The increasing number of couples looks for alternative jewelry metals for their wedding bands. Among the most popular examples of alternative metals is surely tungsten carbide. If you don’t think gold and platinum are the only metal options for wedding jewelry, here is some information on tungsten wedding bands.
Tungsten (or tungsten carbide) is the best alternative metal for couples who look for wedding bangs that are heavy to the feel and with a virtually permanent sheen. The reasons why tungsten remains the most popular of all alternative metal wedding bands in the world are simply: these rings won’t fade or dull over time and they are very stretch resistant. This element is very hard, four times harder than titanium, and the jewelry made from it has the brilliant, hard-looking shine. When it comes to scratches, it’s important to keep in mind than NO wedding bands are scratch-proof, but if we’re talking about the scratch-resistant materials, tungsten carbide is leading the way.
Tungsten wedding bands are quite easy to maintain, mostly because the metal’s hardness. This material is also hypoallergenic and it is found mainly in China, with smaller production in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Canada, Thailand, Rwanda, Portugal, Austria and Russia. However, tungsten wedding bands are made from tungsten carbide (there’s equal number of carbon and tungsten atoms), not from pure tungsten. This material has a light grey color, but can be darkened with a brush finishing process.
On the downside, because of being so scratch-resistant and hard, tungsten is brittle. Although that doesn’t happen often, tungsten wedding bands might break into pieces if dropped onto a tile. Another disadvantage of this material for jewelry is that tungsten rings cannot be resized. But, don’t let this repel you, because with every metal, be it traditional or alternative, there are some risks.