Tungsten carbide wedding rings breaking, shattering and cracking? Wait a minute aren’t these touted as one of the strongest, hardest and most scratch resistant rings you can buy? “Tough and durable”, “To last a lifetime,” some websites advertise. So complaints surfacing from brides and grooms saying their tungsten rings split into pieces seems, well, surprising.

Just how strong is tungsten carbide? On the Mohs Scale of mineral hardness the material is actually stronger than diamonds.

How popular are the rings? Incredibly popular and growing. A recent study from TheKnot.com and the WeddingChannel.com found:

    In 2011: 27% of grooms had a Tungsten ring, and 1% of brides chose tungsten
    In 2009: 19% of grooms, and less than 1% of brides chose tungsten for their rings

What's happening to ring wearers? Some of these contemporary tungsten ring wearers have a warning: The tungsten carbide is actually so hard it’s brittle. If you drop the ring from your ‘big day’ it could break, shatter or crack, kinda like when a ceramic bowl or glass hits the ground.

Mike Hellebuyck is now on his third replacement tungsten ring! The Southfield, Michigan resident says he bought tungsten figuring it would stand up well to all the work he does with his hands, like fixing snowmobiles and car engines.

He never thought it would break in half just hours after he said, “I do”, at his own wedding reception. “I was doing a dance called the ‘Alligator’. It's an odd dance that includes hitting your hands on the floor. During this phase of the dance, I was slapping my hands on the dance floor and the Tungsten wedding band snapped in two.” Pictures you see in this article show how that magical moment was caught on camera by the wedding photographer. Mike's new wife looks, well, not too thrilled.

Luckily Mike’s jeweler replaced ring number one for free.

Tungsten ring number two broke while Mike was vacationing Cabo. The ring fell from the hotel safe and snapped in half when it hit the floor. Back to the jeweler he went, where he was given, and is still on ring number three.

Amanda Molina from Albuquerque, New Mexico had a similar experience. “My husband and I picked out his wedding band together and we both liked the thick, modern look of the tungsten band that we went with. A few months after we had been married, he dropped his ring on our concrete floor and in two pieces it went! We couldn't believe it! It was a bummer because there's something special about having the actual ring that was in your wedding ceremony, but the company replaced it with no questions asked.”

Tungsten Carbide Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-carbide.com.cn
Tel.: 86 592 5129696; Fax: 86 592 5129797
Email: sales@chinatungsten.com
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Tungsten Carbide Fact
"Tungsten" (from the Swedish and Danish tung sten, means "hard-" or, more accurately, "heavy-stone") is used in English, French, Italian as the name of the element, although in many other languages (e.g. in German and Spanish) it is known as "wolfram", and this is also the origin of its chemical symbol, W and the atomic number is 74. Tungsten carbide, WC, or tungsten semicarbide, W2C, is a chemical compound containing tungsten and carbon. Colloquially, tungsten carbide is often simply called carbide. Our Tungsten Carbide Rings are composed of 85-88% of Tungsten Carbide, with a minority composition of materials including Tantalum, Titanium, Niobium and Chromium.

In its raw form, tungsten is a steel-gray metal that is often hard to work. Of all metals in pure form, tungsten has the highest melting point (3,422’C, 6,192 ’F), lowest vapor pressure and (at temperatures above 1,650’C) the highest tensile strength. Tungsten has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion of any pure metal. It is remarkable for its robust physical properties, especially the fact that it has the highest melting point of all the non-alloyed metals and the second highest of all the elements after carbon.

Tungsten Carbide is the only metal that can be permanently polished and scratch-free. The polish and finish will virtually last forever and will never deform. It is 10 times harder than 18k gold, 5 times than steel and 4 times than titanium. Many people also enjoy the heavy weight of a tungsten carbide ring. The enduring polish of a tungsten ring together with the solid weight, speak of commitment, security and an everlasting bond.

High-tech Ceramic Fact
High-tech ceramic is commonly used in producing watch cases. The material is valued by watchmakers for its light weight, scratch-resistance, durability and smooth touch. IWC is one of the brands that initiated the use of ceramic in watch-making.

High-tech ceramic rings are the latest contemporary fashion trends. The term covers inorganic non-metallic materials which are formed by the action of heat. Basically, when heat is applied to ceramic, it forms an oxidized coating. This coating creates enables the ring to be 100% scratch resistant. The coating has the same strength of sapphire and will prevent much of the wear and tear. High-tech ceramic material is heavier than titanium, but lighter than tungsten carbide. It shares hypoallergenic qualities like black zirconium rings and titanium rings but offers a stylish look. Just like Tungsten Carbide, High-tech ceramic rings are permanently polished, scratch-free with everlasting durability.

Engraving and Customizations are Possible
Although both Tungsten Carbide and High-tech ceramic Rings are strong and hard to work with, we can still provide engraving service onto the rings and customizations on width and thickness are possible too.

Tungsten Carbide Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-carbide.com.cn
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Here's a list of the most frequently asked questions and answers regarding tungsten rings.

Q. How can I ensure the correct ring size?
A. Before placing your order please confirm the proper finger size. All of our tungsten carbide rings are comfort fit. This means extra metal is used to make the inside of the band slightly domed, resulting in a very comfortable fit. The center part fits closer to the finger than the outer edges. A comfort fit ring will fit looser on the finger because it is not flat on the inside but rather rounded. Therefore when you are getting sized please use the narrow finger sizer which is 3 mm wide, (as opposed to the wider one of 6.5 mm.) This will provide an accurate finger size. Do not use the wider finger sizer as your ring will fit too loosely.

Q. Can a tungsten ring be sized?
A. Tungsten rings CANNOT be sized like a gold, silver or platinum ring. The metal is too hard for conventional jewelers' tools.

Q. Do you engrave tungsten rings?
A. YES - by special request. The engraving fee is $50.00. We engrave up to 20 characters [including letters and spaces] Please enter the engraving you would like in interior engraving field when you order. Because Tungsten Carbide is one of the world's hardest metals, special machinery is required to engrave on it. Not only must the machine be able to penetrate the metal, but it must do it in a way that isn't so deep as to harm the integrity of the ring. Because engraving is permanent and creates a heirloom, we cannot accept returns on engraved items.

Q. Are tungsten rings comfortable?
A. YES. Your tungsten carbide ring is made using our full inside round comfort fit feature. This makes the ring more comfortable to wear. Most other Tungsten carbide rings do not have this feature.

Q. How should I clean and care for my tungsten ring?
A. Your tungsten carbide ring requires little care. If your ring is 100% tungsten carbide high polished your ring will remain high polished forever. If your ring has a finish you may get some micro scratches. The tungsten didn't scratch: rather, the metal it rubbed against embedded itself in your ring. In most cases a tooth brush and mild detergent will remove the foreign material.

Avoid cleaning with harsh chemicals and DO NOT LEAVE IN THE ULTASONIC CLEANING MACHINE FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE.

Q. What if a Tungsten or Tungsten Carbide ring gets stuck on your finger, can it be safely removed if necessary?
A. Yes, first try removing by soaking your hand in a bowl of ice water for a minute or two, then apply a heavy lubricant like petroleum jelly on the finger between the ring and the knuckle, hold the ring with a cloth and gently pull with a rocking motion. (Note: This will work on any metal, including gold or platinum).

If pulling doesn't work, Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide rings are engineered to be safely and easily removed in case of emergency. Click here to view the recommended removal procedure as written by Dr. Stanley Hajduk and published by the Annals of Emergency Medicine in June of 2001.

About Tungsten Rings
Tungsten rings are composed of a metal alloy, tungsten carbide. The alloy allows for maximum hardness and rigidity without sacrificing tensile strength. Each tungsten carbide ring is cut and polished with diamond tools. Tungsten rings are not sizable by ordinary jewelers' tools -- the metal is too hard. Most tungsten metal powder is converted to tungsten carbide (WC) by reaction with pure carbon powder, e.g. carbon black, at 900 - 2200°C in pusher or batch furnaces, a process called carburisation.

Tungsten Carbide Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-carbide.com.cn
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This deals with the extraction of tungsten from tungsten(VI) oxide, WO3, produced from tungsten ores such as wolframite or scheelite.

Introduction

The production of the tungsten(VI) oxide from the ores is complicated, and not needed for any UK A level (or equivalent) syllabus. All we are interested in is the final reduction of the oxide to the metal.

Pure tungsten can't be obtained by reducing tungsten(VI) oxide using carbon, because it reacts with carbon to make tungsten carbide. Instead, the reducing agent is hydrogen.

The extraction process

Powdered tungsten(VI) oxide is heated to temperatures in the range 550 - 850°C in a stream of hydrogen.

An excess of hydrogen is used, and this carries away the steam produced during the reaction. The hydrogen is dried and recycled.

Great care obviously has to be taken to keep the whole system free of air to avoid explosion risks with the hydrogen at these high temperatures.

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