Pros:
• Sleek finish masculine colors make this a favorite among men
• Highly resistant to corrosion
• Highly scratch-resistant
• Minimal maintenance
• Less risk for work environments than other materials

Cons:
• Cannot resize
• Heavy
• Shatterable
• Not repairable
• Not traditional- some spouses may not like

Is there such this as a “fake” wedding band?

People who see wedding bands as only metal might agree with this statement. Perhaps the traditional ring metals come to mind: Silver, gold, titanium or steel. But nowadays we see several popular alternatives on the market: silicone “active” rings, tattoo rings (if you wanted this option, you wouldn’t be here would you?) and one especially popular option, the tungsten carbide ring.

What You Should Know About Tungsten Carbide

Style

Tungsten looks excellent in its naked colors of grey or silver, but if you want to jazz it up, you can also add plating and inlays.
Matte or Shiny?
Plating comes in many different colors, blue, gold, turquoise or more. Black plating is fashionable and looks sleek and shiny but check with your spouse-to-be first (mine said no).
Add inscriptions, symbols, designs, or gems as you please.

Heavy or Light

Tungsten is particularly heavy for a ring, perhaps the most substantial material out there in rings. For me the heaviness was noticeable at first but because less noticeable over time. If weight is an issue for you, perhaps you will want to go with a traditional ring, or you can go as to the other end of the spectrum and with titanium (so light you won’t even know it’s there).

Durability

Traditional rings require a bit of maintenance over time as they will bend and lose their shape, particularly gold metals due to their softness. With tungsten, this is never a worry. Due to its extreme hardness, it will never lose its shape. This writer has had a silver tungsten ring for 8 years now, and it has no scratches or damage. You’ll never have to take it off to perform hard labor. Working out with heavy weights is not a problem either, although you may decide to forgo wearing your ring because of having something on your hand.
Tungsten Carbide may be extremely hard and scratch-resistant, but it is not without weakness. It has been known to shatter so try to avoid dropping it from high places!

Resizing

That unique hardness doesn’t come without drawbacks. You are out of luck if you gain or lose some weight and your ring doesn’t fit anymore. It will be time to buy a new ring. Traditional metals with their resizability are fine in this category so consider something like silver if this is a concern.

Freak Accidents?

Perhaps you have heard a horror story of someone getting electrocuted and their gold ring melting on their finger or getting stuck in an accident. This won’t happen with tungsten. In fact, a lot of men in physical labor jobs prefer tungsten for this reason, in addition to its highly resistant attributes, as explained earlier.

Cost

Good news! If price is an issue for you, tungsten is a great choice. It costs a bit less than a lot of other previous metals even when combined with additional production costs like inlays and inscriptions. You’ll never have to worry about gold prices when choosing a tungsten ring.

I hope you found this post helpful. Take a look at our selection of wedding bands on our rings page and see if tungsten is right for you.

And don’t forget that Northwest Diamonds & Jewelry -Portland Jewelers has special powers to get you the best possible deal. Try us, you won’t be disappointed!

Northwest Diamonds & Jewelry is located at 534 SW 3rd Ave #216, Portland, OR 97204 on the 2nd floor of the Willamette Building.

Call us @ (503) 222-5571 or email us @ info@northwestdiamonds.com.