Comparing Titanium and Tungsten Wedding Rings

By: Scott Murf
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:42:15
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

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.

Scott Murff got his MBA from MIT business school and currently is the marketing manager in Titanium Kay that specializes in men's titanium rings, titanium bracelets and tungsten wedding rings.

http://www.titaniumkay.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Shopping category

  • 3 Year Old Toys - Learning with fun - By: Kilian Allen
    The age of three is a vital period in a youngster's growth process. It is during this time that a toddler starts going to school and getting ready to face the world.
  • 2 Year Old Toys - Learning with games - By: Garret Lloyd
    Two year age is a vital period for toddlers. Things that they learn at this stage of life often stay in their memories throughout their lifetime.
  • 1 Year Old Toys - Not just a child's play - By: Garret Lloyd
    Toys play a very important role in a child's mental growth during the early years. As a toddler, a one-year old is likely to spend a lot of time playing with toys every day.
  • Choosing the Thickness of Laminating Pouches for Your Documents - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Using a pouch laminator and some laminating pouches it is incredibly simple to create high quality laminated signs, luggage tags, name tags, visual aids and identification pieces. All you need to do is insert the material that you want to laminate into the pouch, insert the both into the carrier and then run the carrier through your laminator. All this is very simple if you have the right pouches for your job. This article is designed to provide information that will help you choose the right thickness of laminating pouch for your documents.
  • Choosing The Right Size Of Paper Shredder For Your Office - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Does your office have a paper shredder? Are you considering purchasing one? Now days, almost every office has a shredding machine (or should have one). If your office is one of the few that doesn't have one, or if you need to upgrade then you are going to need to pick the right size and capacity to fit the needs of your office. This article will help you understand some of the things that you should consider when deciding on the size of shredder that will best suit your needs.
  • Choosing the Right Rotary Trimmer for Your Cutting Needs - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Buying a paper cutter can be confusing. There are literally hundreds of models and a bunch of different types of cutters that are available on the market. One type of paper cutter is the rotary trimmer. These trimmers use a sharp wheel to cut documents in a straight line and are popular for producing craft projects, trimming lamination and scrapbooking. However, understanding which rotary trimmer might best fit your needs can be difficult. This article will provide you with five things to consider when choosing a rotary trimmer.
  • Choosing the Right Ream Cutter or Stack Cutter for Your Officess - By: Jeff McRitchie
    Cutting large documents or large amounts of paper can be difficult. Traditional guillotine cutters are only capable of cutting a few sheets at a time (up to 30 at the most). Rotary trimmers have the same problem. They can only cut ten or less pages at a time. If you need to cut a whole stack of sheets, face trim a perfect bound book or even slice a whole ream of paper in half you will need a stack cutter (also called a ream cutter). Here are a few things to consider when choosing a stack cutter.
  • Choosing the Right Electric Paper Cutters - By: Jeff McRitchie
    If you are in the market for an electric paper cutter you have probably noticed that there a ton of options available. In fact you can spend as little as a couple thousand dollars and as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. What is the difference? How do you know what cutter will be right for your needs? This article is designed to provide you with some quick tips for determining the right electric paper cutter for your company's needs. Here are a few things to consider...
  • Telescope Shopping Tips From an Experienced Astronomer - By: Richard Pickering
    Telescopes are popular gifts for Christmas, birthdays or other occasions ... but buyer beware! Many people live to regret their telescope purchasing decisions, either because they bought a cheap telescope that underperforms, or because they paid far too much for a telescope they rarely use. But armed with the right advice, smart shoppers can buy a good quality telescope for just a few hundred dollars.
  • Books: True friends for every one - By: Kell Maria
    Online book stores are platforms where people can go for buying and selling books. Its a place where any one can aware themselves regarding books, best sellers, reading materials etc.