Tungsten jewellery

Use of tungsten in jewellery design industry began less than 10 years ago but it caused a real revolution. It is a mirror polished metal with a steel look. It is composed of metal alloy and tungsten carbide. It is very attractive for consumer because of its high gloss and modern „high tech“ look.  

Generally it is characterized by its extreme hardness. Tungsten jewellery are among the hardest jewellery. They are about 10 times harder than 18K gold. Tungsten has a high density compared to titanium and so it is a lot heavier than other jewellery. It is 4 times heavier than titanium and 90% heavier than surgical steel. Thanks to its density and hardness it is rather  resistant to damage and it may probably be scratched only with a diamond tip. Therefore it is less formable and does not bend even at strong shock, instead of this it will break into small pieces. That is why the tungsten jewellery need to be protected from strong shocks or falls.

If you protect them from fall or shocks, tungsten jewellery will last practically for a lifetime like new. Tungsten is highly resistant to scratches, oxidation or corrosion, even much more than any other jewellery made of other materials. They will guarantee long lasting beauty, brilliant shine and colour invariability. Thanks to its lifelong durability the tungsten jewellery are very popular, especially as wedding and engagement rings.

Tungsten is also hypoallergenic so it is a good choice for people with sensitive skin. These days many people are allergic to different metals as gold, silver, platinum, zinc or nickel. However some tungsten alloys may contain cobalt, which is the allergen for a small group of people, but compared to other metals there is a small probability of allergy.

Technology of tungsten jewellery production is very demanding. Tungsten jewellery is made at high temperature which can only be achieved in a vacuum or in hydrogen atmosphere and the only tools that can be used are diamond tools. Therefore their price is higher than price of other steel jewellery. Their only disadvantage is the engraving which can only be done with a diamond tool. The whole process of engraving is very difficult and the result is poorly visible. The most significant tungsten reserves are in Bolivia, China, South Korea, Russia, Colorado, California and Portugal. Smaller reserves can be found in Austria, France and Great Britain.

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