Can we talk "Titanium"??!!

[Lynn B]

I would like to get my husband a (second) wedding ring. The one he has is old

and quite narfed up. I am thinking a new titanium band would be nice, especially before our vacation next month to Thailand.

For those of you familiar w/ titanium... can you please tell me about it. I know almost nothing about it. How durable is it? Does it resist scratches and nicks a lot better than gold? Is it expensive? About how much could I expect to pay for a simple man''s ring?

Can you direct me to recommended any web vendors that sell it? Is there anything else I should know?!

THANK YOU!

Lynn

 

[researcher]

Here's a great site to help you out:

Boone Titanium Rings

 

[noobie]

I have a titanium band from Boone rings. It is very light, hard and scratches somewhat easily. I got a plain polished band. If he is rough on it you may wish to get a brushed finish so it can be easily burnished with a scouring pad and have it look like new.




I don't like wearing rings and tight ones bother me. I may get another one of different size to wear depending on the season.

 

[niceice]

----------------
On 10/21/2004 8:07:16 PM Feydakin wrote:

Definately get a brushed finish ring.. Most shops are not capable of polishing titanium (we certainly can't) so if you want it prettied up down the road it will most likely need to be sent back to the factory to be polished.----------------

Yup. And on that note, we've been really hesitant to add any titanium products to our line but did so awhile back - although they are not yet listed on our web site, we sell a lot of it in our store... The company we work with as a manufacturer made the following deal with us:

Free replacement of any ring needing to be sized or re-finished within the first five years. $10.00 replacement fee after five years. Note that we said "replacement" and not "re-condition" and that is because the rings can NOT be sized - so don't get too sentimentally attached to your titanium ring because if you need it sized, it's getting replaced. And if it needs to be re-finished, it's getting replaced. The rings are made on a mill / lathe and are not cast - although some companies are trying to cast titanium, our understanding (and we could be entirely wrong here) is that they aren't having good results with it... Just our two cents.

As far as the durability goes a couple of the guys here in the store have been wearing the rings and trying to thrash them to no avail

 

[purduephotog]

Just to double up about titanium-

When we'd mill hoppers to make film there was 1 shot to do it right. You screw up, or nick, or the layers don't work right.... throw it away.

It was half a million each and every time it went to the mill. *shiver*

Of course it was possible to reclaim it by recycling, but still... not an easy task.

 

[hey joey]

titanuim bands are very light durable and very inexpensive the most on plain band is $100. some design max.pay $150-175.

i have titanuim bands i wear. i love it!! even if i lose or misplace, it is still cheaper than white gold or platinum (platinum which cost 3 or 4 times more)

disadvantage: you can not size up or down.

 

[valeria101]

Just how many potential jewelry-worthy metals are left out there ?

There is Titanium, Tungsten and Zirconium made into rings and things... Paladium went in and out. What next

 

[mingagreen]

My husband went with a titanium and gold band and he loves it. He never wore rings so it was an adjustment. He got a comfort fit ( i think) but as mentioned before thet are hard to size exactly. He lost his ring twice,once in the mens room at the movies after washing his hands and once at work after emotionally speaking with his hands!!!! The ring is very tough, was scrathed seriously on our wedding day carring a keg but now is "worn in", I get really mad when my DH does this but he actually opens beers with his ring! I don't know who taught him that but I can honestly say his ring is holding up quite well!!

 

[ep6585]

I plan to get a titanium ring for my wedding band. Thanks for the tips on getting a brushed finish instead of a polished finish.

 

[Mara]

My hubby has a titanium tension set ring with an ACA stone it..he LOVES it and gets tons of compliments on it daily. The ring is a brushed finish and does get scuffed a bit...we'll have to have it polished. I can't remember if anyone said this, but I think titanium does not lose mass when repolished, aka it won't wear down the ring...whereas with platinum if you get it repolished, it slowly takes some of the metal away each time. Downside is the resizing...but through a sizing mishap we ended up with two rings so the other one is with us in case Greg balloons out during our marital bliss.

Highly recommend Boone, his pricing is excellent, he's great to work with and his turnaround is FAST. We had a mishap with another vendor and Boone redid the ring in a DAY. Whereas original vendor took 3 weeks and then could not fix the mistake in less than 2 more weeks.

Good luck!!

 

[ep6585]

I plan to buy my ring from Bruce Boone. I've read a lot of good things about him on PS. I'm still deciding which one I like the best.

 

[researcher]

Mara~
One reason I went with platinum instead of white gold was the fact that repolishing does not wear down the ring. Just an FYI!

 

[quaeritur]

I have nothing but rave reviews to give of both titanium and Bruce Boone. I've had my satin-finish Ti ring for what, a couple of months now? It hardly has any scratches, I've only been able to see anything on it by looking very closely and tilting it back and forth in the light. If the light hits just right, I can kinda see one very faint mark on the side. So I'm absolutely thrilled by how it holds up. And I'm not one to baby my rings. They do what my hands do, I only take them off for the most abusive of situations. It has definitely held up way better than any of my gold pieces, or the platinum on a friend's e-ring.




The most interesting thing to me was how light it felt. Seriously, it feels as light as plastic! I actually love that, because I don't even notice having it on. By far the most comfortable ring I own.




As for Bruce Boone, he does beautiful work, and in the blink of an eye. I've posted about my experience with him before, as have others, I'm sure the kudos will turn up in a search

.




I also believe Bruce has said before that some of his rings can in fact be slightly resized. And I know he will refinish them at no charge (except shipping) at any time. At this rate, it'll be another couple of years before my ring really needs it though

.

 

[Lynn B]

Hey everyone, THANKS for the responses. I have been away for the weekend, and this is the first I have been able to get back to this thread.




I have been cruising the Boone website... FUN and FUN! (as my dear daughter used to say when she was three!

)




I like this one for him...

I think it is so cool! But I need to know -- would it "qualify" as a "brushed" finish (thus hiding scratches better)?




And I alo like this one...

I am also sorely tempted by the tension set ones w/ a small diamond. He has a tie tack that was his father's and it has a surprisingly lovely quarter-to-third carat diamond that I could probably recycle into a ring. He never wears the tie pin. But I'll probably try a plain band first and see how it goes.




Anyway, I do have a few more questions. Noobie says it scratches fairly easily -- but I was under the impression that it was pretty impervious to scratching??? And Q says hers is holding up nicely, and not being "babied". ???! /idealbb/images/smilies/confused.gif




And, noobie, how do you "burnish it w/ a scouring pad"?




And last of all, am I correct in thinking that Mr. Boone will refurbish scratched rings at no charge (shipping costs excluded)? That's pretty cool! /idealbb/images/smilies/appl.gif




Will wait to hear from you guys! And... thanks again! /idealbb/images/smilies/1.gif




Lynn

 

[noobie]

----------------
On 10/25/2004 3:38:57 PM Lynn B wrote:







Anyway, I do have a few more questions. Noobie says it scratches fairly easily -- but I was under the impression that it was pretty impervious to scratching??? And Q says hers is holding up nicely, and not being 'babied'. ???! /idealbb/images/smilies/confused.gif




And, noobie, how do you 'burnish it w/ a scouring pad'?




And last of all, am I correct in thinking that Mr. Boone will refurbish scratched rings at no charge (shipping costs excluded)? That's pretty cool! /idealbb/images/smilies/appl.gif



----------------

My plain polished band looked like a mirror when I received it a few months ago. I am not hard on rings, but mine is covered with small hairline scratches that look like a bad wax job on a car finish (swirl marks) I also have some bigger scratches. I don't mind at all, but it does not look like a mirror anymore.

Bruce Boone posted here awhile back about using a scouring pad to buff up brushed finished rings to make them look like new. Maybe he'll chime in.

And yes, Bruce will buff them for you free of charge, but I probably won't bother. It looks fine to me. Given the price of these I almost consider them disposable, meaning not too upset if lost (not counting any sentimental value). I may order another one 1/4 to 1/2 size larger for the summer as I hate tight rings.

There are several sites selling titanium rings now; I have only purchased from Bruce. Service was outstanding.

If you can't decide, buy both. How was Thailand?

 

[Lynn B]

----------------
On 10/25/2004 4:55:41 PM noobie wrote:

...How was Thailand?

----------------

Hey noobie! Thanks for the response and the additional information.

We haven't gone to Thailand yet. We don't leave till Thanksgiving day. So as soon as I can get DH into a store and measure his finger, I plan to order him a Boone ring. I want it here by the time we go!

Thanks again,

Lynn

 

[Mara]

To make your decision extra hard....hehehe...here is a picture of Greg's Boone ring.




It's got a .38c F VS2 ACA in it, it's lovely and he gets TONS of compliments on it!! Ring size is a 10.25 I think. I don't recall all specs but I think the width of the band is something like 6.5mm and the depth of the band (to accomodate culet of stone so it won't hit finger) is about 3mm.

Enjoy!!

 

[noobie]

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On 10/25/2004 4:59:33 PM Lynn B wrote:

I want it here by the time we go!



----------------

Don't worry. I placed my order online at 11PM. It was made and in the mail by 2PM the next day! It was amazing. I've waited much longer for responses to my e-mail inquiries from other vendors.

 

[Lynn B]

MARA! You bad, bad, wicked girl!

Seriously -- what a COOL ring! Do you have any photos of it on his hand?!!! I would LOVE to see that. (I don't suppose GUYS are as INTO THAT as WE are, though... huh?! But maybe if you used your FEMININE WILES and said "Oh, darling, pretty, pretty please..." ?!!!

Like I mentioned above, hubby does have a very nice diamond we could use... hmmm... decisions, decisions...

Lynn

 

[Mara]

haaa...

it really is a beautiful ring on the hand. I'll see if I can coerce him into sitting still for some vanity shots.

he gets alot of compliments on it...which he just eats up of course..

 

[ep6585]

Lynn B - the first Boone ring you posted is my first choice for my wedding band. The Boone website says you can get the ballpeen ring with either a brushed or polished finish

 

[boonerings]

Hi Guys! I've been working my fingers to the bone on a whole new website. Between making rings and programming, I've working till about 2am every day for the last few weeks. I hadn't checked in for a couple days.

It's true that most styles of titanium rings can be stretched a quarter to a half size. Rings that are cast titanium are an exception, or rings that have deep carved designs that might initiate a crack also can't be stretched. There is normally enough room to grind out material a quarter size or so on those if necessary. They just can't go down in size.

For refinishing, a Brushed finish can be buffed to as-new looking anytime with a ScotchBrite pad. It can work with a Satin finish to rub the pad in tiny circles. For a Polished finish, you can use a liquid or waxy polishing compound made for stainless steel. You find that kind of thing in the automotive department of places like WalMart. It can be done by hand, or if you have a Dremel tool with a cotton buff, that can speed up the process. The tiny scratches will come right out. As was mentioned, a lot of manufacturers have lifetime refinishing policies as well.

 

[Lynn B]

Bruce,




THANK YOU for the response. I appreciate it! Your rings are GORGEOUS and I will be ordering one VERY soon!




To anyone: what exactly does "ballpeen" mean?! I have never heard that word. Also, in the first photo I posted above, is the (ballpeen) ring shown "brushed" or "polished"??!!




Thanks,


Lynn

 

[quaeritur]

I hope Bruce will correct me if I'm wrong here... but I believe balpeen refers to the type of hammer used to get this finish. It's basically a hammered finish. And that picture looks like it was a hammered finish applied to a polished ring. With that finish, I really doubt scratches will be noticeable.

 

[noobie]

----------------
On 10/26/2004 2:36:23 PM Lynn B wrote:









To anyone: what exactly does 'ballpeen' mean?! I have never heard that word. Also, in the first photo I posted above, is the (ballpeen) ring shown 'brushed' or 'polished'??!!




Thanks,


Lynn

----------------

Lynn,

Ballpeen is a type of hammer typically used in metal work. As Q said it is round at one end. The round end is tapped on the surface of the metal to make the pattern. The neatest example of ballpeen pattern I've seen was at the Royal Selangor Pewter Plant in Kuala Lumpur. They made perfect rows freehand with ballpeen hammers on pewter mugs.

The picture looks like brushed, but Bruce can confirm

 

[ep6585]

The forum titled "Bruce Boone - our titanium odyssey" shows AtlantaC's experience with Bruce Boone. It shows several pictures of the ring making process along with the ballpeen hammer used to finish the rings.

Bruce Boone - our titanium odyssey

 

[boonerings]

Yup, the ballpeen does refer to a ballpeen hammer used to make the dents. Here's a better picture of what a ballpeen finish looks like. It's a good finish for not showing abuse since it's already been abused.

I've found that a nicer finish can be gotten if the rounded portion of a ballpeen hammer is polished to mirror finish before whacking the ring with it. The dents are a little smoother that way. The finish could also be brushed to not reflect as much.

 

[Lynn B]

Bruce,

THANK YOU so very, very much for your time and input on this thread! I appreciate it so much!

As soon as we get his finger measured, we are ordering! I'll be in touch soon!

Lynn

 

[roadpupp]

How popular is TI?


I really like the Titanium rings. I have a great Titanium watch and I'm sporting some NICE hardware in my right ankle and knee.
I would like to handle these rings to understand the styles before ordering online.

Anyone know big chain stores that would carry them? I live in New York City, so I would guess they are around, but wouldn't know where to go looking.

Thanks!

Since others are showing off thier TI, I will too.
Now don't be jelous. Start racing motorcycles and you can get one too!

 

[Lynn B]

Road,

I do believe that''s the first X-RAY I''ve ever seen posted around these parts!!! I hardly know what to say... "Wow! it''s gorgeous! I''m sure she''ll LOVE it! What''re the specs?!" somehow just doesn''t seem to fit...

I know... GREAT TITANIUM! LOVE THE HARDWARE"!

Lynn