Tungsten Rings – Best for Men

Tungsten Rings – best for Men

Why are tungsten rings so popular today? The answer probably lies in the fact that they are extremely durable and perfect for every-day use. These rings have the tendency to retain the original polish, and the brilliant lustre lingers for life. It takes extreme measures to scratch or damage a tungsten carbide ring, and this rarely happens, when a person is engaged in his day-to-day chores. Only a substance that is harder than it can make any mark on a tungsten ring. Diamond being the only substance that is harder than tungsten, there are rare chances that the ring your wear on your finger will ever get scratched or damaged.

Men prefer wearing tungsten rings because they can continue with their daily chores without having to worry about the ring being damaged. More so, when they choose to wear tungsten wedding bands, it needs to remain intact for life time. These men’s tungsten rings are manufactured under strictly controlled conditions, often using proprietary techniques during the unique bonding process. Tungsten rings usually come with a sizing warranty that extends for a lifetime.

Depending on personal choices and preferences, various combination designs that include other precious metals are on sale. Custom made men’s tungsten rings often feature embedded diamonds, and inlays of platinum, silver, gold, and palladium. While the tungsten part of the ring retains the lustrous glow, the other precious metals tend to appear textured over a period of time, and the resulting contrast adds to the beauty against the lasting brilliance of tungsten.

Each tungsten ring is created with care and devotion that the artisans bestow while working. Hence, the value of each ring depends on the amount of labour spent on it, along with the skill and expertise of the artisan. No two tungsten rings appear the same, not just in size, but in texture, finish and originality as well. One can actually gauge the value and approximate price of a tungsten ring; the most important things to look for are unique designs and incredible craftsmanship.

A very thick ring (in terms of ring-thickness), one that is as thick as 2.5 mm or even thicker (rarely) are probably not ground properly. This may be due to either lack of availability of skilled artisans, or the need for cutting grinding costs by the jewellery maker. The ideal thickness for a tungsten ring is 2.3 mm, with a 0.1 mm variation. Thickness of the ring should not be confused with the width. The thickness is measured from the inside of the ring to the outer surface. An unusual thickness makes it difficult to wear it on the finger. However, if a particular design in a ring ends in a dome shape on the outside, the thickness is bound to the more when measured to the highest point of the dome.

 

An average sized tungsten ring would measure 2.5 mm in thickness. However, as the size of the ring itself gets smaller, so does the thickness. An experienced jeweller gives more importance to the length and thickness of the rings he or she stocks and sells. Another important feature that is found with tungsten rings is their being asymmetrical. This means that one side of the ring is exactly the same as the other side. A ring that is found to lack symmetry simply reflects on the poor workmanship. Even in rings that have bevelled edges, the bevels on either side need to be perfectly matched.

Similarly, a perfectly crafted ring with a brushed stripe running through the middle should be exactly in the middle of the ring, unless the design specifies a deviation, which then needs to be even. An off centred ring or the rings that lack the sense of symmetry simply denote machinists of poor skills working on them. Here again, the only reason that can be attributed to a choice of such poorly skilled workers is for cutting off the manufacturing costs. However, a ring with a flawed finish is best avoided, especially if it is a tungsten wedding band that needs to be worn for life time.

People normally looking for high quality tungsten carbide rings will look for the ones with a satin finish, brushed finish or matt finish. However, there are several such rings that come with a polished finish as well. A few rings feature a brushed or matt finish that ends in a polished finish, and the exact point at which both finishes meet in a ring is very important and has to be flawless and perfect. Whenever rings show signs of shoddy finishes, it simply reflects on the poor workmanship and inexperience of the jewellers. However, even experienced jewellers who wish to cut corners as far as costs are concerned would not hesitate to compromise on quality.

It pays to check the tungsten ring thoroughly before making your purchase. What appears to be perfect to the eye may have microscopic flaws. It is better to run your fingers gently through the ring to detect any sharp edges that may have been missed at the final step once the ring is finished. This will leave you stuck with a ring that will irritate your skin whenever you wear it. Such poorly finished rings also tend to get entangled with fine strands of clothing, often ripping out thin strands whenever there is contact with clothing. Look for a jeweller who is known to design, create and sell perfect tungsten carbide rings in order to avoid purchasing rings of poor quality.

When it comes to variety, tungsten carbide rings come in so many types that the array is simply overwhelming.

 

 

Tungsten, when found in its raw form is actually not in sheet but in powder form. It lies in the hands of jeweller skill that transforms this powder into a flashy ring by combining tungsten powder with an alloy of nickel or cobalt, which is bound together. A tungsten ring with a nickel binder is preferable as it is more durable.

The use of tungsten carbide to make attractive jewellery, especially wedding bands, is in practice for the past several years. Tungsten carbide, which is also known as cemented carbide, is the most sought after material that is widely used by jewellers making bridal jewellery. The main reason attributed for the popularity of the choice of this material is the hardness (second only to the hardness of diamond) and its resistance to scratching. Tungsten is one of the hardest and densest materials, and when it is combined with carbon, the resulting tungsten carbide attains hardness of 8.9 to 9.1 on Mohs scale.

A tungsten carbide ring is preferred to the common gold ring because not only is it easily affordable, but because it is almost ten times as strong as a gold ring, and four times as hard as titanium. This is one reason why men prefer tungsten wedding bands, as they know it will remain intact even when they perform the most demanding tasks. In spite of its extreme strength and hardness, a tungsten carbide ring can be polished to attain a high gloss that lasts a lifetime.

It is not surprising that most men working at a construction site prefer to purchase tungsten carbide rings. The hazards of the occupation include the need to be hard on the jewellery you wear, and even a casual hit on any other ring will leave it with scratches and dents, often leaving a ring out of shape. However, a tungsten carbide ring has the property to remain intact and comes out unscathed. If you insist on wearing a wedding band made of any other lighter material, you probably need to change your profession. As this sounds like the most unlikely thing anyone would want to do, opting for a tungsten carbide wedding band makes a lot of sense.

It is not true that all tungsten rings look alike. You can choose from a brilliant range, or have a custom-made ring specially designed for you. Gold tungsten rings often come with a gold inlay running right through the middle. These elegant rings make excellent wedding bands, and come with smooth rounded edges, giving them a neat look and a comfortable feel when worn. The gold band creates a perfect contrast when set in the middle of glossy tungsten, and the resulting masterpiece is quite stunning.

 

 

 

In case you do not fancy gold, you would probably want to go for a tungsten wedding band that has a jet-black band running through the middle. You could go for two-tone black tungsten ceramic-brushed tungsten ring that has thin borders of glossy tungsten on either side. Such black tungsten rings are quite popular, as men believe them to be macho. In case you do not fancy two-tone, you may want to go for a tough and durable tungsten wedding ring that features a single black diamond in the middle, and thin strips of matching black ceramic running on both edges. However, grooved black, polished tungsten carbide rings have caught the fancy of many a groom.

Yet, others may fancy a black tungsten ring with an intricate star pattern in white that runs right through the middle in stark contrast to the black background, with round, glossy edges running parallel to each other on either side. Another popular black tungsten ring is the bevelled ring that has carbon fibre inlaid in the centre.  This design too features thin rounded edges on either side that are polished to a perfect glossy finish. The grooved black tungsten ring is another favourite, and has a thin hairline black groove of a darker shade running right through the middle of the ring.

It is not black that is the most preferred colour, when it comes to tungsten wedding rings. Red is another favourite colour, and tungsten rings that come in various hues of red are quite popular today. A jet-black tungsten ring with thin burnished copper edges makes a great contrast effect. Similarly, two-tone rose wedding bands with twin bands in coppery red running right through on either side add a style quotient to a tungsten wedding band. Another popular custom made all back wedding band features a tiny white flashing diamond set in the middle.

Some folks do prefer the normal grey of tungsten to feature in the rings they choose. Such rings either are plain tungsten rings or come with either a tiny black diamond, or plum or amber coloured hessonite, set in the middle. As the tungsten is polished to a brilliant, glossy finish, the contrast set off by the inlaid precious stones makes a brilliant combination.

A few points to consider before choosing a tungsten wedding ring include the fact that these rings cannot be re-sized, though they come with a lifetime warranty. Hence, it is important to be doubly sure of the size, and how comfortable it feels on your finger before confirming the order with your jeweller. It is also better to choose tungsten rings made with a nickel alloy, as they do not corrode or stain your finger.

 

 

 

On the brighter side, tungsten is so hard that makes it is impossible for a ring to bend out of shape. It will retain its shape and finish for  lifetime. A tungsten ring is also scratchproof and can never lose its lustre. As tungsten is very dense, a tungsten ring is heavier than rings made of other materials. People who have histories of allergies can choose a tungsten wedding ring, as its hypoallergenic property makes it absolutely safe. Tungsten, when combined with carbon is harder than any other alloy materials, including titanium alloy, making a tungsten ring damage proof.

A tungsten wedding band will never need to be repolished, as it is the only piece of jewellery that retains the polish and gloss  lifelong. This is probably one of the main reasons why couples prefer tungsten wedding rings. They know that down the line,  tungsten ring will remain as good as new even after several decades. What’s more is you can choose your own design and have your tungsten wedding band customized to make it unique.