Heavy Metals: Weighty Men’s Rings

by Roel Wijnants

Despite the current prevalence of lightweight contemporary materials like titanium and ceramic on the men’s rings market, many men still find that they prefer a certain weightiness in their wedding and fashion bands. For some, a heavier ring implies durability, while for others, a more weighty ring exudes a strong and masculine presence.

When looking at heavy metal men’s rings, what we’re truly looking at is metal density. What are some of the best and most exciting heavy metals being used in today’s men’s rings as primary and alloyed materials? Some of them you will likely already know, while others may surprise you.

Platinum

Widely considered to be the king of all men’s ring metals, platinum was in fact at one time declared to be the only metal fit for a king by Louis XV of France. One of our planet’s rarest metals, platinum has a lustrous silvery white appearance and is naturally very dense. However, unlike some other dense metals, platinum is very malleable and relatively easy to cast, which is likely a significant contributing factor for its popular use in men’s rings.

Platinum is not wholly immune to scratching, although its high density causes a unique reaction to daily wear. Rather than losing volume with small surface scratches, platinum has no volume loss whatsoever, and any scratched material is simply displaced elsewhere on the ring. This leads to a pleasant surface patina that most wearers come to appreciate.

Tungsten

Tungsten, or tungsten carbide (as is more accurately the case with men’s rings) is a ceramic compound made from equal parts of the rare metal tungsten and carbon atoms.

Tungsten carbide has become a popular alternative material for men’s rings and jewelry due to its affordable price tag and incredible toughness. Tungsten carbide registers between and 8.5 and 9 on the Mohs hardness scale – a diamond is the only naturally harder material.

Tungsten carbide men’s rings have a pleasantly substantial weight that primary alternative material competitor titanium does not have. This key difference often functions as a tiebreaker for those making up their minds between materials. Tungsten men’s rings are frequently seen in three primary color variations: a signature gunmetal grey, black and a white that resembles platinum. However, the weight of tungsten doesn’t change dramatically from color to color.

Tungsten men’s rings are incredibly strong and scratch-resistant, though due to tungsten carbide’s inherent brittleness they are not entirely crack-resistant, particularly if dropped on a very hard surface.

Rhodium
Most commonly known for its use in re-plating (or “rhodium flashing”) white gold, rhodium is a white noble metal that is a member of the platinum group. One of the rarest and most expensive precious metals, rhodium is most often used in the production of automobile catalytic converters, although it can also be used to coat sterling silver men’s rings to aid in tarnish-resistance.

Offering a natural darker grey hue, rhodium is very hard and dense. Rhodium has a high melting point and is not very malleable, which can make it difficult to cast for men’s rings. Nonetheless, because of its rarity rhodium does hold a certain appeal to the discerning jewelry lover who wants something unique and uncommon men’s wedding bands.

Ruthenium

Another member of the platinum group, ruthenium is a rare white transition metal that was discovered in 1844 and is most used for wear-resistant electrical contacts. In jewelry, ruthenium is frequently used as a corrosion-resistant alloy (especially for platinum men’s rings), and is also used to increase the stability of gold jewelry. Ruthenium is very tarnish-resistant, and only begins to oxidize at incredibly high temperatures of 800° C or more. Because of its substantial nature, ruthenium can be used in small amounts to increase the hardness of palladium or platinum.

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