Carbide Wedding Rings

www.squidoo.com/tungsten_carbide_wedding_bands Tungsten carbide wedding bands

Carbide Wedding Rings

How to choose a Tungsten carbide wedding band.   by Mike McKeene

How to pick out a Tungsten wedding ring. Selecting a Tungsten carbide wedding ring can be a easy process if you keep these points in mind.
Tungsten carbide wedding rings are taking off in popularity, and for a good reason. Tungsten is a natural metal that is strong, but fragile in its raw state. When it is combined with an alloy like nickel it becomes four times stronger than titanium and it holds its polished shine for life.
A Tungsten carbide ring is famous for two reasons; its resistance to scratches and the forever shine it holds. Tungsten wedding bands can be scratched, but it requires high pressure and something more dense. A steel file won't scratch a Tungsten carbide ring, however a diamond will. You can even hit on your wedding ring with a hammer and it will still maintain its shape.
When choosing a Tugsten band there are some decisions you need to make. First a women's Tungsten band is usually 5mm-6mm while a men's Tungsten carbide band is 6mm-10mm typically. Tungsten is a heavy metal so the thicker the band, the more you will feel its weight on your finger.
Tungsten wedding rings are usually a comfort fit so when determining the ring size round up rather than down to allow for a more comfortable fit of the ring.
Tungsten rings, like other wedding bands, can have domed, faceted, beveled, concave, and other types of popular designs. They can also have unique designs. If you see a design in Titanium that you like, chances are you can get the same design in Tungsten.
When shopping for a Tungsten carbide ring there is one vital piece of information to consider and that is the makeup of the Tungsten carbide wedding ring. Many rings that say they are Tungsten Carbide rings may in fact be Tungsten processed with cobalt rather than nickel. Cobalt reacts with the skin causing spots and color changes which cannot be buffed out. The rings combined with cobalt are not scratch resistance and are not as durable as Tungsten Carbide rings. A quick way to tell if the Tungsten band is made with cobalt or not will be the price. Tungsten carbide bands will cost about the same price as gold or platinum rings and Tungsten cobalt bands will cost closer to silver rings.
Tungsten Carbide wedding rings made with nickel do cost more, but they will last as long as your love for each other. Tungsten wedding bands made with cobalt will probably only last a year or two.
To recap on how to choose a Tungsten wedding band; Tungsten Carbide is scratch resistant, durable, and holds a shine for the life of the ring. Decide on the style you like including the width of the ring. Determine your comfortable ring size. Make sure the tungsten band is not made with cobalt. Enjoy the permanent shine of a Tungsten wedding band.

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There are several models of Tungsten wedding bands to choose from when searching, but don't worry there are websites that specialize in Tungsten and Titanium wedding bands.