Ken11 asked:




Both titanium and tungsten are considered “model metals” in the jewelry industry because they were not available to the consumer market as commodities until ten years ago. They have gained tremendous popularity since the introduction and become an integral part of the jewelry material spectrum.

Due to the rather little exposure, many questions arise concerning titanium and tungsten when it comes to choosing jewelry. The followings are some points of consideration if you are seriously thinking about buying a titanium or tungsten wedding ring.

1. Hardness

Titanium and tungsten are both known for the superior hardness over traditional metals such as gold, silver and platinum. One thing worth noting is that it is not the metals themselves in a pure form that possess the hardness, it is their alloys that do. Roughly speaking, the hardest form of tungsten carbide is harder than titanium alloys, and only under extreme circumstances, such as abrasion from diamonds, can it be damaged.

2. Ductility

Titanium is more ductile than tungsten in the common alloys used in jewelry. In other words, when a wedding ring is under high pressure, such as hit by a car door, a titanium ring would be bend out-of-round whereas a tungsten carbide ring would fracture into several pieces. Hence, in terms of safety, a tungsten carbide ring is “safer” to wear.

3. Hypoallergenic

This is the very same concern as buying silver jewelry to some people: Will I be allergic to the jewelry? In general, titanium jewelry is virtually safe to wear for everybody. Yet, some tungsten carbide jewelry contains the element cobalt that some people are allergic to. Interesting, another form of tungsten alloy using nickel as a binder metal is hypoallergenic, even to people who are allergic to nickel.

4. Weight

Titanium is lighter than tungsten, or more precisely, has a lower density. Titanium alloys are about 43% lighter than stainless steel and tungsten carbide is about 90% heavier than stainless steel.

5. Coloring

Titanium reacts with different chemicals and produces alloys of different colors. Jewelry makers use anodization to coat colored patterns on titanium rings. Black titanium is another form of titanium alloy that has a different color than the commonly used grey color. On the other hand, tungsten carbide is usually offered on in black color only.

6. Pricing

Titanium jewelry is in general cheaper than tungsten jewelry primarily due to the difference in equipment and environment control need to produce them. The temperature for forming a tungsten carbide is about 6000 Fahrenheit, which has to be in either a vacuum or hydrogen environment.

7. Engraving and resizing

Titanium wedding rings can be engraved and resized. However, a tungsten carbide ring is too hard to be engraved or resized. Although engraving can be done, the letters will be very faint and difficult to read. So if you are buying to ring to engrave, get titanium rings.

Ken11 asked:




Either you are buying it as a gift or for yourself, there are many reasons why titanium jewelry can be a better choice than jewelry made in traditional precious metals like gold, silver and platinum.

Firstly, titanium is highly corrosion resistant and therefore does not tarnish easily. Especially for high-polish finished jewelry like gold and silver wedding band rings, it is expected that the jewelry will lose its color and shine over time. Even if they are stored properly in jewelry boxes or safe, the oxygen in the air reacts with the metals and turns the color. This process is of course accelerated if the jewelry is worn daily because the sweat combined with body temperature, acts as catalysts to the chemical process.

Also, titanium is hypoallergenic, which means that very few people have skin that is sensitive to it. People who are allergic to gold, silver or, more commonly, nickel, which is found in most gold and silver jewelry, don’t have to worry about outbreak when wearing jewelry made from titanium and its alloys.

A widely known property about titanium is its durability. It is this attribute that makes it perfect for active individuals who frequently engage in outdoor activities, even water sports. It is not uncommon that people find their gold or silver jewelry damaged, or even lost, after a day of exciting outdoor events. These disappointments can easily be avoided if titanium jewelry is worn instead. In addition, titanium has a high strength to weight ratio. In other words, although it is much stronger than gold and silver jewelry, even steel, it is much lighter and hence more comfortable to wear.

Finally, it is fashionable and trendy to wear titanium jewelry. The metal is relatively new in the fashion industry with many new ideas being applied on it. Titanium is so versatile that it not only can be combined with gemstones, gold and silver, engraved and finished like traditional jewelry; it can also be anodized to create eye-catching colored titanium jewelry.

Common titanium jewelry includes wedding band ring, men’s titanium rings and men’s titanium bracelets. There is every reason to explore the vast possibilities and express your personality in a whole different way.