Tungsten or Gold – It All Depends on the Man
Most men’s wedding rings will be made from gold; and that’s a fact. The tradition of casting a man’s ring in gold, finishing it with a nickel coating and then placing it on display ready to be purchased has been something that jewellers have undertaken for decades, if not centuries – but a new type of material has recently stepped into the spotlight and it’s known as tungsten steel.
What is Tungsten and Can It Make a Good Wedding Band?
For those of you that haven’t heard the word tungsten before, the easiest way to describe this type of steel would be by pointing you in the direction of a hammer. The alloy is so strong that it can dent titanium; in fact, it’s 4 times as strong as the aforementioned steel and more than 1000 times harder than aluminium.
It’s so hard that it can only be cast once smelted – which to many people is the closest thing to a traditional method for ring making as can be imagined.
With a wide range of resistances, from water (when properly sealed), right through to impact damage; more and more people are turning to the material as a symbol of strength, tradition and (for possibly the most important term mentioned so far), masculinity.
Is Gold Becoming Obsolete?
According to Karl Schwantes of XennoxDiamonds “Certainly not! Gold wedding rings for men have been flying off of the shelves for the past decade. Most styles are fairly basic when compared to female rings, but this is for good reason. It’s long been accepted as tradition that where female bands have precious gems inlaid and elegant designs applied; a man’s ring will often be much plainer by comparison.”
And gold is an excellent type of metal due to its potential to be cast and set – with a multitude of customisation options just in case the wearer wants a more unique aesthetic applied.
So, Tungsten or Gold – What Do the Experts Think?
Gold is certainly the more popular metal for a variety of reasons. It’s stylish, elegant and can be easy to maintain – often lasting for years and years with minimal care required. Gold is also more common because, although it’s a very valuable metal, it’s one that is widely available and has been used for millennia.
Tungsten on the other hand is a substance used for tools – and only the strongest tools at that. Typically speaking, titanium is more expensive per kilo, but in the search for a more unique and iconic wedding ring material; tungsten is certainly growing in popularity.
Plenty of people are happy with silver, gold, platinum and titanium of course, and they should be. But for those wanting to symbolise their masculinity, characterise their inner strength and denote resilience; this tool steel could certainly be the solution to the desire to stand out from the crowd in style.
