Tungsten Rings: 6 Pros and Cons to Consider
Gold and silver are all well and good, but many people want something a little different from their wedding band. Something a little tougher, a little more rugged, a little more modern! That’s exactly why you’ll see so many people today — and guys, in particular — choosing tungsten wedding rings to celebrate their love and commitment.
Tungsten carbide is a seriously cool metal that makes an awesome ring, but it’s also worth knowing about the pros and cons before you make your choice. Here’s a quick guide to the most important facts on both the plus and minus sides.
Need an intro to tungsten rings? Check out our guide on tungsten ring durability to learn about tungsten carbide and why it’s so incredibly sturdy.
Pros of Tungsten Rings
1. Tungsten rings are low-maintenance and highly resistant to scratches.
Lots of guys don’t want to spend a lot of time polishing their ring or trying to buff scratches out of it. Tungsten is an excellent choice for anybody who wants a low-maintenance ring that also, frankly, looks badass.
Traditional ring metals, especially gold and silver, are often vulnerable to scratches and dings because of their softness. Tungsten carbide, on the other hand, is one of the hardest metal alloys on the consumer market. It stands up incredibly well to day-to-day wear and is almost impervious to minor scratches.
Naturally, no ring is truly zero-maintenance. It’s still a good idea to store your tungsten ring in a soft case when you’re not wearing it and occasionally give it a wipe-down with a soft cloth and mild soap. All in all, though, tungsten carbide is definitely a superior choice for anybody who wants a ring that doesn’t need to be babied.
2. Modern Gents’ tungsten carbide rings are hypoallergenic.
Tungsten carbide is also a fantastic choice for folks with metal allergies. Other types of rings from mainstream jewelry suppliers often have metals like nickel used as binders in their construction. These metals are among the most common allergenic metals, which means that even your 18k gold ring could end up giving you a nasty rash because it’s full of nickel.
Fortunately, all Modern Gents rings are 100 percent nickel-free! Our process uses high-quality hypoallergenic binders to ensure your ring doesn’t irritate your finger.
3. Tungsten rings have a sleek and powerful vibe.
In search of a non-traditional wedding ring that still keeps a dignified, distinguished look? Tungsten carbide, with its typical gunmetal gray appearance and unconventional swagger, is the ideal choice for a modern wedding band that’s worth treasuring. What’s more, the weight of tungsten carbide gives the rings a relatively heavy and solid feeling that lots of guys like.
As if that weren’t cool enough, tungsten is also a great medium for jewelry artists to do what they do best. Our tungsten rings include a variety of gorgeous inlays, including unique materials like elk horn, abalone shell and even meteor dust!
Shop Our Collection of Tungsten RingsCons of Tungsten Rings
1. Tungsten rings can’t be resized.
For most people, the biggest downside of tungsten rings is that they’re basically impossible to resize. Typical gold and silver rings are easy to resize because they’re soft. Tungsten is anything but soft — so once a tungsten carbide ring is cast and machined, it’s the size it will always be.
Modern Gents makes it easy to get a ring that fits just right. First, check out our sizing chart and other ring sizing resources before ordering for crucial information that will help you pick the right size. Plus, if the size you choose ends up not being quite right, remember that we offer free exchanges on all rings for the first 60 days!
2. Tungsten rings can cause damage to fragile materials.
That thick, heavy feeling that some guys love about tungsten also requires you to be a little careful. It’s possible to scratch or crack fragile materials like glass or porcelain with a tungsten ring. That doesn’t mean you’ll go around shattering stuff left and right, of course, but it’s a good idea to be aware of your ring when you’re handling easily breakable objects.
3. Some tungsten rings contain nickel and other non-hypoallergenic binders.
Despite tungsten’s reputation as a hypoallergenic metal, jewelers who make tungsten rings still sometimes use allergenic metals like nickel as binders. Of course, for many people, that defeats the whole purpose of buying a tungsten ring! That’s another part of why our customers with metal allergies love Modern Gents rings: because our nickel-free creations are built to play nice with your skin.
Featured: The Excalibur, The Star Light and The Sadie
Modern Gents’ lineup of tungsten rings is ready to help you leave the ordinary behind. Discover our tungsten ring collection and find one that’s calling your name!
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