Men’s titanium rings and men’s tungsten rings are gaining popularity in the jewelry industry. This leads many men to narrow their choices down to these two metals. If you are trying to decide between a titanium wedding ring and a tungsten wedding ring, the information on this page will help you compare the two.
- Tungsten and titanium are both known for their hardness over metals such as gold, silver, and platinum. It is actually not the metals themselves, but the alloys combined with the metals, that create the hardness. Tungsten carbide is harder than titanium alloys.
- Titanium jewelry is virtually safe for anyone to wear. Some tungsten carbide jewelry contains the element cobalt that people are allergic to. It is interesting to note that another form of tungsten alloy using nickel as a binder metal is hypoallergenic, even to people who are allergic to nickel.
- If a tungsten or titanium ring is under high pressure, such as hit by a car door, a tungsten carbide ring would fracture into several pieces and the titanium ring would bend out of round. So in terms of safety, a tungsten ring is "safer" to wear.
- Titanium is much lighter than tungsten so it is up to the individual choice as to a "lightweight" feeling on the finger or a "heavier" feeling.
- Titanium jewelry is generally less expensive than tungsten jewelry due to the difference in equipment and production.
- Titanium rings can be engraved and, with limitations, can be resized. However, a tungsten carbide ring is too hard to be engraved or resized.
- The color of both tungsten and titanium rings will not turn with normal usage such as exposure to sun, sea water or cosmetic products.