Titanium is basically indestructable from what I've heard. It's not only lighter, but men can wear it while working out, surfing, etc. without scratching the metal or hurting it in any way. Also, it's a heck of a lot cheaper so you can always buy several rings!
One thing which I thought was really cool was mokume gane, with different metals folded together. Make sure to get a sleeve of one kind of metal inside the ring, to prevent a mild battery-effect.
That's a good question which I have no answer to! Actually, I can't answer the color question either. Sorry! I'd contact Bruce Boone and see what he has to say (I've heard he has EXCELLENT customer service, and will get back to you immediately). If you do contact him, please post the answers!
My hubby has a titanum ring, and the color is a little different than platinum, kinda darker grey, so it might not go so well against a platinum ring. His has a satin or brushed finish. He has worn it surfing, and and all kinds of other thing. it does scratch, but they told me with the brushed finish you just take some steel wool and buff it up, and it look like new again. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it'll work. He seems to love it, and he's happy that he doesn't have to worry about it. It is VERY light, and comfort fit, so he says it feels really nice on. I don't think he even notices he's wearing it anymore! Good luck with the search!
Dan, for starters have a look through these sites because they offer a good variety of rings for gents. Maybe you'll see something you like or perhaps be inspired by a particular style. aurumjewellers gilletts coge
I don't know if you're planning to have kids, but she may well need a larger ring size post-pregnancy, which would mean a new ring in titanium.
I think the two metals look fairly different, so I wouldn't put them together. Perhaps a band with a cool finish or design might be a nice gift for when her rings might get damaged, though? (it's a good excuse, at least, and not terribly expensive
Hi guys! I did get such an e-mail today as a matter of fact. I said that the color of titanium might best be described as the chromium of a car bumper or a toaster. It's just slightly darker than platinum. When they are first polished out, the colors are nearly identical, but the platinum will lighten slightly over time and the titanium will sometimes darken very slightly making more contrast. With a platinum ring and a titanium ring worn side by side, the titanium one is harder, so will scratch the platinum one more than the other way around.
Different finishes have differing degrees of difficulty to keep looking new. A beadblast surface easily gets scratched looking because the tiny hills of material get rounded down. A brushed finish is more robust and is easy to keep looking new by simply buffing it with a ScotchBrite pad. A polished finish is a little tougher for a consumer to keep polished, but it can be done with a buffing wheel and a compound made for stainless steel. Most titanium manufacturers offer a lifetime refinishing policy.
A titanium ring can usually be stretched a bit in size, but they can't be sized smaller. A word of caution with surfing with a ring; I have a LOT of customers that lose their rings doing water sports! I just this week had a daughter and son in law of a neighbor call from the Bahamas on their honeymoon. He lost his gold and platinum ring snorkeling. Doh! I guess the fingers shrinking, the lubricity of the water, and the splashing around are just the ticket for making them come off.
Thanks for all the info, Bruce! Your rings are beautiful; my better half and I will be contacting you soon to have 3 rings made (he looses things, so we want to be prepared!).
Wearing Ti is more like wearing silk - it takes imagination to recognize that the weightless, smooth mass is metal. And there seems to be a better choice of modern rings in unusual shapes made of Ti... such as THESE and THESE. Complicated prisms and unusual sections like these would likely be feasible in platinum, but simply not done. Besides, I think Ti holds those shapes better and makes them wearable (given lightweight and strength). And inlays are quite a bit more striking against the darker gray background of Titanium... such as THESE
I am not sure whether it would work to have something very unusual designed from scratch, but there seem to be enough unusual designs already