The Tungsten Carbide Wedding Band. Thoughts? Suggestions?

[DiamondFlame]

WBs in this material seems to be gaining ground recently. Since Wolverine used up all the adamantium supply (heh), supposedly TC is the hardest known alloy - scratch resistant, etc. I haven''t the time to do a proper research but I''d like some considered opinions from PS''ers.

Would you wear a WB made of tungsten carbide? If not, why not?
Have you seen any nice designs for the TC WB? For bride & groom?

I wd like my WBs to last a lifetime but I hate plain bands. I love engravings, ropework, milgrains, weaves, emboss, etc. But gold tarnishes easily, platinum ''smears'' over time, titanium feels rather light and unsubstantial, stainless steel sounds so unromantically ''industrial'' (not that TC doesn''t) lol...

Any thoughts?

 

[MustangGal]

I have a TC band that I use as my alternative ring. I wear it camping, hiking, surfing, on vacation, etc. Mine is 4mm with a lazer etched celtic design. After all the abuse I''ve put it through, it still looks brand new. I''ve tried to get DH to go for one, but he prefers the light weight of titanium.

The TC weighs a little more than platinum, so it is heavy. I''m told you can break them by dropping them on a hard surface, and if your finger swelled they can be shattered with vice-grips to get them off.

They do look different than other metals though, so it would probably look odd to wear one with a regular ering. I also haven''t seen them much smaller than the 4mm I have.

IMHO they would be great for the guys, but ladies would probably only like them as an alternative ring like what I use mine for.

 

[geckodani]

My husband has a tungsten band and loves it. Almost 3 years later it's still as pristine as it was when he got it.

I have one I use for travel, but find it too heavy for everyday wear, to be honest.

ETA: That said, the one I have is a rather high domed band. I've seen them much thinner, which would impact the weight I'm sure.

 

[DiamondFlame]

Thanks MustangGal. That''s good idea - have them as alternative WBs on ''roughing it out'' days. While I may opt for a TC WB, I think I''ll stick to eternity-style band for my future bride. At least diamonds won''t tarnish even if the WG setting does...

 

[MustangGal]

They can also be pretty inexpensive, so that helps having them as alternatives. I bought mine on ebay for around $30. I had one before that I lost in the ocean after falling out of a kayak (the water was COLD), so it wasn''t a big loss and I just bought a new one in a different style and smaller size.

I''m sure your future bride would also enjoy a diamond eternity band, I don''t know many ladies that would turn one down!

 

[sylvesterii]

One thing about them is that they are not resize-able to my knowledge. So, if for some reason you needed to go down from say a size 12.5 ring to a 9 (as I did) You would have to buy a new ring. I had considered one when I was designing my wedding band, and in the end decided against it. I am glad that I did. I was able to resize my platinum band, and I still have the same ring. Also, if the patina of platinum bugs you, it can always be polished. When I had mine polished after it was resized, it looked as shiny and great as new.

 

[girlie-girl]

My husband has this tungsten band and loves it. It's 6mm and is comfort fit. The ring is much darker in person than the pictures show, I think it's really masculine looking. We also made sure we got a tc ring that didn't contain any cobalt. They do have tc with gold inlays and such, but his is all tungsten (polished with a brushed center).