Normally buying a wedding ring for the bride is a stressful process and it’s so hyped that the process of buying the groom’s wedding ring is left aside. However, choosing and buying the groom’s ring is also equally important and there are so many fashions and styles in men’s wedding rings that the process has become quite overwhelming. One of the most popular trends in men’s wedding rings is tungsten rings. But even if you decide to buy a tungsten ring, there are quite a few factors to consider. Let’s take a look.
1. Is a Tungsten Ring Different from a Tungsten Carbide Ring?
Actually, tungsten is an element also called wolfram which has the highest tensile strength and highest melting point among all the metals. It is exceptionally strong and pretty rare. But when it comes to wedding bands, such as black and blue wedding bands, they are made with tungsten carbide, because pure tungsten is too tough to work with.
Tungsten carbide is made by combining an equal number of tungsten and carbon atoms. This results in a very fine powder which has to be then mixed with a binder such as cobalt or nickel to form a compound which can be made into various shapes such as wedding bands and razor blades.
But tungsten carbide retains many of the properties of pure tungsten, including high tensile strength and high melting point, and so, tungsten carbide rings are exceptionally resistant to scratching. They also have a light gray color which can be darkened with brush finishing processes.
2. Is it True that Tungsten Carbide Rings Cannot be Removed?
It’s a misconception that tungsten carbide rings cannot be removed. Actually they can be removed in an emergency with the help of common jewelry removal tools.
3. Best Tungsten Carbide
The best tungsten carbide for tungsten wedding bands is the jewelry grade tungsten carbide that is mixed with a nickel binder.
Although nickel in gold alloys can create allergies in some people, tungsten carbide contains extremely low amount of nickel and it’s bonded very tightly to other atoms which significantly lowers the risks of allergy.
On the other hand, tungsten carbide created with cobalt binders should be totally avoided, because not only does cobalt give allergic reactions, but also it reacts with the skin oils and thus can cause permanent stains on the ring.
4. Brittleness or Durability?
You may wonder if tungsten wedding bands are durable or brittle. The fact is that tungsten carbide is much more durable than gold, silver, palladium or platinum and very much resistant to scratching; however, it does have brittleness too. This means that under a certain amount of pressure, a tungsten wedding band can break or crack rather than bending like a gold or platinum ring.
It should also be noted that tungsten rings created from quality grade tungsten carbide won’t break unless tremendous pressure is applied to the ring.
5. Best Styles
Some of the most popular styles in men’s tungsten wedding bands are flat bands, comfort fit rings, two-tone black and blue wedding bands and channel set diamond tungsten rings.
If you are interested in two-tone tungsten rings, choose bands made only with inlay rather than plating, because plating will quickly wear away if you wear the ring daily.
If you choose to buy a tension ring, choose among tension rings set with diamonds, moissanite, rubies or sapphires. Gemstones you choose for the ring should have at least a 9.0 rating on the Mohs scale of hardness to hold up to the tension setting. If you choose stones like topaz, cubic zirconia or aquamarine, they are going to crack or shatter over time in the tension setting.
Hopefully, you’ll make an informed decision while buying a tungsten wedding band with these tips. All the best for your big day and happy married life ahead!