Titanium versus Platinum, Tension Set

[TooMuchInformation]

Well, I''m almost done. So many thanks to PriceScope and all of the contributing members of the forum. I couldn''t have done it without you.

I have my stone pending a few formalities, a .98ct Princess from GoodOldGold, and I really fancy the following setting from www.titanium-rings.com:

Excentris Tapered
http://www.titanium-rings.com/t-ex2.html

I like the idea of Titanium, but I have some concerns with it.

1) Are there any issues with Titanium tension sets damaging a diamond?
2) Does Titanium look as good as Platinum? (I assume not) Does it still look good?

3) Are the resizing issues with Titanium tension set any worse than with Platinum?
4) What does Titanium weigh in comparison to Platinum? Does it have that same heavy feel to it?

Any input on this stuff would be greatly appreciated!

 

[dimonbob]

I can only answer part of your questions.
Titanium has almost no weight to it compared to platinum. There is a very noticable difference in the heft of gold and platinum with platinum being much heavier and there is a very noticable difference in the heft of titanium and gold with gold being much heavier. I wear a titanium watch that would weigh a pound if it were platinum. Its weight is almost nothing.
The color of titanium is a fairly dark gray. If you are doing this as a suprise for some "lucky lady", you might want to step back and think what she and her friends might think about this metal on her finger for life? Beauty is in the beholder and I would not consider titanium is pretty.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Thanks for your comments! I've never seen a Titanium ring in person, so I suppose that, if it really has the potential to look "bad" compared to White Gold / Platinum, I'll have to try and see something in person, but I'm not sure how easy that would be; it is a pretty niche market after all.

I do, however, think that the ring shown on the Web site:
http://www.titanium-rings.com/t-ex2.html

Looks great. I got some "help" with the decision too from one of her sisters, and she really liked this one too. Do you think that the color of the Titanium came across well or not at all in this picture?

Thanks again!

 

[derekinla]

I just purchased a Titanium wedding band from Boonerings.com and it exceeded my expecations:.Check out some pics from the following thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/boone-titanium-ring.10000/

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Wow derekinla, your ring looks *really* nice. I had actually read through that thread earlier (I usually spend an hour reading through all the previous threads before I post mine). Congrats!

I think I'll personally really enjoy getting a Titanium wedding band for myself, and I'm really thinking that Titanium will be a go for the wife-to-be's ring. It doesn't look at all dull or bad in any way in any of the pictures that I've seen, or the ones that you provided.

Were you at all nervous about the whole sizing issue?

I'll likely be getting a tension set for the wife-to-be, so I'm sure that has some extra sizing concerns.

 

[derekinla]

----------------
On 11/3/2003 11:14:49 PM TooMuchInformation wrote:

Wow derekinla, your ring looks *really* nice. I had actually read through that thread earlier (I usually spend an hour reading through all the previous threads before I post mine). Congrats!

I think I'll personally really enjoy getting a Titanium wedding band for myself, and I'm really thinking that Titanium will be a go for the wife-to-be's ring. It doesn't look at all dull or bad in any way in any of the pictures that I've seen, or the ones that you provided.

Were you at all nervous about the whole sizing issue?

I'll likely be getting a tension set for the wife-to-be, so I'm sure that has some extra sizing concerns.----------------

I was a little nervous at first but I was sure to try on some metal sizers at a local B&M before ordering so I was pretty confident after that. The ring I ordered is "comfort-fit" (slightly rounded inner aspect) so it really is very comfortable to wear. Next to my fiance's 950 platinum ring, the titanium metal does have a slightly darker grey hue in certain light as opposed to the white color of platinum but the shine is just as reflective and the finish should be more durable. It is definitely a cool looking ring. Boone also offers a lifetime of free refinishing so that's an added bonus over the lifetime of the ring. Good luck!

 

[pjblack]

I have a tension set, emerald cut diamond engagement ring. I absolutely love it. My ring is titanium with a platinum inlay. Yes the titanium is a darker metal than the platinum but the contrast is stunning. I think even in solid titanium the ring would look great but I guess that is my personal taste.

Resizing is still an issue, as by resizing you loose strength in the tension. I haven't spoken with anyone who was willing to resize, so I don't even think it is an option.

My ring does have weight to it but it probably has a lot to do with the platinium.

I feel the finish on the ring is what makes it so great. My ring has a high gloss finish so the titanium does have some sparkle. A brushed, satin, matte etc...finish on titanium I think would look dull and cheap. Again, my personal opinion.

Check out WWW.absolutetitanium.com for more ideas. Its where I got my ring and would highly reccommend the company.

Good Luck, PJ

 

[Giangi]

Personally, since tension settings are very particular (and I absolutely love them!

), I would go with a famous, reknown brand as Gelin and Abaci, Steve Kretchemer or Niesseng... They are recognised all over the world and offer guarantees about their product. If I were to buy a tension ring, this is what I would look for. We have heard too many stories about people with crappy tension rings that lost the stone after a few days. I'm sure that all the manufacturers mentioned in this thread do an excellent work, but I do think you should go with white gold or even better platinum. Titanium looks great on guys because of its dark grey, but on a gal I think a platinum ring would look better. Much more delicate but at the same time heavier.

 

[boonerings]

Titanium is a good material for a tension set because it is naturally springy. They are able to keep a constant tension on the stone without the bulk needed with gold or platinum, which is a much weaker metal. A tension set in general works better for a round stone than a princess cut because the corners of the princess cut are relatively fragile compared to the rest of the stone. It is important in the design of them not to stress the corners. I have done close to a thousand tension sets, and haven't damaged any diamonds, but softer stones such as CZ will crack at the corners on occasion, so this is an indication that any stone will see more stress in that area. It can be accounted for, and is done nicely as in the ring you are referring to.

Although it's pretty tough to do, titanium can be polished out to a perfect mirror finish. It is a bit darker than platinum, somewhat like chromium or nickel. The titanium is harder, so although it still can scratch from minerals or harder metals, it holds up better than gold or platinum which can also dent and ding.

Resizing a titanium tension set will be the same as for any tension set. Some material can be ground out of the internal diameter to increase size around a quarter size, or the grooves and sidewalls that hold the stone could be machined deeper to go down slightly in size. There's no stretching to it for any of them. It's certainly important to get sized with good quality metal sizing rings. Using paper or string methods can be up to 3 ring sizes off.

As for the weight, titanium is about one fifth the weight of platinum. The first thing you will notice about a titanium ring is how light it feels. Platinum is actually about twice the weight of lead, so titanium doesn't have that same heft. Once you get used to titanium, other metals just seem to be too heavy!

 

[TooMuchInformation]

pjblack,

www.absolutetitanium.com isn't working for me at the moment, but thanks for your comments. I take it you're female?

The ring that I'm looking at (URl above) is for my wife-to-be. As far as a wedding band for me personally, I'd love to go with titanium. I love the symbolism of the strength of titanium and the strength of my bond with my wife-to-be.

Giangi,

yeah, I've seen lots of your posts suggesting that you're also a big fan of tension sets.

I don't know how you couldn't be, they do look awesome. I have an inquiry into the smith as to their ability to do the same design in white gold or platinum, but I have my doubts. I also love the idea of Titanium (and the cost), but I do have concerns about the look.

boonerings,

it's nice to see another vendor on this list! Now that you're here, I'd like to ask YOU some questions. I must say, I've been looking at the following band of yours for a while:

http://www.boonerings.com/htmpages/princess.htm

However, the picture is less than flattering.

(sorry!) It looks very similar to the other one that I'm interested in, but I have yet to hear any feedback on this forum regarding this vendor:

http://www.titanium-rings.com/t-ex2.html

In all honesty, though, I like the sculpted and sharp looks of the second one. Would you be able to produce something similar?

Also, what's the deal with the diamond? If I send your my diamond, do I have a guarentee that it won't break during setting, or if it does, that I'll be covered for the cost of the diamond?

If you have any other pictures of that ring setting, I'd LOVE to see them.

 

[boonerings]

Too Much Info, as you can probably see on my site, I've gotten a new camera system with a photographic dome. I take my own pics, and the older ones can't hold a candle to the newer ones. I can guarantee that rings do look a lot better than the old pics allow! I try to take new pictures whenever I can (in my SPARE time

) See the Squared Back to get a better idea of what the rings actually look like. I can alter any of the tension sets with respect to the ring profile. Squared corners, a curved or flat profile, stone sitting higher or lower, etc. All that stuff can be dialed in. Each is designed individually for the particular stone, so it's not a cookie cutter automated type process. I do assume responsibility of the stone while it is in my possesion.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

boonerings,

I'd e-mail you, but trust me when I say that I can't e-mail anything to anyone at AOL because of their incoming e-mail filters.

J.

 

[pjblack]

Toomuchinformation...

Well now I feel like an idiot. I think I gave you the wrong website...Now that I've looked at your URL its from the same place I got my ring. I think you and your Fiancee to be will be very happy with that ring.

After ordering my ring I had nightmares until it arrived. I kept visioning this black dark ring on my finger. Well titanium really isn't as dark in person. I found a lot of jewelers carried some sort of titanium band in thier showcase. Im sure someone must have one in your area.

My original plan was to go with a Gelin and Abaci setting but thier price is outrageous. Also I preferred the styles that absolute titanium carried. For the price of one Gelin and Abaci setting I can get 3 from Absolute titanium.

I also was very nervous about my diamond falling out of a tension set ring. Now that I have it, I no longer worry. Its snug. No shifting or movement noted. Of course I never want anything to happen to my ring but its insured just in case. Plus , people loose diamonds from prong setting as well.

Some say a tension set ring is safer than a prong set ring. I don't know. All I know is I love my ring.

BTW..as for the weight of the ring... My ring weights 5.3 grams..thats with a 1.01 ct diamond, titanium with platinum inlay setting. Its light but know its there.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

pjblack,

Thanks again for your response. It makes me feel MUCH more confortable when I read through posts from other people who have gone through the same things!

I must say that the earlier comments about Titanium being much darker than Platinum do scare me, however, looking at the pictures on the Absolute Titanium Design site, the ring just looks amazing!

I have seen some of the other tension settings, and they are *really* expesnive. I love the idea of titanium for several reasons, including it's uniquness, and it's strength. Oh, as you said, the cost makes me happy, too.

So, I have a few more qestions and requests for you...

1) Was your band actuall purchased from titanium-rings.com? Let me know if you can find this out!
2) Can you send me some pictures of your ring beside a platinum one? I'd love to see the difference between the two.
3) Did the person who sold you the setting give you a warranty/agreement that he would be liable if he chipped or otherwise damaged the diamond?

Ultimately, it sounds like you're very happy with your purchase, so I'm really excited to get moving on this! I'll probably try to see if any local jewelers can show me an example of Ti, but for some reason, I don't think that I'll have much luck!

Thanks again!

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Oh, pjblack, one more question for you...

Where did you get your stone from? Did you purchase it from a different jeweler than the one that set it for you, and were there any problems with that? My original email to this place requested the demensions of my stone so that they'd be able to verify if they could set it or not.

 

[pjblack]

Here is the URL of the ring I purchased. Yes I did purchase it form Titanium-rings.com

http://www.titanium-rings.com/t-emex.html

I am not very good with the digital camera and all my photos of my ring have come out blurry. But from the URL above you can reaaly see the difference between the platinium and the titanium. But like I said, I think the titanium in the pics look much darker than in person.

I purchased my diamond online at www.diamondsonweb.com. I never see them mentioned here but I really appreciated their service and I love my diamond. When I spoke with titanium-rings.com they also asked me to fax a copy of the certificate to verify the stone would be appropriate for a tension setting.

Once I decided to buy this ring, I shipped my diamond via regesterd mail to their office in NY. I believe it was NY. From there I was told it would be couriered to the jeweler who has her design shop in Montreal Quebec. I was told that once they take posession of the diamond, they would be fully responsible for it, EXCEPT during the setting process. Before deciding on the compnay, I has spoken with many local jewelers to design my ring and they all said that they do not take resopnsibility during the setting process if the diamond was not purchased from them. SO to me this just seem like the chance I'd have to take. Nothing happend to my diamond during the setting and now I'm one happy customer.

I sent my diamond to Titanium-rings.com in May, it took 17 weeks to get my ring back. Now they did ask me when I needed it by and I said no hurry. They said it was a busy time of year for them and they process orders as fast as they can but also had orders from people that had deadlines. I said I did not have a deadline, so that could be why it took so long. But just in case...give yourself lots of time.

Titanium-rings.com staff were always courtious and knowledgeable. I spoke with Mia mostly but was in contact with Maria the designer as well.

Mara, who posts a lot on this website, I believe is also having a ring designed by this company. I am not sure how far along in the process she is but so far she seems happy with this company as well.

Feel free to ask any other questions. Good Luck,
PJ

 

[pjblack]

 

[valeria101]

------------
I must say that the earlier comments about Titanium being much darker than Platinum do scare me----------------

That darker color depends alot on the surface finish: a mate finish will bring it about, while that 'mirror' polish would not. The (lack of) weight of titanium rings is quite surprising, and, in my view, adds a playful touch to them. I could not appreciate it more for often worn rings and earings! Otherwise, it should be farely easy to find some kind of titanium jewelry and see for yourself.

Oh, and the difference of color compared to platinum is easy to see in picture: in the inlays. I assume you will find pics with different surface finish. Otherwise, I do not believe Titanium is an alternative to Platinum, just a totally different jewelry material, with it's own personality. I would not say it makes a great platinum substitute, but for tension setting it does have great technical advantages. Platinum and titanium get to look alike when platinum is worn and gets its patina.

Good luck!

 

[boonerings]

Here is a picture of the two metals together. The platinum inlay shows up pretty well against the titanium here in the picture, but the background is all white. There would normally be darker things reflecting in the surface, so the two metals appear a little closer under normal lighting conditions.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

boonerings,

Woah, thanks VERY much for that picture, it helps.

I didn't notice your response until just now (by accident). Thanks again for the picture.