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.

Cobalt is a common additive for many metal alloys, and there are plenty of manufacturer’s that try to cut corners by adding it to tungsten jewelry. In this case, that’s an extremely bad thing. If there’s any cobalt in the ring your skin will develop this greenish rash that will be very unsightly and really uncomfortable. That’s because cobalt will react with the oils in your skin. If the manufacturer isn’t upfront about their cobalt policy, hit the road and get yourself to someplace better at once!

Nickel is another common additive that people like to bring to the mix in order to reduce cost. Nickel isn’t nearly as bad as cobalt – it won’t react with your skin at all. However, it does weaken the tungsten a bit, meaning that your indestructible ring really isn’t so tough any more. Will it hold up to most stresses? Most likely yes. It is a risk I’d take when purchasing an item known for its lifelong endurance? Definitely not.

Because they’re so tough, tungsten rings are pretty impossible to resize in the same way that gold or silver jewelry is. Most websites and vendors will allow you to trade in your ring for a new one if your finger size changes, or if you guessed your partners’ size wrong, but don’t assume that this is the case. In addition, there’s generally a charge involved in getting a new one of the right size. Knowing your ring size before you go will save you a lot of grief.

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