all know how for some people, if they wear certain metals close to themselves, odd or skin discoloration can occur. For a rare few, such skin discoloration is the last thing they need to worry about. If an individual suffers from an extreme allergy to any given metal they should come in contact with, things such as anaphylactic shock, seizure and even death are real possibilities. Anyone who suffers from an allergy to a common metal used in the manufacture of wedding rings of course needs to take this into account when making their purchase. Let’s explore some of the most common hypoallergenic metals, or metals which are free from any known human allergic response, and how wedding rings designed around such metals may be the right choice for you.

 

Many people suffer from an allergy to gold, or perhaps more precisely… yellow gold. When jewelers speak of yellow gold, they are referring to gold in its pure form, or perhaps a lower fineness of gold, one which which has been alloyed with copper. For most people who suffer from a gold allergy, white gold is the far better choice for a wedding ring setting. Modern white gold wedding ring trends tend toward the incorporation of the element platinum in their design, but silver is also a common substitute, particularly for those on a tight budget. However, no matter if silver, platinum or even some other metal is used in the design of your white wedding ring, you should be sure that you do not suffer from an allergy from the metal with which the gold has been alloyed to. 

 

Two other hypoallergenic metals which are commonly incorporated into wedding ring designs, and have actually become quite trendy, are titanium and tungsten. There have been only a few reported cases of allergies to these two metals, and as such they make fine alternatives to the more standard precious metals which are used in making wedding rings. Though both of these metals are most famous for their industrial purposes, the unique beauty and durability that they provide make them attractive options for any wedding ring design, particularly if they are to be worn by an individual who suffers from a common metal allergy. These two alternative metals are becoming more and more popular with men, especially. After all, how manly does the phrase, “tungsten-carbide” sound anyway? And do not be misled into thinking that wedding rings constructed from such materials will look like some dull gray band. When brought to a high polish, the reflective shine of these two metals is actually quite stunning. Moreover, with processes known as anodization and oxidation, wedding rings made from titanium or tungsten can be given unique color schemes which are unavailable in the more standard precious metals used in wedding ring design. Though certainly harder to engrave or create intricate designs upon, titanium and tungsten do both possess the ability to have unique features inscribed on their surfaces. Tungsten-carbide, another common wedding ring material, is the exception to that. It is so hard and dense that it is essentially scratch resistant, and as such, special inscriptions are really not an option.

 

Lastly, for those who may suffer from extreme or multiple metal allergies there is one final alternative that is rarely discussed, and that is surgical steel. Yes, the same metal used in scalpels and so many other surgical tools is in fact a fine choice, perhaps even the best for any individual who truly fears they may have an extreme allergy. Surgical steel can easily polished to a high shine, have gems and precious stone set within it, and can of course be inscribed or engraved like any other form of iron.

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