tungsten wedding ring and tungsten mens wedding ring

If you're a groom after a wedding ring that will permanently maintain its shine and look just like it did on the day your wife first slipped it on your ring finger, tungsten makes for a great - and economical - choice. That said, despite their low price point and cool look, tungsten wedding rings have some drawbacks.

FYI - your bride's diamond engagement ring won't be tungsten

Tungsten is not traditionally used as a material for use in an engagement ring. Nothing prevents the groom, however, from wearing a non-matching tungsten wedding band.

What is Tungsten?

Tungsten comes from the Swedish language meaning heavy metal. And yup - tungsten is heavy. Unlike white or yellow gold, tungsten is never going to scratch nor tarnish. Companies use tungsten in metal working, mining and oil exploration. Nuff said. Tungsten is about ten times harder than 18k gold. Because tungsten rings are so tough, it makes it difficult for jewelers to use it.

Pure tungsten is not typically used in wedding rings, but rather tungsten carbide. This is because elemental tungsten rings have been known to crack when dropped and are far less durable than tungsten carbide. Unfortunately, even tungsten carbide rings are not indestructible. tungsten ring broken

Tungsten can't be resized if you gain 30 pounds during married life and can't be engraved with an emotionally-charged saying. What you see in the store is what you'll get.

Tungsten rings often come with an inlay - that is to say - a strip of yellow gold in the middle of the ring. Look for them at your local jewelry store or online.

Perhaps the best part about tungsten wedding rings, aside from the perma-shine and their potential for highly unique wedding band styles, is the price. Tungsten wedding rings can be had for less than $200, and even less than $100.

And while you're bride isn't going to want to have a tungsten wedding ring to match yours nor are you going to even be able to find a decent looking tungsten and diamond engagement ring, of the alternative metals to platinum and gold, tungsten is right up there.

Learn more about men's wedding rings from GroomGroove.com:

Platinum Wedding Rings - the king of rings
White Gold Wedding Rings - the most popular choice for the groom
Gold Wedding Rings - the classic ring choice for the groom
Tungsten Wedding Rings - won't scratch and very inexpensive
Titanium Wedding Rings - slick, but has some drawbacks

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Luke

Fri, Oct.10th 2008
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I am very disappointed in the durability of my titatnium ring. I have a simple, 5mm, polished, domed titanium ring. After only 3 weeks of wear, it looks like it could be 20 years old. I work in an office, so its not like I'm abusing it working on a construction site swinging hammers or laying bricks. Forget about wearing it to the gym or doing work around the house...after only 3 workouts the bottom side is ruined from gripping barbells and dumbbells. With my exerience, I would not recommend titatium. I am waiting on delivery of a similar tungsten ring to give that a shot.

Ancalagon

Tue, Sep.23rd 2008
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Another thing to remember with Titanium is that it is chemically inert. It will not react with your body. That is important for the small number of men, like me, who are allergic to nickel. In the US, nickel is still used in many precious metal alloys because it is cheap and strong. White Gold and Tungsten Carbide use nickel, as do lower grades of Yellow Gold. That leaves Platinum, high-kt Yellow Gold, or White Gold made with Platinum instead of Nickel, if you can afford them. Or Titanium.

Wed, Jul.23rd 2008
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I've also been told that Titanium bands can NOT be engraved by several jewelers. So something else to keep in mind. But what you don't say in this article is whether you would go with titanium over platinum. I don't like the darker hues of tungsten rings and they are pretty heavy. But titanium can be on par colour wise with platinum. So saying that you would stay away from titanium doesn't really help me all that much.

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