Are Tungsten Rings Safe? We Set the Record Straight

Featured: The Admiral

Tungsten rings are indeed safe to wear. Just like lima beans, tungsten isn’t intended for use in its raw state. We don’t recommend attempting to wear lima beans as wedding rings, either, but that’s just us. However, after it has been processed, jewelry-grade tungsten is perfectly safe for that finger. It has to be because it is designed for the long haul. A hard metal, tungsten is 10 times stronger than gold, so even if your lifestyle lends itself to a permanently cracked smartphone screen, the symbolic circle will remain unbroken.

Tungsten carbide is an increasingly popular metal for men’s wedding bands because of its durability. Tungsten comes in at 9 on the Mohs scale, which goes up to 10 (diamond). That means that it is scratch-resistant even if it rubs up against the tip of a masonry drill bit. You can’t get that with most other metals. 

In fact, on account of their density and strength, tungsten rings can serve as a protective band for your finger because they aren’t likely to be bent into your flesh. And if you had an emergency situation and took your ring to a place that had the equipment to shatter it, the fragments wouldn’t be toxic — something that couldn’t be said of a smartphone battery. 

Tungsten’s hardness and protective qualities aren’t limited to unbendable rings. Because it is stronger than stainless steel, it comes in handy for medical equipment. In surgery, the hardiness of the material isn’t just symbolic but lifesaving, which is why forceps often have tungsten carbide inserts in the tips.

There are a couple of things to note about tungsten carbide rings, though. Because they’re so incredibly strong, it makes them nearly impossible to resize. As long as you know your ring size (and you double-check our ring size chart), you should be fine though. While you might be able to get half a size’s worth of resizing out of them (maybe), it’s really tough to resize tungsten without breaking. That’s easily one of the biggest cons of tungsten rings (although downsides of this incredible metal are hard to come by). Still, if you measure twice and buy once, you’re good to go.

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In tungsten jewelry, that inner strength translates to an outer beauty. Tungsten rings for men are often the shiniest option because the shine literally doesn’t wear off the scratch-resistant surface. That doesn’t mean that you are absolved of cleaning your ring. If potentially harmful gunk gets stuck between the tungsten band and the skin of your finger, cleaning your hands and ring is imperative. Your tungsten ring might not be self-cleaning, but when it comes to sturdy polish and preventative maintenance, tungsten does a lot of the heavy lifting. Plus, tungsten doesn’t tarnish. It’s capable of withstanding some incredibly intense temperatures just fine, so your day-to-day activities are going to be a breeze for your tungsten wedding ring. Yes, even if you live in Phoenix or somewhere equally sweltering. Also, do you really need to live in Phoenix? Probably not, but that’s a separate issue.

On top of that, tungsten is one of the most affordable metals out there. There’s more of it, and it’s simply less likely to break. And, of course, we also back our rings with a lifetime guarantee and no-hassle exchange policy. Affordable, nearly unbreakable and effortlessly stylish — what’s not to love about tungsten carbide? It’s a nine on the Mohs scale and offers you a sleek, modern look on top of it.

So why haven’t tungsten rings been more popular throughout the ages? The world’s strongest natural metal was only properly identified within the last three hundred years and, for half that time, the technology simply wasn’t there to properly render it. Even if they had the raw material, those wig-wearing jewelers wouldn’t have been able to infuse carbide powders into tungsten at 2800 degrees any more than they could convert raw petroleum into a tennis racket. Luckily, we left the wigs behind and tungsten carbide rings are here (and they come with a lifetime warranty)! 

Tungsten carbide has only been around since a German light bulb company patented the process in the 1920s. Without that carbon, the material was too brittle to viably shape. However, now, it’s rising in popularity quite quickly. While it’s only been available for roughly a century, tungsten wedding rings are making up for lost time at lightning speed.

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Now that we have the technology and the equipment, we aren’t limited to wooden handles or plain gold rings. Though, now that you mention it, if you want the color of rose gold or texture of a wooden inlay, our hypoallergenic tungsten carbide catalog supports those options as well. Almost everyone should be able to rock a tungsten wedding band without any irritation on the part of the wearer. We’ve even got tungsten rings that incorporate elk antler and abalone shell if you’d like a bit of ocean depths or far-flung frontier — all in the full range of sizes and guaranteed to rep a man’s married status equally well at the construction site or a fancy brunch. If you need a ring as versatile as the multi-faceted life you live, it’s hard to recommend any metal more highly than tungsten. Give it a shot and we’re sure you’ll fall in love!