What is the difference between tungsten and tungsten carbide? You have undoubtedly seen the final product, your beautiful, shiny, scratch resistant tungsten carbide ring. But, the formation of those compounds that allow for the creation of your ring or piece of tungsten carbide jewelry is dependent on tungsten's atomic makeup.

We begin with an atom. There are three types of elements in an atom and they are called electron (negatively charged atom), proton (positively charged atom), and neutron (an atom with no charge). Imagine a group of protons and neutrons clumped together. This is called a nucleus. Orbiting the nucleus are electrons. Together, they form an atom.

At this point, you can combine atoms to create a molecule. Most substances that surround us are made up of molecules and are compounds of different elements. For example, water is a compound of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O). The naming convention for a compound with only two elements ends with the syllable "ide". For example, oxygen and carbon combine to create carbon dioxide.

The tungsten atom consists of seventy-four protons, seventy-four neutrons and varying number of neutrons. There are five stable isotopes (different versions of its atom) that contain 106, 108, 109, 110 and 112 neutrons. Averaging the amount of neutrons in the stable tungsten isotopes (106 + 108 + 109 + 110 + 112 / 5) gives tungsten an average amount neutron amount of 109. Adding the neutrons plus the protons (74) generates the tungsten atom's atomic mass of 183.

The manner in which the tungsten atom forms compounds with other elements is dictated by its outer electron shells. The tungsten atom consists of six electron shells. The first four shells are "full" - meaning, they do not have any room to "share" electrons with another element. The inner shell consists of 2 electrons. There are 8 in the second shell. The third shell contains 18, whereas the fourth shell has 32 electrons. The last two shells, which are the ones that form compounds with other elements contain 12 (fifth shell) and 2 (the sixth or outer shell).

Because the last two shells have room for more electrons, they will form chemical bonds with other elements, such as carbon. By combining both tungsten and carbon, we end up with a compound known as tungsten carbide that is found in the tungsten wedding bands and other tungsten carbide jewelry that are becoming increasingly popular.

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With Valentine's Day quickly approaching many are left wondering what to get their significant other. Although the traditional flowers and candies are nice it is typically overdone. What women and men like are gifts that unique, sentimental and affordable in this rough economy. One gift that would be sure to please is a Celtic Tungsten ring or bracelet. A Celtic tungsten ring or bracelet has the three components of being unique, sentimental and affordable. Below are a few popular Celtic symbols that represent love, life and family.

The Popular Claddagh Symbol
The hands that the ring represents holding the heart symbolize friendship while the heart is signifying love. The direction that the person wears the ring is also important. A ring worn on the left hand with the crown pointing away from the heart symbolizes that the person is married or engaged to be married. A Claddagh ring worn on the right hand with the crown pointing away from the heart symbolizes a person is interested in starting a relationship. Lastly, a person wearing a Claddagh ring on their right hand with the crown pointing towards the heart symbolizes a person that does not want to start a relationship.

Mo Anam Cara Ring
The Mo Anam Cara phrase symbolizes "My Soul Mate." This is a very popular phrase that is commonly requested as a special engraving on wedding bands or engagement rings. The Mo Anam Cara symbol may also accompany other symbols such as the popular Claddagh symbol or a cross for added symbolic meaning.

Celtic Knotwork Rings
The Celtic knotwork is found on many Celtic rings and bracelets. The Celtic weaving has many symbolic meanings depending on the knotwork chosen. Celtic knotwork could symbolize love, happiness, life, family and loyalty. Many times the Celtic knotwork would accompany other symbols such as a cross, initials or even the Claddagh symbol.

Cross Rings
Cross Rings signify love and religious beliefs. The cross can stand alone on a tungsten wedding band or accompany other symbols such as the Claddagh symbol or Celtic knotwork. Crosses that stand alone as the focal point of the ring are classically beautiful on their own.

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There are many things that tungsten offers that no other wedding band can provide. Here is a short list of the very best tungsten advantages.

1. Scratch Resistance - Tungsten is the world's hardest metal. It is smelted at a temperature of over 6000°F, the highest of any metal. In addition to those properties, it is nearly impossible to scratch. That means that when you purchase a tungsten wedding band, you can rest assured it will look just as good 50 years from now as it will on your wedding day.

2. Bend resistant - Metals with less tensile strength bend and warp under pressure. That means that they can be reshaped or resided if necessary, but it also means that they can bend or change shape over time. While that is usually no more than an inconvenience day to day, if you are unfortunate enough to get your finger trapped in something, they can actually become dangerous. Tungsten rings don't carry that hazard.

3. Hypoallergenic - Tungsten rings that are made properly are hypoallergenic. That means you want to find tungsten carbide rings not tungsten alloys of a different type. Cheap tungsten rings are often alloyed with cobalt or nickel, both highly allergenic substances. Make sure to ask what is in your ring before you buy it. If you are going to wear a ring every day, getting cheaper alloys is asking for trouble.

4. Design - In general, when you go looking for a wedding band in gold or platinum, you choices of design are quite limited. This is so often the case and people will get married with a simple band and then switch out to something more interesting later on. Wouldn't you rather get one band that will stay with you forever? Tungsten bands come in many different styles. Some are carved, others etched, and some are blended with black tungsten creating a unique appearance unlike anything you can get with another metal.

The Dreaded Myth

Like titanium, tungsten is associated with a particular, erroneous myth. There is an urban legend that states that tungsten is too dangerous to use for rings since it can't be cut in case of emergency. That is not true. While tungsten does require special tools to cut, emergency rooms and jewelers are completely capable of dealing with tungsten rings. In fact, because tungsten doesn't bend, it can actually be safer to wear if you suffer a hand injury - it won't compress or cut off circulation to your finger.

This myth is probably resulted from the fact that tungsten can't be resided. The metal is too hard for such treatment, meaning if you outgrow your ring, you will need to replace it instead.

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Overview of tungsten heavy alloy

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