Tungsten, symbol (W) on the periodic table, is a very hard and dense metal mined from Wolframite ore. It has a melting point of 3422 degrees Celsius the highest melting point of all metals. It is a steely grey to white in colour. Tungsten in its pure form can be vulnerable to scratches and damage just like any other metal, such as titanium and steel. It is only when it is combined with a carbon alloy, making it into tungsten carbide (WC) that it becomes so extremely hard. In fact Tungsten Carbide has a hardness between 8.5 and 9.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and is four times harder than titanium and twice as hard as steel making it is virtually impossible to scratch.
Tungsten Carbide has been used for many decades in industrial applications such as cutting tools and mining machinery, it has recently grown in popularity as a jewellery metal, because of the properties of Tungsten Carbide it is perfect for this especially in Mens rings producing jewellery which is aesthetically pleasing and extremely hard wearing.
Our Tungsten Carbide Jewellery;
- Will never loose its polish or tarnish.
- Can only be damaged through extreme measures, such as abrasion from diamonds being struck with a hammer or knocking and dropping on a hard surface.
- Is hypo-allergenic meaning it will not react with your skin.
- Does not use Cobalt as a binder (see below).
All of our tungsten carbide jewellery uses nickel as the binder instead of being made from pure tungsten or with cobalt binder. Nickel binder alloys are far superior to cobalt. This makes our jewellery far superior to many others available elsewhere for the following reasons:
- Tungsten Carbide with Nickel binder is hypo allergenic, chemically inert and therefore will not oxidize, cause rashes, or irritate the skin.
- We do not use cobalt as it can have an adverse reaction with the wearer’s skin, sometimes causing a rash.
- Cobalt bonds with oils in the skin and leeches out of the ring resulting in oxidation. The oxidation looks similar to tarnished sliver, but cannot be removed by polishing or grinding it can even cause discolouration of the skin. Nickel, however does not bond with oil and therefore does not oxidize and cause staining.
All of are jewellery meets the required standards as stated in the EU nickel directive.
For more information on the EU nickel directive please visit
http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file23045.pdf
