Gone are the days when your only option for wedding bands are traditional rings made of gold, silver, or platinum. While these traditional rings have established longevity and great staying power in the wedding industry, a new option is taking the market by storm.
Contemporary rings are not made of precious metals, which makes them more affordable than traditional rings. However, don’t compare these to cheap costume jewellery. Contemporary rings are sleek, beautiful, durable, and make for perfect wedding bands.
One of the most popular contemporary options out there is tungsten. Tungsten rings are made of tungsten carbide, which is created from a combination of tungsten and carbon atoms. The result is one of the hardest substances on earth. Tungsten carbide is, in fact, the hardest metal used in jewellery. This makes tungsten rings supremely strong and durable.
But is tungsten good for wedding rings? Here are the characteristics that make tungsten carbide rings perfect wedding bands.
1. Extremely durable
It is safe to assume that one of the reasons that make tungsten rings so popular is their strength and toughness. Retaining the characteristics of pure tungsten metal, particularly its high melting point and high tensile strength, a tungsten ring will not bend and will always retain its shape no matter what you do.
This quality makes tungsten rings the perfect wedding bands for people engaged in a profession that involves physical work and even strenuous labour.
2. Safe to wear
If you are looking for hypoallergenic wedding bands, tungsten rings are a great option to consider. A good-quality tungsten ring contains only a little amount of nickel as binder so the allergy risks are low. However, steer clear of low-quality tungsten rings made with cobalt binder, which can cause adverse skin reactions.
Also, if you are concerned about removing tungsten rings in an emergency, the good news is that tungsten rings are easy to remove. In case of emergency, most hospitals and medical facilities are equipped with the right tools for tungsten ring removal.
3. Low maintenance
If you are the type of person who wants to wear jewellery but don’t want to worry about its upkeep, then tungsten rings are the best choices for wedding bands for you. Tungsten carbide will retain its original lustre and shine because it is resistant to scratch. It also resists fading, tarnishing, discolouring, and rusting.
In case it does get dirty or grimy, all you need to do to clean your tungsten ring is to wash it with warm water and some liquid soap. In most instances, you will never need to visit a professional to re-polish your tungsten ring.
4. Considerably weighty
This is a matter of preference because some people do prefer wearing lightweight jewellery. But if you are the type of person who enjoys the weighty, hefty feel of real jewellery on your hands, then tungsten wedding bands, which will be a little bit heavier than 14k gold, are ideal.
5. Reasonably priced
To set the record straight, high-quality jewellery-grade tungsten bands are not dirt-cheap. If you see tungsten rings being sold cheaply, chances are they are low-quality industrial-grade pieces that are not safe to wear. However, even the high-quality designer tungsten rings are much more reasonably priced than traditional rings made of precious metals.
6. Lifetime warranty offered
Finally, if you need one more push to get tungsten wedding bands, you might enjoy knowing that reputable retailers and manufacturers offer lifetime warranties for tungsten rings. This warranty often covers resizing and accidental breakage, offering you a brand new tungsten ring to replace the old one.
Contemporary rings, especially tungsten rings, might be novel but this does not mean they are inferior compared to traditional rings. We hope this list of reasons why tungsten rings make great wedding bands helped you in your search!