Tungsten Carbide wedding bands?

[Doc Intrepid]

I was slow when I was young... I lost two gold bands while diving on Guam. I was stationed there in the Marines just after we were married. After buying the third gold band I decided not to wear it when diving.

I also recommend gold. Coupla reasons, aside from the safety thing (and I think that getting any metal band around your finger caught on something is going to be traumatic, whether the band ultimately breaks or not...)

First, believe it or not, you may not always be the same svelte Soggy you are today. Gold rings can be resized or repaired easily and for minimal cost. I suspect the same is not true of tungsten carbide rings.

Second, over the years you wind up with broken jewelry, clasps that fail, woven gold bracelets that fall apart, etc. We kept it all, my wife's gold Ankh rings from the 1970s, cuff links, etc. On our 20th anniversary we took all the broken and old gold jewelry to a custom jeweler and had him melt it all down, including the bands we had been wearing, and came up with two much larger, heavier gold rings. (My wife said the larger custom designed ring made her diamond appear too small. Be forewarned. I was coerced into buying a much larger diamond to match her new ring..... )

So...you can do custom stuff with gold over time that you cannot do with tungsten carbide.

In the end, though, it needs to satisfy you. Good luck with your decision.

Doc

 

[Soggy]

The resizing issue is another one. Tungsten absolutely cannot be resized.

I may go with white gold or palladium since both can resized and neither is as expensive as platinum.

Decisions, decisions...I hate decisions that you have to live with for the rest of your life! I didn't have to think hard about the decision to propose, but man this ring thing is tough!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Would the ring have broken if it were a hard metal?

It would have done serious damage to my finger if it had been a hard metal on one of the breaks. The other two were cosmetic breaks (the ring has 2 "leaves" and one broke off twice) where a hard metal would have helped. We had the jeweler tighten the "leaves" against the band and I haven't had any problems since.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Decisions, decisions...I hate decisions that you have to live with for the rest of your life! I didn't have to think hard about the decision to propose, but man this ring thing is tough!

LOL! My husband didn't have much say in his ring, I just went out and bought one that I liked that would come close to matching mine. The woman is supposed to buy the man's ring correct? He didn't want diamonds and he didn't get them Same thing with my ring, I told him I wanted channel cut with square diamonds and a hard metal. I got channel cut with round diamonds and white gold with yellow gold "leaves." He chose a beautiful ring even though it wasn't exactly what I had asked for.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[letterboy]

So what is the difference between titanium and tungsten carbide? Is it just a harder metal?

 

[Soggy]

My two favorite things about the planning process (other than the fiancee part) have been choosing rings, and tasting cake.

 

[Soggy]

So what is the difference between titanium and tungsten carbide? Is it just a harder metal?

They are different metals. They use tungsten to cut titanium. Tungsten does not scratch and cannot be cut. It is very brittle, though, and can break. What you have shown above are the black varieties of both metal, which is not what I am interested in. Titanium is very very light and, when new, looks similar to brushed platinum or white gold. Tungsten has a super shine to it (which never goes away), is much heavier, and has a gunmetal color.

 

[letterboy]

They are different metals. They use tungsten to cut titanium. Tungsten does not scratch and cannot be cut. It is very brittle, though, and can break.

AHH I see, We are picking out rings now. . . I had never heard of tungsten but like the way it shines versus titanium . . .

 

[Blitz]

I went with Titanium.... Beginning to think I should have went with Depleted Uranium so I could use it later and .....

I thought Titanium was cool because of the color.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Mine is titanium because of the way it looks and she got a good deal on it. Even has a small diamond. BTW I do not wear rings when diving. too easy to lose and with out gloves they look like bait.