Tantalum vs Tungsten!

When it comes to jewellery for brides and grooms, gold, silver, platinum, and palladium aren’t the only top list. Nowadays, a variety of different Intellirings alternative materials are popular. Tantalum and tungsten, for example, are prized for their hardness and toughness. These are most commonly used in wedding bands for men.

Tantalum

• Tantalum is a strong but versatile metal, typically silvery grey colour often with a blue touch.
• A little darker than platinum but almost as tough, this stylish and polished metal has a modern and trendy appeal that’s cutting-edge, unique, and new.
• It can have various finishes, such as hammered, swirl, inlay, matte, and polished.
• It is mined as a mineral called columbite-tantalite, primarily in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Thailand, Nigeria, and Portugal. Tantalum must be isolated from niobium, which is normally accomplished by electrolysis.
• Tantalum has been used for various purposes due to its excellent properties, but it wasn’t until recently that it became prominent in the jewellery industry. Men like tantalum wedding bands because they are both robust and distinctive.

Tungsten

• Tungsten is now the most common material for men’s wedding bands.
• In this case, tungsten, or tungsten carbide, is a silvery-white metal that is second only to diamonds in terms of toughness.
• Tungsten is also available in black for a sleek, contemporary look. The metal is available in matte, rubbed, polished, pounded, and sandblasted finishes.
• Tungsten is primarily obtained from China, Bolivia, South Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom. It’s found naturally in minerals like scheelite and wolframite, and it’s extracted with carbon or hydrogen.
• The most popular and hardest tungsten compound is tungsten carbide, which is up to three times stronger than titanium.
• It’s commonly used to make drills, saw blades, bullets, and missiles due to its strength and heat resistance. Tungsten, like Tantalum, is used extensively in electronics.
• In the jewellery industry, tungsten is often combined with other metals, such as nickel. The most popular tungsten wedding rings on the market today are made of 85 per cent tungsten and 15 per cent nickel for optimal longevity and scratch resistance.

Difference Between Tungsten and Tantalum?

Tantalum and tungsten are both common choices for men’s wedding rings because of their toughness and durability. Although they appear to have similar properties, they vary in the following ways:

• Hardness

Even though both metals are among the world’s hardest, tungsten, or more precisely, tungsten carbide, is significantly harder than Tantalum. On the other hand, Tantalum is much more malleable and less likely to crack when placed under stress.

• Shine and Color

Both metals have a lovely grey shade coated to them. On the other hand, Tantalum has a darker grey with bluish overtones than tungsten, which has a grey that tips more toward whitish hues. Tungsten is also more lustrous, while Tantalum is more translucent and has a more natural metallic appearance. You can explore some latest designs of tungsten rings on Intellirings today.

• Safety

Tantalum and tungsten are both completely safe and risk-free in terms of toxicity. Tantalum, on the other hand, has a low toxicity rate, whereas tungsten has none. As a result, tungsten wedding rings will be an excellent option for someone who suffers from metal allergies, as you can rest assured that they will not occur with tungsten.

• Longevity

Tungsten is much more resistant to heat and scratches than Tantalum. It is, however, more brittle than its competitor and therefore not shatter-proof.

• The price

Tantalum is a highly-priced metal due to its difficulty finding and scarcity, which is reflected in the tantalum wedding ring price tags.

Summing-up

In the end, it’s difficult to say if Tantalum or tungsten rings is better. Both metals are beautiful, and they are equally appealing choices for your wedding ring material. Finally, your budget and personal style will determine which wedding ring is the best fit for you.