Skip to content

Cart

Your cart is empty

Article: Titanium vs. Tungsten: Which ring is best for you?

Titanium vs. Tungsten: Which ring is best for you?

Titanium vs. Tungsten: Which ring is best for you?

Some of the most popular choices to precious metals, for wedding rings are tungsten, in the kind of tungsten carbide. Tungsten carbide wedding rings are highly popular right now, but titanium rings can also be found.

While they have some certain similarities and may even appear alike, there are some significant variations to consider that may make one more suitable for your lifestyle. Men’s tungsten wedding bands and titanium wedding bands are top-rated for their sleek, stylish looks, low prices, and a wide range of readily available options and styles. You might think they’re interchangeable, but reading this blog will set the story straight.

DURABILITY

Both tungsten carbide and titanium are famous for their strength. While they’re both undoubtedly tough-wearing and resistant to damage, there are some differences to consider here. Metals are judged by the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, and tungsten carbide rates a nine out of ten. Titanium, in comparison, only measures a six. This means that tungsten carbide handily wins in the arena of scratch or mark resistance, as only something as hard as a diamond, for example, will make a mark in the metal surface.

However, because of tungsten carbide’s extreme hardness, it cannot flex or bend. This can cause a problem if it suffers a hard impact, and it may crack, sometimes shatter. Titanium, being softer, has more give and take, it can resist cracking. If you take your ring off often, you should probably go with titanium, as the ability to better survive a fall onto a hard floor might be of interest. Remember that most rings are lost rather than dropped so it might not be that big of a deal.

The scratch resistance of a tungsten carbide ring means that the finish will stay like new and scratch-free for the duration of its lifetime, without requiring the meticulous, sometimes time-consuming upkeep that some rings made of precious metals will need. Your wedding ring is the symbol of your relationship bond; having a tarnished, blemished, scuffed, and scratched band is unsightly and cause issues, in and out of the relationship.

WEIGHT
Titanium and tungsten carbide rings are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to weight. Titanium is exceptionally light, whereas tungsten carbide is dense and heavy. Because weight has traditionally been used as a quality indicator, the weightiness of tungsten carbide might make it feel more like jewellery than a titanium ring otherwise would. The weight of tungsten also serves as a reminder that the ring is being worn, making one less likely to forget it or leave it behind.

ENGRAVING
It’s a myth that tungsten carbide rings can’t be engraved due to their hardness. While titanium rings are able to be engraved the traditional way, by using a tool to remove metal to leave an impression, tungsten carbide rings are etched using a laser. In fact, many people prefer laser engraving, a result that is both readable and smooth to the touch, instead of leaving behind divots that can fill with dirt and grime.

 

For more information and to buy tungsten carbide and titanium rings, please visit the respective collection pages.