Tungsten (Swedish, Danish and Norwegian tung sten meaning "heavy stone", even though the current name for the element in all three languages is Wolfram (spelled in Swedish as volfram). Tungsten (Wolfram) is a chemical element that has the symbol W (L. wolframium) and atomic number 74. A very hard, heavy, steel-gray to white transition metal.

Jewelry has always been associated with beauty, making women the natural focal point for designs. However, jewelers have discovered that Titanium and Tungsten metals are especially suited for creating jewelry for men, it exemplifies their essence of strength and power. This quality is underscored by their use in industrial, military equipment and aerospace applications. The metals strength is accented by its ability to be polished to a high luster that never fades or scratches, a quality that platinum or gold cannot match.

Perhaps it is the fact that Titanium and Tungsten metals has been used to reach the stars that lends itself to the sense of adventure which underlies the designs in the jewelry. Both Titanium and Tungsten speak to the future, Titanium is the metal of choice in so many of the products that we use today, that its use in the jewelry was eagerly anticipated and its arrival warmly welcomed in the marketplace.

One feature that make Titanium and Tungsten jewelry such a popular choice for men is the freedom it allows them to express their personality. Because of its incredible durability and light weight, men do not have to be concerned about damage that accompanies jewelry made from other metals. And men do not have to sacrifice their sense of fashion style - Titanium and Tungsten jewelry are crafted into a wide range of designs; from lean classic metal bands to settings with diamonds, sapphires or other gemstones.

Jewelers turned their attention to the mens' market as they began to demand equal time. Now the mens' Titanium and Tungsten jewelry market is exploding, supported by celebrity exposure and fashion trends that accentuate jewelry as a prominent way to express their individual style and prowess. Add to these facts the increasing demand for diamonds and the affordability of Titanium of Tungsten make an unbeatable combination. In the past year, sales to men accounted for a 20 percent increase in jewelry profits, prompting an increasing number of fine jewelry manufacturers to introduce or expand their mens' lines to include Titanium and Tungsten jewelry.

Titanium and Tungsten jewelry has also made its presence known in styles that include a mans significant other. There are incredibly beautiful designs for engagement and wedding rings tailored to enhance the beauty of the love that it represents. Men who choose a Titanium diamond engagement ring for their bride, can take pride in their decision - it demonstrates their fashion sense and their financial savvy.

Men who prefer body jewelry will find that Titanium is an excellent choice for several reasons. Titanium is an elemental, the most bio-compatible of all metals, and has a total resistance to attack by body fluids. Titanium is also corrosion-resistant and the alloy of Titanium that is used for body jewelry is usually the 136 grade, which is Titanium combined with 60 parts of aluminum and 40 parts of vanadium. Whatever your style, Titanium and Tungsten is a great choice for your jewelry.

Many jewelers offer pure Tungsten jewelry which lack the hardness of Tungsten carbide and can scratch quite easily. Some offer Tungsten jewelry made with cobalt binder because it is cheaper to produce than nickel-binder carbide. We caution you against buying from a jeweler that doesn't specify that their Tungsten product are made with the nickel binder alloy. Many stores don't list which alloy they are selling because they don't know which alloy they are selling. If they don't know, it is most likely cobalt alloy or pure Tungsten which are cheaper and inferior to the nickel binder Tungsten carbide jewelry.

Both Titanium and Tungsten are considered “model metals" in the jewelry industry because they were not available to the consumer market as commodities until ten years ago. They have gained tremendous popularity since the introduction and become an integral part of the jewelry material spectrum.

Due to the rather little exposure, many questions arise concerning Titanium and Tungsten when it comes to choosing jewelry. The followings are some points of consideration if you are seriously thinking about buying a Titanium or Tungsten jewelry.

Titanium and Tungsten are both known for the superior hardness over traditional metals such as gold, silver and platinum. One thing worth noting is that it is not the metals themselves in a pure form that possess the hardness, it is their alloys that do. Roughly speaking, the hardest form of Tungsten carbide is harder than Titanium alloys, and only under extreme circumstances, such as abrasion from diamonds, can it be damaged.

Titanium is more ductile than Tungsten in the common alloys used in jewelry. In other words, when a wedding ring is under high pressure, such as hit by a car door, a Titanium ring would be bend out-of-round whereas a Tungsten carbide ring would fracture into several pieces. Hence, in terms of safety, a Tungsten carbide ring is “safer" to wear.

This is the very same concern as buying silver jewelry to some people: Will I be allergic to the jewelry? In general, Titanium jewelry is virtually safe to wear for everybody. Yet, some Tungsten carbide jewelry contains the element cobalt that some people are allergic to. Interesting, another form of Tungsten alloy using nickel as a binder metal is hypoallergenic, even to people who are allergic to nickel.

Titanium is lighter than Tungsten, or more precisely, has a lower density. Titanium alloys are about 43% lighter than stainless steel and Tungsten carbide is about 90% heavier than stainless steel.

Titanium reacts with different chemicals and produces alloys of different colors. Jewelry makers use anodization to coat colored patterns on Titanium rings. Black Titanium is another form of Titanium alloy that has a different color than the commonly used grey color. On the other hand, Tungsten carbide is usually offered on in black color only.

Titanium jewelry is in general cheaper than Tungsten jewelry primarily due to the difference in equipment and environment control need to produce them. The temperature for forming a Tungsten carbide is about 6000 Fahrenheit, which has to be in either a vacuum or hydrogen environment.