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Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rings..

mhova

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
53
Does anyone know what Blue Nile uses as a binder (either nickel, cobalt, or something else) in there tungsten carbide rings?

I've sifted through about 25pgs of Google search results but have not been able to find any information.

I've emailed Blue Nile but as you can see from the emails below, it seems that they are either avoiding the actual question, or that they simply just don't know (which to me is just as bad).


Blue Nile,
I am interested in purchasing a particular tungsten-carbide wedding band, stock#20336. I understand that these rings are composed of 80% tungsten and 20% carbon, however, could you please inform me of what material Blue Nile uses for a binder in there tungsten-carbide rings?


Also, I have searched your website but have not been able to locate any warranty/guarantee policies regarding the Tungsten rings. I was hoping you could direct me to such information.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.
-Mark
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mark,

Thank you for your email.

As the tungsten-carbide rings are made via a proprietary process, I am afraid that I don't have documentation of the exact materials used in the process. I can assure you, however, that what we offer is jewelry-grade tungsten-carbide so it should be 100% hypoallergenic.

Tungsten-carbide rings are subject to the same lifetime warranty as our other products. You may read more about our services from the link below:

http://www.bluenile.com/services.jsp

Please let me know how I might be of help going forward, and thank you for considering Blue Nile.

Best regards,

Michael Lindsey | Diamond & Jewelry Consultant
Blue Nile, Inc. | T 800.242.2728 | [email protected]
http://www.bluenile.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: "service" <service@email.bluenile.com>
Subject: Re: Tungsten ring binder [1646223]

Thank you for your reply. The reason I ask this question is because while other jewelers have claimed tungsten carbide to be hypoallergenic, I have become aware that this quality is largely dependent on the substance used as a binder in the manufacturing process. The substance is likely either nickel or cobalt, and surely there is somebody within Blue Nile that knows which one is used in the rings they are selling.

Can you give me an email address or other contact information of an individual that can provide an answer?

Thank you,
Mark
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Mark,

Our tungsten rings are 80% tungsten combined with 20% other metal alloys. The exact alloys used for the ring will depend on the manufacturers preferences, but all of our tungsten rings are hypoallergenic. We have many customers that are allergic to nickel and other common alloys, so they purchase our tungsten rings and do not have any problems.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and I hope that I was able to assist you with your question.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Gagley | Diamond & Jewelry Consultant
Blue Nile, Inc. | T 800.242.2728 | [email protected]
http://www.bluenile.com
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

can you order from another jeweler? I ordered my FI's band from larson jewelers (am going to write a review when I get it back from being engraved). they provide a lot of information. so does tungsten world, maybe check them out.
 

megumic

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
1,647
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

That's super annoying and frustrating. A direct - I don't know but I'll find out - would be the proper answer here. Good luck finding what you're looking for!
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

Not sure if Bruce Boone sells T-C but you can check his site out boonerings.com
 

Miss Sparkly

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
Messages
1,664
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

Why not eBay? I've bought three bands off eBay because I liked the styles and paid $10 - $35 each.
 

mhova

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
53
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

I wrote them back one more time...the response will likely be a rephrased version of the previous ones. Does anyone know of any Blue Nile reps that might be members of this forum? I remember about a year ago when I was purchasing an engagement ring, there was at least a couple BN reps I came across on here.

I considered other vendors/jewelers, but I wanted to go with someone who will still be around in another 15 or 20yrs so that, if for some reason, I actually needed to make a warranty claim.
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

just as a point of consideration, some vendors have policies based on the maker of the ring (i.e. benchmark, thorsten, etc.) so the manufacturer has a warranty for exchange/resize.
 

jewelerman

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
3,107
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

it looks like they have no clue what binders they are using and where they are being manufactured.Early rings were made in Germany and then the united states and now many are made in China.Ive been told (and read )that the nickel is rarely used any more as a binder because of people breaking out and color reactions when coming in contact with chemicals or gasoline.I bet that few blue nile reps have the information you are asking about available for they use.
 

mhova

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
53
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

jewelerman|1316633713|3022349 said:
it looks like they have no clue what binders they are using and where they are being manufactured.Early rings were made in Germany and then the united states and now many are made in China.Ive been told (and read )that the nickel is rarely used any more as a binder because of people breaking out and color reactions when coming in contact with chemicals or gasoline.I bet that few blue nile reps have the information you are asking about available for they use.

I'm sure that someone at Blue Nile knows the answer.

As far as nickel vs cobalt, it's my understanding of the chemistry that states nickel actually binds more strongly with the TC compound vs. cobalt, and therefore, is more hypoallergenic...even with those individuals who have specific nickel allergies. Nickel costs more to use as a binder, and therefore, I have to believe that Blue Nile is increasing their profits by using cobalt. It seems that there are a few companies that actually advertise their TC as being cobalt free.


Here is the response I got today after returning one final email...funny she now claims their rings are 85% tungsten and 15% carbon, when previously it was stated 80-20, which is also what their website claims.

This is all pretty sketchy coming from a company that is regarded as very reputable in the online jewelery world.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Elizabeth.

It seems that, quite literally, every vendor is marketing there tungsten carbide rings as hypoallergenic when, in fact, this is simply not the case. While allergy to tungsten carbide compounds may be less prevalent than with some other metals, it actually is more related to the chemical reactions between the skins oil and the binder used, rather than the tungsten or carbon elements.


For example, I currently own 4 pieces of tungsten carbide jewelery, two of which use nickel as the binder and two of which use cobalt. My skin reacts completely different to these different compositions. When a particular binder is used, I get the typical skin irritation, rash, erythema, and itching that is associated with skin allergy to certain metals.


So if I understand correctly, there is no way for me to know if cobalt or nickel is used as the binder before ordering a tungsten carbide ring from Blue Nile?

-Mark
-----------------------------------------------------

Hello Mark,

The manufacture of our tungsten carbide rings does not share the metal recipe for proprietary reasons. I was able to find out the our tungsten rings are 85% tungsten carbide. Many people are allergic to nickel, so I can understand your concern with this. Our customers with nickel allergies do not have issues with our tungsten rings, so I can assure you that our rings are hypoallergenic.

I would like to note that we do offer a 30 day return policy. If you were to purchase one of these rings and found that you had a reaction to it, which will not be the case, than you can return it for a full refund or exchange.

I hope that this information will be helpful to you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Gagley | Diamond & Jewelry Consultant
Blue Nile, Inc. | T 800.242.2728 | [email protected]
http://www.bluenile.com
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

mhova|1316649803|3022518 said:
jewelerman|1316633713|3022349 said:
it looks like they have no clue what binders they are using and where they are being manufactured.Early rings were made in Germany and then the united states and now many are made in China.Ive been told (and read )that the nickel is rarely used any more as a binder because of people breaking out and color reactions when coming in contact with chemicals or gasoline.I bet that few blue nile reps have the information you are asking about available for they use.

I'm sure that someone at Blue Nile knows the answer.

As far as nickel vs cobalt, it's my understanding of the chemistry that states nickel actually binds more strongly with the TC compound vs. cobalt, and therefore, is more hypoallergenic...even with those individuals who have specific nickel allergies. Nickel costs more to use as a binder, and therefore, I have to believe that Blue Nile is increasing their profits by using cobalt. It seems that there are a few companies that actually advertise their TC as being cobalt free.


Here is the response I got today after returning one final email...funny she now claims their rings are 85% tungsten and 15% carbon, when previously it was stated 80-20, which is also what their website claims.

This is all pretty sketchy coming from a company that is regarded as very reputable in the online jewelery world.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Elizabeth.

It seems that, quite literally, every vendor is marketing there tungsten carbide rings as hypoallergenic when, in fact, this is simply not the case. While allergy to tungsten carbide compounds may be less prevalent than with some other metals, it actually is more related to the chemical reactions between the skins oil and the binder used, rather than the tungsten or carbon elements.


For example, I currently own 4 pieces of tungsten carbide jewelery, two of which use nickel as the binder and two of which use cobalt. My skin reacts completely different to these different compositions. When a particular binder is used, I get the typical skin irritation, rash, erythema, and itching that is associated with skin allergy to certain metals.


So if I understand correctly, there is no way for me to know if cobalt or nickel is used as the binder before ordering a tungsten carbide ring from Blue Nile?

-Mark
-----------------------------------------------------

Hello Mark,

The manufacture of our tungsten carbide rings does not share the metal recipe for proprietary reasons. I was able to find out the our tungsten rings are 85% tungsten carbide. Many people are allergic to nickel, so I can understand your concern with this. Our customers with nickel allergies do not have issues with our tungsten rings, so I can assure you that our rings are hypoallergenic.

I would like to note that we do offer a 30 day return policy. If you were to purchase one of these rings and found that you had a reaction to it, which will not be the case, than you can return it for a full refund or exchange.

I hope that this information will be helpful to you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Gagley | Diamond & Jewelry Consultant
Blue Nile, Inc. | T 800.242.2728 | [email protected]
http://www.bluenile.com

well...it is up to you if you want to do business with them given the amt of information they are willing to share.

tungsten rings should be 85% tungsten carbide. the ones that use nickel are around 1% nickel so most people do not have reactions.
 

manderz

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,539
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

Quick side note... Kind of funny that the same person told you two different ratios.
 

wakingdreams53

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
891
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

They probably honestly just don't know and are appeasing you.

No fillers http://www.scottkay.com/skcobalt/
 

Amys Bling

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
11,025
Re: Blue Nile dodging my question about Tungsten Carbide rin

wakingdreams53|1316656933|3022586 said:
They probably honestly just don't know and are appeasing you.

No fillers http://www.scottkay.com/skcobalt/


Ditto. I dont think they have a clue.
 
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