I’ve written a number of blog posts on titanium and tungsten as wedding bands. This post is a compilation of simple pros and cons.
Just the facts ma’am if you will. Feel free to add your pros and cons in the comments area.
My previous blog post “Don’t Buy Titanium and Tungsten Wedding Bands” is my most commented on post of all time.
Man in a Tungsten BandIn it I am very opinionated. My commenters represent a fascinating array of differing opinions. I appreciate them all. Check out the comments on that post to see an extremely lively community.
I simplified it in this post about where I boil down to two reasons titanium is not right for wedding bands.
I’ve been asked to do an opinion-free post. This is it.
For the most part, titanium rings are hypoallergenic. Most tungsten carbide rings are alloyed with the element cobalt, which some people can be sensitive to.
Both metals display pleasing gunmetal gray/silver-ish color. Tungsten is available in black.
Titanium and tungsten rings are virtually impossible to size. This means that if your fingers increases or decreases in size (which they do for the majority of people), you’ll have to buy a whole new ring.
Titanium is very light. Tungsten is very heavy. Some people prefer lightweight bands while others like the feel and heft of something heavier.
Jewelers can’t work with these metals. Soldering, setting gemstones, and fixing are virtually impossible. Few designs exist due to jeweler’s inability to work with these metals. Styles beyond simple band shapes don’t exist. Titanium and tungsten are considerably less expensive than gold and platinum. Titanium rings are very difficult to remove from swollen fingers. Traditional ring saws won’t cut titanium. An electric rotary ring saw is required, which not all small emergency rooms have available. If you’re at all active, I advise caution in choosing these types of rings.Gold scratches as well, more frequently in the higher karat mixes, but considerably less then platinum.
Jewelers have been working with gold for thousands of years—platinum, a little less—crafting beautiful rings in thousands and thousands of gorgeous designs. Gemstones are easily set in both metals.
White gold needs to be rhodium plated to keep a bright white finish. It tends to develop a slightly yellowish tinge to its whiteness without the rhodium plating. This may need to be done every year or two depending on wear. After any sizing or work is done on the ring, the rhodium will need to be reapplied. Gold and platinum are great for setting gemstones and can be changed and repaired fairly easily.
While not sensitive to the gold, people can be allergic to the alloy metals used for hardening in gold jewelry. More people develop allergies to gold due to its higher alloy content. This is especially true with white gold alloyed with nickel.
Gold and Platinum are fairly easy to remove with a hand held, hand operated, unpowered ring saw. _ Gold and platinum are more expensive than other metals. Neither metal is as strong or scratch resistant as titanium or tungsten.
I welcome your pros and cons in the comments section.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
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