When it comes to engagement and wedding rings, there’s a ton of buzz around the rock, but what about the wedding ring metal? If your day-to-day activities might put significant strain on your ring, metal durability and hardness should be high on your priority list.
Not sure what wedding ring metal to go with? Start with the seven metals below, keeping in mind that achieving maximum durability or hardness often comes with sacrifices in other areas, like the ability to customize or re-size or a loss of luster over time. Consider all your needs when zeroing in on the perfect metal for your wedding band.
As you're evaluating each metal, keep in mind that strong can mean durable (resistant to chipping and breaking) or hard (scratch-resistant). Make sure you understand both the durability and hardness before you choose the best wedding band for you.
Tungsten
Tungsten is four times harder than titanium and the most scratch-resistant metal you’ll find
Ceramic
Ceramic is a close second to tungsten for hardness. It’s made out of titanium carbide, which is a hard material that is still super light. It’s exceptionally scratch-resistant and is available in multiple colors. Ceramic is newer to the jewelry industry, so styles may be a bit more limited compared to other metals. (It can also be somewhat brittle, like tungsten, so it also cannot be resized.)
Titanium
Titanium lives up to its reputation for being strong, while also lightweight and comfortable. Titanium does not tarnish, and although it may show signs of wear over time, it can be polished to look good as new. As if it couldn’t get any better, it’s also affordable. The only downside is the difficulty, if not impossibility, of resizing a titanium ring.
Platinum
Platinum, the priciest choice here, is known for symbolizing pure, everlasting love. It’s strong, yet workable for resizing. It's a durable metal, but not scratch-resistant. It never tarnishes, but over time it will naturally develop a “patina” which is a thin layer of
Palladium
Palladium is a naturally white metal that doesn’t tarnish. It’s very similar to platinum in the way that it looks and its strength, but is more affordable. It’s less dense than platinum and also less rare. Palladium shows scratches and is difficult to resize, usually needing to be done by the manufacturer.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is a strong, durable newcomer to the jewelry industry. If you want a strong ring but don’t want to break the bank, stainless steel is a great choice. It will eventually show signs of wear, but can be polished. In terms of resizing, some jewelers may not be able to resize stainless steel because they do not have the correct equipment to alter the metal. While stainless steel is tough to resize, larger facilities and manufacturers should be able to resize the band.
Cobalt
Cobalt is becoming increasingly popular for wedding bands. It’s very similar in color to white gold, but much stronger, and at a great price. These bands have fairly high scratch resistance, and all-in-all
Note: Some of these metals are so strong, they're only available for men's rings because manipulating them for settings and other design features, or resizing, is difficult.
There are a lot of options when it comes to finding the strongest metal for wedding bands. It may seem overwhelming at first, so don't hesitate to ask jewelers for help. Head to your jeweler, try on rings, ask questions, and see which strong ring you like best.
Once you find the best wedding band for you, make sure it's insured! Check your rate by using the button below.
