Isn't tungsten supposed to be durable!?

My wedding ring is toast...5 years of abuse and it gave way yesterday. Still not exactly sure how the heck I did this!

 

I don't know how to quantify durability perse, but I use tungsten for Tig welding and if you hit it it'll shatter. It's pretty brittle compared to steel or aluminum for instance.

 

were you wearing it when it happened?

 

Depends on the quality too. I have 1 tungsten ring that I've abused and barely shows any damage and a cheap one that feels much heavier even though same style that has easily been damaged and I've stopped wearing.

Contact the company that makes the ring.

 

I guess I don't either but it being labeled as durable, scratch resistant, long lasting was one of the main selling points for me haha

Yeah I was, I rarely take it off so I'm not sure what happened to be honest.

 

I was just thinking the same thing. It is super dense, chemically inert (for the most part), very hard, and highly conductive. But it is very brittle.

 

Like Snivilous mentioned, Tungsten is very brittle (and extremely hard). I can take a Tungsten electrode and easily snap it in two with my fingers.

My wedding band is Platinum and has taken some pretty good licks over the years. A few of them left some marks. They look more like 'smudges' where the material gets pushed around. Aside from cost, I'd certainly recommend it if gold isn't your thing but you want a metal band.

 

That’s what mine is too. 25 years later it’s still in pretty good shape.

 

I use the silicone ones. A few bucks for a pack of 4. I can lift weights without taking it off and tying to my shoe. I can work on whatever project suits my fancy without fear of ripping my finger off or destroying the ring. When the knuckles swell they still slide right off. I love em. Best purchase ever.

 

Link?

 

Bummer. It looks like the machining in it created a stress riser in the groove (and where the material is thinner) that fractured and propagated the entirety of the ring. As others have mentioned, tungsten is very dense and durable in many ways (super hard so barely scratches from anything), but it is also brittle. It is usually mixed with carbon and made in to tungsten carbide which is much easier to made in to rings and such. It also increases the hardness of the compound, but retains the sting but brittle characteristics.

I also chose tungsten carbide as my wedding band. The jeweler cautioned me that even though it is very durable, they see cracked or shattered rings from swinging baseball bats and dropping them on tile floors - both innocuous situations but they can shock the metal and cause a fracture. But I still chose it. I’m honesty more afraid of being degloved by it than breaking it, so it stays off when I’m working. I’ve lifted weights with it on the ring just laughed at the knurling on the bars.

 

Isn't tungsten supposed to be durable!?



It is... against wear; particularly the sliding type.

Not so much against mechanical deformation. Very low ductility.

 

It cracking although not desired is also a good quality for a ring. If your injured they can crack it to get it off your finger. If it was a more meleable metal it will bend, pinch and could cut your finger off. need a cutter to get off.

Jewelry stores up here wouldn't sell the titanium rings due to the hospitals and EMS not being able to cut it if needed.

I use groove rings, silicone and if I ruin one their warranty sends me a new one.

 

I don't know many people that would be harder on a wedding ring than me, except maybe a mason. But I don't know one at the moment.
Anyway, I went with a plain band cobalt ring.
$200 and it only has minor surface scuffing, but still looks good and shiny.
I simply take it off if I'm doing anything that could rip my finger off. But it's a plain, smooth band so it doesn't seem to catch on anything.
I probably should wear the silicone, but I'm old-school and don't like how they look.
If you're not doing rough physical labor with your hands all the time and not worried about losing a finger, take a peek at some of the cobalt options.

 

Having worked in an ER you don’t want hardened metal rings on your fingers.

 

I'd love to have a tungsten ring...but I can't. Wife bought me a titanium ring for our anniversary. I died laughing because originally, she wanted to have a Bible verse inscribed (1 Cor. 13:7-8 - you know, the 'love is patient, love is kind, etc....' verse.)

They forgot the 13, and they ACTUALLY put 1 Cor. 7:8, which says: "Now to the unmarried and the widows, I say it is good for them to stay unmarried, even as I do."

Showed her in church and before she remembered where she was, she cussed up a blue streak @ the jewelry shop.

Anyways...so we ordered a tungsten ring...at which point I found out I was seriously allergic to nickel. LOL So I'm wearing the same ring for now. I'll get it fixed @ some pont.

 

Basic white gold band here. 10yrs and no issues. Dad’s white gold band is going on 48yrs and no issues.

 

Maybe your ring is trying to tell you something. Plural marriage?

 

^^^lol

 

I have a ceramic ring that I really like, but it never sees daylight any more.

It's all about the silicon rings. They snap eventually. Just grab a new one.

 

Just go to Amazon and search "silicon ring"

Pick your preference.

Btw they are very over priced for what you get. But they are worth it.

 

Having also worked in an ER and cut many rings off, you definitely can't cut these off. You take two vice grips and literally break the ring.

 

I remember her saying "Well, son of a b*tch....that looks like crap!" and the pastor saying "I'll let that one slide"

 

there’s a bunch of manufacturers I guess. Here’s one.

https://ensorings.com/collections/silicone-rings/

they are also on Amazon.

 

Their warranty is shit. First one they charged $3 to ship out a new one, that’s not a bad deal. Second one broke and they wanted like $15 for a replacement one. I then bought 4 on Amazon for that price.

 

Good to know. I've only ruined one groove ring so far and it was replaced free. If they charge then not worth it and like you did just get a multi pack

 

My ring is black cobalt but I thought I had someone tell me it's probably some other metal (can't remember which one) that's coated with a thin layer of black cobalt. Which probably explains why five years in mine is mostly silver instead of black.

 

My wife likes the silicon rings and wears a different color every day. Most of our friends have been through losing a diamond by now. She still has her original ring in the pistol safe. She gets it out for special occasions.

I tend to do this with a lot of things. I have a daily driver to keep my Tundra nice. One day I'll just learn to enjoy things.