Tungsten jewelry has gained popularity due to both the modern look that the metal provides and its ability to resist scratching and bending.

Characteristics
Tungsten, also known as wolfram, is a gray transition metal that is mined in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Along with its use in jewelry, the element is also used in electric lamps, X-rays and in the development of spacecraft.

Jewelry
In its raw state, tungsten is a very brittle metal that can be easily cut with a hacksaw. In order to create jewelry such as a ring or bracelet from tungsten, it must be strengthened. This is achieved by combining tungsten powder with carbon and another metal such as nickel or cobalt.

Use
Due to the weight of tungsten jewelry, it is not typically used in earrings and pendants. It is more common to find tungsten carbide in rings, bracelets and watches. Jewelry made from tungsten will resist scratching, bending and stretching better than gold or silver.

Appearance
Tungsten carbide jewelry features a darker hue that can be polished to resemble hematite. When mixed with nickel, the resulting appearance is similar to that of platinum.

Care
Due to the metal's ability to maintain shape and shine over time, very little care is required for tungsten jewelry. Retailers of tungsten carbide jewelry caution against cleaning with chemicals or with ultrasonic cleaners, suggesting soap and water instead.

Tungsten Jewellery Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-jewellery.com
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Sterling silver and tungsten are both becoming popular jewelry choices, especially in wedding rings. Both of these strong metals have pros and cons that should be considered before purchasing, but both make for attractive rings and jewelry.

Scratch Resistance
Rings made from stainless steel and tungsten are both difficult to scratch and damage. Tungsten, however, should hold a shine indefinitely once it is polished, whereas stainless steel may become dull.

Removal
Unlike stainless steel rings, tungsten rings cannot be cut off in the event of an emergency. Tungsten rings can be removed quickly if necessary, but they must be cracked and broken off rather than cut.

Resizing
Neither tungsten nor stainless steel rings can be re-sized. They must be replaced if they become too loose or too tight over time.

Allergies
Stainless steel rings can trigger an allergic reaction if they contain nickel. This is not an issue with tungsten rings.

Availability
Stainless steel rings can be more difficult to find at local jewelry stores as it is only starting to become popular in jewelry.

Weight
Tungsten rings are much heavier than rings made from stainless steel and most other materials.

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
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Tungsten carbide has become one of the more popular nontraditional rings. Known for its strength and durability, the symbolism of tungsten carbide in wedding rings is undeniable. However, there are a number of rings on the market that are made using cobalt, rather than tungsten carbide, and that can create an entirely different sort of ring.

Tungsten Carbide
Tungsten carbide in its normal form is nothing more than a powder. Both tungsten powder and carbide powder have to be brought together and forged at very high temperatures to create the necessary bond that will result in a tungsten carbide ring. This process can be difficult and expensive, but it yields a high-quality product that will last for a long time.

Cobalt
Many rings that claim to be tungsten carbide are actually cobalt and carbide, or a mixture of tungsten, cobalt and carbide. Cobalt is much easier to form a bond with, and the forging can be done at a lower temperature for less cost.

Effects
There are a lot of downsides that come along with a tungsten carbide ring that has cobalt in it. For one thing, while you wear it, the cobalt in the ring will react with the natural oils produced by your skin. Cobalt rings will change your skin color, and over time they'll develop permanent oxidation spots that you'll never be able to scrub away. The rings might look nice at first, but within a week to a month depending on how much you wear it, the chemical reactions will occur and ruin its look.

Signs
There aren't many ways to tell just by looking at a ring whether or not it's pure tungsten carbide or a tungsten carbide and cobalt combination. The price is one of the most telling features, because rings made with cobalt are usually cheaper in price. The best way to make sure that you have a genuine tungsten carbide ring is to get a guarantee from the manufacturer, so that if your ring does have cobalt in it you can get replacement at little or no charge.

Finish
Tungsten carbide rings are extremely strong and durable, and the same goes for their "permanent" finish. Pure tungsten carbide rings don't dent, scratch or lose their shine very easily. A tungsten carbide ring with cobalt in it will, however, so if you've bought a tungsten carbide ring that's lost its shine, even after a thorough cleaning, chances are there's cobalt in it. 

Tungsten Carbide Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-carbide.com.cn
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There are grounds for optimism that the Dodd Frank Act will contribute to the Congressional objective of promoting peace and security in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Section 1502 of the 2010 US Dodd-Frank Act is lauded by its advocates as a progressive regulatory framework which will help prevent company complicity in a vicious cycle of mineral-fuelled conflict in eastern DRC. Critics have derided Section 1502 as an unworkable burden on business and claimed that it will harm local livelihoods in one of the world's most underdeveloped regions. Whatever the intended - and unintended - consequences of the groundbreaking legislation, Section 1502 will introduce significant additional compliance costs. Given that the minerals covered under the Act feed into a wide array of consumer goods from mobile phones, to jewellery and to coffee machines, the legislation is important to consumers as well.

There are concerns that Section 1502 will not be effective in stemming the flow of mineral revenues to armed groups, given widespread cross-border smuggling into states with a weak regulatory framework (such as Rwanda and Burundi) and into countries not covered by the legislation (such as Kenya). The prevalence of endemic corruption in the region and the massive technical challenge of ensuring effective traceability policies may also mean mineral revenues continue to perpetuate conflict.

In addition, the brief November 2012 capture of Goma (the capital of North Kivu and a regional trade hub) by the M23 rebel group, and the continuing presence of the insurgents in the region, will make it even more difficult for companies to source minerals from eastern DRC. With the M23 rebels threatening to expand their campaign and even march on Kinshasa, the extremely uncertain outlook could make responsible mineral sourcing from large parts of North Kivu unviable for the foreseeable future.

Although the Dodd-Frank Act was passed in 2010, it took the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) until August 2012 to publish its controversial final rules implementing the legislation. With the Act due to come into force from January 1 2013, an estimated 6,000 companies listed with the SEC will need to be transparent about the source of columbite-tantalite (or 'coltan'), cassiterite, wolframite, gold and their derivatives (namely tantalum, tin and tungsten) used in their products and manufacturing processes.

While it will not become illegal for the affected companies to use minerals which perpetuate conflict in DRC, the reputational damage of making such a disclosure in annual reports due from May 31, 2014, should act as a significant deterrent. As a result, the transparency requirements will cascade down supply chains from US-listed companies to suppliers across the world.

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
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