Titanium is a lustrous, white metal when pure and is lightweight, easily fabricated, resists corrosion but does tarnish a limited amount.
Titanium used to be used almost exclusively in military applications (aircraft, missiles, spacecraft), but in recent years it has become cheaper and more widely used. (I imagine this has something to do with the opening up of supplies from the former USSR, which has much of the world's titanium supply.) Unfortunately not everything sold under the "Titanium" name actually contains titanium metal. The name has come to be associated with strength and quality, and marketers sometimes like to be associated with it whether their particular product actually contains it or not. Alloys of titanium (esp. aluminum) are principally used for aircraft and missiles where lightweight strength and ability to withstand extremes of temperature are important.
Titanium may be tough, but the fact is, titanium is not really scratch proof as many jewelers will claim. No material in the world is truly scratch proof; even the hardest diamonds can be scratched - although titanium is scratch-resistant - it does scratch and tarnish making it important to have it re-finished periodically.
Titanium is 45% lighter than steel and 60% heavier than aluminum but twice as strong - rendering titanium with an inability to be soldered. Pure titanium is brittle. Titanium may be mixed with iron and aluminum making it less brittle. Titanium rings cannot be re-sized by a jeweler like rings made from other metals.
Tungsten
Tungsten is a metal used by the metalworking, mining, and construction industries used as heavy metal alloys for armaments, heat sinks, turbine blades; tool steels; and wear-resistant alloy parts and coatings. Tungsten composites are used as a substitute for lead in bullets and shot. Tungsten is used in catalysts and high-temperature lubricants.
Tungsten is exactly the same density as gold, but something like a hundred or more times cheaper. Lead is cheaper still, but Tungsten is almost twice as dense. In 2000, an estimated 46% of U.S. Tungsten supply was derived from the recycling of industrial scrap. Usually an iron-nickel alloy is used to bind Tungsten.
Although Tungsten is dense and hard enough to resist scratches it's often brittle making it impossible to have wedding rings re-sized that were manufactured from Tungsten.
So be suspicious of inexpensive rings claiming to be made of pure Titanium or pure Tungsten. What you may be purchasing is ordinary stainless steel (i.e. mostly iron with nickel and chromium added to inhibit rust).
Why have wedding rings that have been created from a combination of cheap throw-away metals anyway? Do you really want your wedding rings made from Industrial and Military Scrap Metal?
Elsa Diamonds - Engagement Rings, Wedding Rings and Fine Diamond Jewelry and Original Custom Designs - Elsa Jewelry at Elsarings.com
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