A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEN’S WHITE TUNGSTEN RINGS
To understand what makes men’s white tungsten rings so special, one must first understand how alternative metals evolved. It wasn’t long ago that mens wedding bands were only available in a few metals – white gold, yellow gold, platinum and silver. But there were some problems with each of these metals. Gold is beautiful and lustrous, but because it is so soft it can wear down over time. White gold needs to be re-plated with rhodium every so often, and it can cause skin reactions in men who are allergic to nickel. Platinum is gorgeous but very rare, which means it’s more expensive than any other jewelry metal. Silver looks nice for fashion rings, but some men don’t think it’s lustrous enough for a wedding band.
Okay, so now we’re a few days away from 2012 and the choices of men’s wedding rings seems endless. We went from a handful of metals to a growing list of alternative and industrial metals. Not all of these metals were the right fit for every man. While they all have wonderful qualities – such as durability and strength – none of them was considered the “perfect metal”. Some felt that natural tungsten was too gray and not white enough. Titanium is popular but it isn’t nearly as scratch resistant as tungsten and it is often considered too lightweight. Stainless steel just didn’t feel dressy enough for everyone, and ceramic bands were a little too edgy.
MEN’S WHITE TUNGSTEN RINGS OFFER THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
As the price of gold and platinum goes up, more and more men seek out alternative metals for a wedding band. While many have opted for natural tungsten, others said they would like it better if it wasn’t so “gray”. Well, the manufacturers of tungsten carbide jewelry must have been listening. They came up with a spectacular alternative version of tungsten by making it bright white instead. When shoppers first start looking at men’s white tungsten rings, they are often mistaken for platinum.
The biggest difference between platinum and white tungsten is the price, of course, which is dramatically different. But another big difference is in its durability. As strong and beautiful as platinum is, it is not as scratch-resistant as tungsten. The only material hard enough to make a noticeable dent in men’s tungsten wedding bands is a diamond. Essentially, mens white tungsten rings offer men an affordable alternative to platinum.