A Guide to Titanium Wedding Rings
If you’re looking for a wedding ring that is not only beautiful and comfortable to wear but also extremely durable and long-lasting, then titanium wedding rings may be the perfect choice for you. Made from the same material used to build high-strength aircraft and submarines, titanium is one of the strongest metals on the planet. It’s also naturally corrosion-resistant, which makes it an ideal metal for any piece of jewellery that needs to withstand a lot of daily wear and tear.
Not only are titanium wedding rings ultra-lightweight, but they also tend to look much more unique than traditional gold or silver alternatives. If you’re interested in learning more about this material and whether it could be right for you, keep reading for our handy guide.
What is titanium?
Due to its extraordinary strength and durability, titanium was named after the Titans of Greek mythology when it was discovered in 1791. The ninth most frequent metal to be found in the Earth’s crust, titanium is widely distributed. Even though this metal has been around for more than 200 years, jewellery making only began recently.
Titanium is gaining popularity because of the rising interest in alternative metals for wedding rings. It is becoming increasingly popular as a substitute for more expensive white metals such as platinum or white gold.
Don’t be misled by the low cost of titanium when selecting a wedding ring metal. It has a very high strength-to-density ratio, which makes it extremely durable. It is corrosion-resistant, hypoallergenic, and very tough, meaning it does not fracture or crack easily. Because of these factors, titanium is an excellent ring metal choice.
What type of titanium wedding rings are best?
The durability of titanium can be affected by mixing it with other metals to create alloys or by heat and finishing treatments. Grade 1 to Grade 4 titanium metals are divided into grades. The grades of titanium range from Grade 1, the softest, to Grade 4, the hardest.
The highest quality titanium for wedding rings is Commercially Pure (CP) Grade titanium, which is 99% pure. CP titanium is available in Grades 1 through 4, but Grades 2 through 4 are best for wedding rings. You’ll have to remember that regular cutting tools can still remove these rings in emergencies, despite their extreme strength and scratch resistance.
CP Grade 2 to 4 titanium rings may be resized (unless the design prevents it) and engraved using laser engraving methods or traditional engraving tools.
Why buy titanium wedding rings?
Appearance
The allure of this metal is twofold: its strength and its appearance. Titanium is usually grey but may also be black in certain forms of the metal. Tarnish resistance and water safety are two of its beneficial qualities. While other metals are damaged by water, especially salt water, titanium is impervious to it. It is important to know, however, that this metal is easily scratched, but because the metal is only displaced within the band, it can be polished back to its original beauty quite easily.
Durability
You can buy pure or alloyed titanium. If you buy pure titanium, the metal is hypoallergenic and suitable for individuals with delicate skin. If you have a sensitivity to gold, silver, or coated metals, you should use pure titanium. A mixed metal is still excellent for strength and lightweight, but it may cause an allergic response. When making jewellery like rings and chains out of titanium, it is impressive on its own or makes any metal stronger.
Grade 23 titanium is one of the most extensively used medical alloys due to its superior damage tolerance, purity, and other advantages. It is used in medical devices and implants because of its high strength, lightweight, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance and toughness. This type of titanium is also excellent for creating elegant and indestructible rings.
Scratch resistance
The metal is scratch-resistant due to its durability and strength. Those who wear jewellery or work in an occupation where hands are constantly employed might benefit from titanium. Its purest form especially can withstand even the most violent handling and still look new.
Different styles
Today, titanium wedding rings have become a popular option. When titanium jewellery was first introduced in the 1980s, the styles were limited compared to other metals. The technology for creating titanium rings was primitive, and only basic designs were possible. Because of its strength, it is difficult to shape titanium rings compared to softer metals.
Modern rings can feature intricate details such as engravings and diamonds, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t great styles available! Cable inlays or gold inlays combined with black and grey titanium create a stirring colour contrast which buyers with a few great choices.
Care and Maintenance
Regular cleaning is crucial to preserving the look of titanium rings, as they get dirty and scratched quickly. A patina may develop over time, much like with platinum, but it can be polished to make it gleam once again.
Cleaning your titanium rings is a simple task. Lukewarm water and mild dishwashing liquid can be poured into a bowl and then your ring can be soaked in the solution for three to five minutes. Dirt and grime can then be gently wiped off with a cloth and rinsed with warm water.
You can clean your titanium ring once per week, bi-weekly, or monthly. If you want a ring that stays clean daily, get a small jewellery polishing cloth. You can find these at shops that specialize in rings or online. Use a jewellery cloth every day to remove any blemishes, accumulated dirt, or minor scratches. To keep your ring clean and gleaming in between cleanings, you can also spend money on wax.
What are Aircraft Grade Titanium Rings?
In the market, the is a wide range of titanium rings that have been created from aircraft grade titanium rings. These types of rings are 90% pure titanium by weight and alloyed with 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium to greatly increase the strength of the metal. They have been not advised to purchase as wedding rings because they cannot be removed easily in case of an emergency, and they cannot be cut off using regular ring cutting devices. They also cannot be engraved, repaired or resized because they are so strong.
What are Black Titanium Rings?
The procedure of generating black titanium wedding rings is accomplished by either altering the colour of the metal or coating it with black material. Black coating is applied through a variety of methods including ion applications and heat/glue treatments.
Black titanium rings that have been coated with an ion black plate or just a colour plate won’t last. The black coating will wear away and while ion treatments are more resilient than a conventional plate, the ion surface will ultimately crack and wear away as well.
Do titanium rings tarnish
Titanium rings do not tarnish or rust meaning you can wear them in the sea for long period of time as saltwater will not cause a problem. Being a durable metal, it can withstand most chemicals too but it can scratch.