Tungsten Wedding Bands Pros and Cons List

Tungsten is a transitional metal, also known as Wolfram, whose atomic number is 74 and Group 6 in the chemical elements periodic table. It has many rare properties that make it a unique metal, for instance it has one of the highest melting points of any metal 3,410°C (6,170°F). It also has the ability to retain its strength at very high temperatures. It is because of these characteristics that tungsten is primarily used for the manufacture of alloys. An alloy is prepared through the process of melting and mixing two or more metals.

However tungsten rings are not made out of pure tungsten but are instead made out of tungsten carbide. This is because pure tungsten is too hard to work with hence tungsten that is utilized for industrial applications (and jewelry) is blended into its carbide form. Tungsten carbide is made by a mixture of equal quantity of tungsten and carbon atoms and the final product is a very fine powder which is then mixed with a binder, for example nickel or cobalt, to form a compound that can be designed into different outlines like wedding rings.

Despite all this changes to the pure tungsten, it still maintains many of its original characteristics including a high melting point and high tensile strength. Tungsten weddings bands are exceptionally scratch resistant and have a light gray color. Tungsten bands have the ability to moderately conduct heat and electricity so owners sensitive to these characteristics have to be cautious. Many individuals are always torn between buying a tungsten ring or not.

List of Pros of Tungsten Wedding Bands

1. Doesn’t Show Signs of Wear
Tungsten rings are durable and very strong compared to many other different metals. For example the universal gold wedding bang, often reveals signs of strong wear after a couple of years. This is because gold easily scratches from daily use therefore many customers are often obligated to send their rings in for maintenance every few years which ends up costing them a lot of money. In the case of tungsten carbide wedding bangs, this rarely happens as it is an extremely strong metal which hardly reveals signs of wear even after a couple of years.

2. Affordability
Another pro is that it is very affordable compared to gold and platinum wedding bands which can cost even up to thousands of dollars for the bride and groom. A good quality tungsten carbide ring will cost an individual around two hundred dollars leading to massive savings even in the long term. This considering maintenance costs are very minimal too.

3. Unique and Different
These rings are unique and different. For decades upon decades many newly-weds have opted for gold wedding bands and this makes tungsten wedding bands unique. It not news to see someone wearing a gold ring anymore but seeing someone wearing a tungsten carbide will definitely cause a stares. A tungsten ring portrays a much classier reflection than that of a gold ring with its sleek appearance.

4. Hypoallergenic
It is hypoallergenic. This means individuals with allergies have no need to worry about allergic reactions from tungsten wedding rings.

List of Cons of Tungsten Wedding Bands

1. Can Be Damaged Easily
In case of emergencies tungsten rings can be easily removed with no cutting or sawing of the ring required. These rings can fracture or shatter easily if enough force is evenly applied.

2. Limited Color Varieties
Tungsten wedding bands come in a natural gun metal grey color but they can be plated black, white, classic gray or even gold colors. This makes them attractive to newly-weds who have different color preferences.

Cons

Tungsten wedding bands are not sizable or solderable. This could change the size of the finger the ring is on. Gold and platinum rings can be re-sized and repaired and changed numerous times giving them a plus over tungsten wedding rings.

The fact they can’t be re-sized easily. It means the wedding couples will be forced to throw away the old rings once in a while to replace them with new rings. This increases the cost of owning tungsten rings in the long term.

Some individuals may argue that since tungsten rings are cheaper compared to platinum and gold, they end up making your wedding not so special. It is tradition that kids inherit the parent’s wedding rings when their wedding day approaches, and since tungsten rings are not that valuable compared to gold, many argue that it doesn’t really represent the love couples share.

Tungsten carbide rings are also limited in style selections at the moment. This is partly because tungsten carbide is not very malleable. In the market, currently, men’s tungsten rings are available in many more styles than women’s tungsten rings even though the available men’s styles are still limited.

Tungsten wedding bands are simply not as shiny as gold or platinum rings. The refractive index of tungsten is less than that of gold. This could however be a con to some individuals and a pro to some individuals. Some newly-weds might like the shiny gold ring, which is common among many, rather than a not so shiny tungsten ring which could be the preferred choice of others.

Re-sale value of tungsten rings is pretty low compared to gold or platinum. If at any one time a couple decide to re-sale their tungsten wedding rings for one reason or another, the market for reselling these rings is scarce and limited and price offers are most commonly low. Gold is traded on the world’s commodities markets and is very liquid. This means anyone can easily change gold into cash, in other words, gold is ready cash. Compared to tungsten which is not traded and getting its value at a local pawn shop will prove difficult.