Titanium and Tungsten rings - when did that start?

[DeepseekerADS]

I must have been hiding under a rock or something. I'd seen a number of posted finds on here of Titanium or Tungsten rings. And then my hunting partner found one of each, and both looked like wedding rings.

I realize not everyone can afford gold, but this one snuck up on me. Did I miss the last few decades, fail to notice changes?

Are these rings of any sort of value, or is it that you can say that you just found a couple junk rings?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[bradley1719]

I read somewhere that the tools to create titanium and tungsten rings (cheaply) was not really available on a widespread basis until around the 1990's. So these types of rings really haven't been available for long.

Titanium is usually on the cheap end. Tungsten is a little more expensive but not by too much. Then again, silver rings typically aren't worth a whole heck of a lot of money either unless you get a lot of them. The nice thing about silver is that they have melt value. Titanium and tungsten have no real melt value as far as I know. I think you'd have a hard time finding someone to refine your titanium or tungsten unless you have a LOT of it in order to make it worth their time.

Titanium and tungsten are both very hard metals. So once they are formed that's pretty much it. No resizing or additional work can typically be done on them. You'd pretty much have to find a buyer for the ring as-is in order for it to have any real resale value. I've also read that tungsten carbide rings are very hard but can also be brittle. Some can shatter if you drop them. It all depends on the chemical makeup of the ring (pure tungsten vs tungsten carbide, etc.).

Do a little googling for prices and you will get an idea of what some of these rings are worth. You can buy cheap versions of both types on Amazon for less than $10. If you instead want to go to a real jeweler, they will be happy to charge you more depending on what you want to get (some Tungsten rings go for $300+). I'm not a jeweler so I don't really know why the prices seem to vary so much. Again... do some price checking on your specific ring samples and then recognize that no one is going to give you anywhere near retail for those dug rings.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Thank You!!!

 

[mcl]

Titanium and tungsten are the "cheap" rings of today (as well as "cobaltchrome"). On the flip-side, they tend to appeal to a certain demographic.. the man's man, so to speak. Saying that their ring is made of "titanium" or "tungsten carbide" sounds "tough", and it makes them feel less embarrassed about wearing jewelry. Both tend to come in "manly" styles, particularly the titanium, in which you can find rings shaped like wrenches or ones that have visible "gears" and can spin around in circles for nervous fidgeting purposes.

To echo what has been said already, let me give you an idea of how cheap these rings are. Exhibit "A" is titanium -- when my wife was looking for my band (platinum), jewelers were offering a free "titanium sports band" with the purchase of another ring so that you wouldn't have to worry about losing your actual band. Exhibit "B" is tungsten carbide -- a colleague of mine let another colleague check out his tungsten carbide band at a get-together. While examining it, the second colleague accidentally dropped it on the kitchen floor, causing it to shatter. No problem though, as colleague "A" was able to purchase an exact replacement of the ring on overstock for a mere $49 the next day.