I’m having a tough time deciding on a ring for my husband-to-be. What is the difference between tungsten carbide, palladium, and sterling silver? We want something VERY durable and scratch-resistant that will match my white-gold set. Also, what are the differences in prices?
My husband and I bought tungsten rings at http://www.tungstenworld.com/ because they are the best quality compared to the price. They are scratch resistant, extremely durable and match my Tiffany Lucida white gold engagement ring perfectly.
The price of palladium was between gold and platinum so it’s quite expensive and is not as durable. I would not use Silver because if you are a swimmer ever had a their heart within a heart necklace from Tiffany’s you will notice it tarnishes easily. Our tungsten wedding bands haven’t tarnished at all from our swimming. Silver is not worth the price.
Sterling silver isn’t very durable, so you probably wouldn’t want to go with that. Tungsten is durable, but it’s also brittle because it’s so hard. I’ve also heard it’s quite difficult to take off in case of an emergency and can’t be re-sized if his finger outgrows the ring. I haven’t heard too much about palladium, but you might might want to go with platinum if durability is a major concern. Platinum is quite durable and doesn’t lose any metal from scratches…the metal is just displaced and can be restored through polishing. So if he’s active, he won’t have to worry about wearing the ring down or scratching it up, since you can just polish the ring to get it looking like new again.