Selecting an Affordable Wedding Ring Metal

By: Andy Moquin Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Couples will be thrilled to know that great advances have been made recently in working with other appropriate metals for wedding rings. Brides and grooms now have a much wider variety in wedding ring metals, and most will be pleased to hear that all of these metals are less expensive than platinum, and many of them are also cheaper than gold. Before you start thinking flimsy, or it will turn green, you may like to know that all of these contemporary wedding ring metals are also hypo-allergenic and hard wearing. The metals we are going to talk about today are titanium, palladium, and tungsten carbide. Which one of these metals is going to meet your wedding ring requirements?

Titanium is a very strong and light metal. Titanium wedding rings are available in colors ranging from blacks and grays to many other tints such as blues and greens. Titanium wedding rings can be set with diamonds or stones.

Palladium is from the same family of metals as platinum, has a very similar appearance, and is naturally shiny. Palladium wedding rings, like platinum, never need to be plated. Palladium weighs less than platinum, making for a lighter weight wedding ring. From a costing perspective, palladium is roughly 25% the cost of platinum, coming in at about the same as 9K white gold, but never needing the rhodium re-plating that white gold needs.

Tungsten carbide wedding rings are made from one of the hardest metals in the world. These rings have a reputation for being virtually indestructible, being 10 times harder than a gold wedding ring, and 4 times the strength of platinum and titanium. Tungsten wedding rings as well as engagement rings will weigh about the same as a platinum wedding ring. Due to the strength of the metal, tungsten wedding rings cannot be resized or altered once they have been made. Generally tungsten wedding rings are not set with stones, as the hardness of the metal makes it difficult. However, tungsten can be lasered with designs, and made with other metals inlaid. Tungsten wedding rings come in a range of colors from white to metallic shiny grays through to dark grays and blacks.

Mixing your metals. All of these metals can be incorporated into multi-color or multi-metal wedding rings. Palladium can be used to create the same visual effect of platinum in a wedding ring. Yellow and rose gold can be inlaid with tungsten, titanium, and palladium.

Price Differences: Palladium is the most expensive of the 3 metals, being roughly one quarter the cost of platinum, followed by titanium and tungsten in affordability.

These metals are all hard wearing, hypo-allergenic, low maintenance, and less prone to loss of luster and color fade. Palladium, titanium and tungsten carbide have all been used in various other industries, including manufacturing air crafts and space shuttles, medical applications, along with components for weapons and electronics. However, it is only recently that they have become popular as wedding ring metals. The increased interest in these metals from both customers and jewelers has resulted in an amazing array of affordable wedding ring selections.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Andy Moquin has spent 20 years in the jewelry industry with much of his experience in polished diamonds, engagement rings , wedding rings , rings and custom jewelry design. He is an accomplished business consultant and is available for advice on topics such as marketing, advertising, merchandising and business turnarounds.