If you are in search of a wedding band or a stylish ring to wear for many occasions, and you find that you're having trouble deciding between a traditional gold or platinum ring and a more contemporary item like a tungsten carbide wedding band, this basic breakdown of the very popular modern metal's strengths and weaknesses may be helpful.
The factors that serve as the key selling points of tungsten wedding bands relate to the durability and strength of these items.
The tungsten carbide for these rings is heated to extremely high temperatures during the production process, which produces the hardest ring available in the jewelry market. Tungsten carbide rings are harder and stronger than steel and far outstrip materials like gold (which can be easily bent and scratched by hand). In the last step of the creation of a tungsten ring, it actually receives a lifetime polishing with diamond instruments. This trait makes tungsten rings highly resistant to scratching, impossible to bend, and completely tarnish-proof.
Much of tungsten carbide's attraction also lies in the uniqueness of the base material and the interesting ways in which tungsten can be formed and accented. The unmistakeable grey hue of tungsten carbide rings can be brightened with a mirror finish or warmed with a brushed finish like other metals, but it can also be laser engraved with complex designs and formed with facets and ring shapes that are impractical for metals that aren't as likely to hold their shape and brightness. A tungsten ring simply doesn't look like anything else, and you won't find a tougher ring with this kind of versatility and beauty.
Although the strength of tungsten is formidable, it has been somewhat exaggerated in some circles; while "nearly indestructible" is a fair assessment of these rings in comparison to the relative weakness of other metals, no substance on Earth is 100% indestructible.
Most of us, for any number of reasons, are going to change ring sizes in our lifetime. With a fashion piece, this isn't necessarily an issue as it can simply be moved to another finger, but wedding rings obviously don't have that kind of flexibility. Like many traditional styles that involve eternity settings or intricate details, tungsten rings cannot be resized by conventional means. Resizing a tungsten ring means simply getting a different ring that was manufactured in the size you need.
Also, a harder material that does not bend is more likely to break; this means that a tungsten wedding band will never bend out of round and cause the wearer any of the related problems that can occur when a gold wedding band bends, but under too much force it is possible for them to break. Even this issue has its good point, though; breaking the rings under gentle pressure is the way they're removed in emergencies, and there are many stories out there about people whose hand were accidentally closed in doors or otherwise endangered, and their tungsten rings absorbed the trauma and broke but prevented more serious injury. While there is no guarantee that a tungsten ring would prevent injury and we certainly don't recommend testing this theory, it never hurts to improve one's odds.
Should you need to replace a tungsten ring due to outsizing or damage, any jewerly store or site worth knowing will offer some type of low-cost replacement guarantee.
The factors that serve as the key selling points of tungsten wedding bands relate to the durability and strength of these items.
The tungsten carbide for these rings is heated to extremely high temperatures during the production process, which produces the hardest ring available in the jewelry market. Tungsten carbide rings are harder and stronger than steel and far outstrip materials like gold (which can be easily bent and scratched by hand). In the last step of the creation of a tungsten ring, it actually receives a lifetime polishing with diamond instruments. This trait makes tungsten rings highly resistant to scratching, impossible to bend, and completely tarnish-proof.
Much of tungsten carbide's attraction also lies in the uniqueness of the base material and the interesting ways in which tungsten can be formed and accented. The unmistakeable grey hue of tungsten carbide rings can be brightened with a mirror finish or warmed with a brushed finish like other metals, but it can also be laser engraved with complex designs and formed with facets and ring shapes that are impractical for metals that aren't as likely to hold their shape and brightness. A tungsten ring simply doesn't look like anything else, and you won't find a tougher ring with this kind of versatility and beauty.
Although the strength of tungsten is formidable, it has been somewhat exaggerated in some circles; while "nearly indestructible" is a fair assessment of these rings in comparison to the relative weakness of other metals, no substance on Earth is 100% indestructible.
Most of us, for any number of reasons, are going to change ring sizes in our lifetime. With a fashion piece, this isn't necessarily an issue as it can simply be moved to another finger, but wedding rings obviously don't have that kind of flexibility. Like many traditional styles that involve eternity settings or intricate details, tungsten rings cannot be resized by conventional means. Resizing a tungsten ring means simply getting a different ring that was manufactured in the size you need.
Also, a harder material that does not bend is more likely to break; this means that a tungsten wedding band will never bend out of round and cause the wearer any of the related problems that can occur when a gold wedding band bends, but under too much force it is possible for them to break. Even this issue has its good point, though; breaking the rings under gentle pressure is the way they're removed in emergencies, and there are many stories out there about people whose hand were accidentally closed in doors or otherwise endangered, and their tungsten rings absorbed the trauma and broke but prevented more serious injury. While there is no guarantee that a tungsten ring would prevent injury and we certainly don't recommend testing this theory, it never hurts to improve one's odds.
Should you need to replace a tungsten ring due to outsizing or damage, any jewerly store or site worth knowing will offer some type of low-cost replacement guarantee.
About the Author:
These tungsten rings designs are so cutting edge! Check out the mens tungsten rings styles at deBebians.
