serial muse Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Just wondering if anyone has done this and how it looks? I have a gorgeous antique engagement ring (1920) that is made of platinum. We're shopping for the wedding rings right now, and my fiance is interested in tungsten carbide (cool-looking but heavy) or titanium. So I'm thinking I'd go with titanium too for the band - it's a heck of a lot cheaper than platinum! But I'm wondering if that'll look weird or not...anyone have any experience with this??? Link to post Share on other sites
Art_Critic Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 You can mix and match and it will look fine.. but if he is going have his hands around things that can break a tungsten carbide ring I would think about the titanium. The tungsten carbide rings cannot take a strike with a hammer for example.. they shatter My wife's ring's are platinum but mine is white/yellow gold... Link to post Share on other sites
carhill Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Easiest way to find out is to take the platinum ring to a jeweler who sells titanium and compare. An alternative would be to order a titanium ring online on approval and compare at home. I found platinum to be a bit 'duller' than white gold, more 'gray' but it holds its hue pretty consistently. My exW's wedding ring was a platinum eternity ring from the 1930's and her diamond was set in white gold. I haven't seen titanium rings up close but, if my experience with titanium in the shop is any indicator, it runs to the gray in hue. Link to post Share on other sites
Author serial muse Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 Easiest way to find out is to take the platinum ring to a jeweler who sells titanium and compare. An alternative would be to order a titanium ring online on approval and compare at home. I found platinum to be a bit 'duller' than white gold, more 'gray' but it holds its hue pretty consistently. My exW's wedding ring was a platinum eternity ring from the 1930's and her diamond was set in white gold. I haven't seen titanium rings up close but, if my experience with titanium in the shop is any indicator, it runs to the gray in hue. Good points Art and Carhill...I will definitely take my ring to a dealer that sells titanium so I can take a look. Fiance is a reporter so it might not matter, job-wise...but on the other hand, he does like to build things at home, so that's a thought. And I'm a bit worried about the fact that tungsten carbide can't be resized. So maybe I'm leaning titanium at this point... Link to post Share on other sites
carhill Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I use tungsten carbide every day in my work; in fact, in various coated forms, I use it to machine titanium. Obviously, there are different configurations of tungsten carbide, but any I've had contact with are very hard. I'd probably not recommend such material for a ring, but that's advice from a machinist, not a jeweler OTOH, I've made some cool rings out of stainless steel and naval bronze/brass. Link to post Share on other sites
jthorne Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 My H has a titanium wedding band and he loves it. I also have an platinum engagement ring from the 30's that has aged to the typical gray. I would think it would look fine against the titanium- probably better than white gold, that typically doesn't change color as much as platinum. Link to post Share on other sites
Luckless Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Years back my ex would always loose his gold bands, it really made me made. I was tried of dropping a few hundred for a new gold band. SO being crafty I looked online. I found this seller on Ebay. Here's one of their current listings for example. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Mens-Titanium-Wedding-Ring-SZ-8-9-10-11-12-/360392138813?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e90ba03d#ht_3840wt_942 I bought a few extra for the ex, you can't beat the price. AND I even picked up one for my pop to replace his original band that got lost by the hospital prior to surgery (a year later they actually found it and sent it back). My wedding band is platinum, w/ princess diamonds, which was paired up to a lovely engagement ring in white gold. You really can't tell the difference much, but it's true the platinum is a little darker than white gold, but it can take a beating. Titanium is a great choice for the man who works with his hands. I tried to hit his ring w/ a hammer before and it didn't even dent. Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky_One Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I also have an platinum engagement ring from the 30's that has aged to the typical gray. I would think it would look fine against the titanium- probably better than white gold, that typically doesn't change color as much as platinum. I think you may have gotten that confused; platinum may turn a bit grayer/whiter over time, but it basically stays the same color. White gold is sort of yellowish, and has to be plated with rhodium periodically to stay silver or white. OP, I would probably bite the bullet and go for the platinum band. It will hopefully be the only one you ever wear, and there is something so heavy and comforting about the weight of platinum. Titanium bands for women feel very light - sort of cheap feeling, maybe? Men's bands have a better heft because they are usually so much thicker and wider than women's. Link to post Share on other sites
adiamor Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Don't worry about that. Your man would love your choice for sure. Actually men love simple and unique designs and You are selecting the one for him. HE will love it. Link to post Share on other sites
sunshinegirl Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Titanium is basically indestructible, right? That actually scared us off of it for my H's wedding band. Someone said that if H were ever in a freak accident that injured his hand and his fingers swelled, there would be no way to get the ring off. Whether that's true or not, I got this image of a gangrenous ring finger in my mind, and that was it. We went with white gold. Link to post Share on other sites
adiamor Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Did your fiance like your choice? I think he did like it. Link to post Share on other sites
bigguy02 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Titanium is basically indestructible, right? That actually scared us off of it for my H's wedding band. Someone said that if H were ever in a freak accident that injured his hand and his fingers swelled, there would be no way to get the ring off. Whether that's true or not, I got this image of a gangrenous ring finger in my mind, and that was it. We went with white gold. Im told that is true. My FIL was a Fire Medic and now a Fire Chief and he is the one that steared me away from Titanium. Link to post Share on other sites
Eeyore79 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) Titanium is actually relatively soft - hard to bend but quite easy to cut - and a titanium ring would only be slightly more difficult to cut off than a gold ring. The issue you need to consider is whether the two rings will age differently - platinum will stay whiter and brighter, so the two rings won't always match. Also since titanium is a little harder than platinum, over time it will actually wear away the platinum ring by rubbing on it. That's why jewelers always recommend that you get the same metal for both rings, so it minimizes wear when they rub against each other. Tungsten carbide would be a terrible choice - it's extremely hard and would completely destroy your antique engagement ring by rubbing on it. On the hardness scale, platinum is a 4 and titanium is a 6, and tungsten carbide is a 9! Edited October 20, 2011 by Eeyore79 Link to post Share on other sites
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