Tungsten is the best choice for men’s rings over other hard, precious metals, such as gold and platinum, because:

• It has great durability and is practically indestructible, which is perfect for today’s hard working man;
• It will withstand wear and tear, and is resistant to scratching and denting, alleviating any worries about harming your investment;
• The metal’s incredible surface strength means it will never need polishing and will continue to look new and shiny;
• It will never irritate your skin as it is naturally hypoallergenic;
• Our high quality Ring Cartel brand tungsten rings are made with a superior nickel-binder alloy and do not contain any cobalt (which can cause an allergic reaction to your skin and oxidation spots on the ring) like some of the other cheaper rings you may find;
• Since its availability is not limited like platinum, it is reasonably affordable to everyone; and
• Our ring designs are classy, bold, sophisticated, and timeless so whichever Ring Cartel brand ring you choose will last you a lifetime.

The name “tungsten” comes from the Swedish and Danish words tung, meaning “hard” or, more accurately, “heavy” and sten meaning “stone.” It is a very appropriate name as tungsten is one of nature’s strongest and hardest elements. In many languages it is known as “wolfram” since it is found in several ores including wolframite, which is the origin of its chemical symbol, W. Its atomic number is 74. Tungsten is remarkable for its robust physical properties, especially the fact that it has the highest melting point of all the non-alloyed metals and the second highest of all the elements after carbon.

The resistance to high temperatures, its great durability, as well as the extreme strength of its alloys, made the metal into a very important raw material for the weaponry industry. Tungsten has been used in cannon shells, grenades and missiles. It is also used as a non-toxic substitute for lead in bullets. There are many other applications for elemental tungsten including light bulb, cathode-ray tube, and vacuum tube filaments, as well as heating elements and nozzles on rocket engines. It is also suitable for aerospace and high temperature uses which include electrical, heating, and welding applications. Additionally, tungsten has been used in record player needles, musical instrument string wires, fishing lures, darts, knives, drills, saws, radiation shields, x-ray targets, glass-to-metal seals, and to create heavy metal alloys used in turbine blades, as well as yacht, racecar and aircraft parts.

More recently, tungsten is used for jewelry because of its longevity and extremely high durability. Its density, similar to that of gold, allows tungsten to be used in jewelry as an alternative to the other heavy metals, gold and platinum. Its hardness makes it ideal for rings that will resist scratching, are naturally hypoallergenic and will not need polishing, which is especially useful in designs with a brushed finish. Tungsten jewelry is silver colored and ranges in darkness from steel gray to tin-white.
Tungsten carbides (W2C and WC) are produced by heating powdered tungsten with carbon and are some of the hardest carbides. Tungsten carbide behaves in a manner very similar to that of unalloyed tungsten and is resistant to chemical attack.

Tungsten carbide rings are made by combining tungsten with carbon and other elements, grinding them into a powder, and then compressing the powder with high heat and pressure dies to form a ring blank. The blank is then fired in an oxygen-free furnace at an amazing 6,200 degrees Fahrenheit. This process, called sintering, creates the hardest metal alloy used in making jewelry. The ring is then cut and shaped using diamond tools with up to 40 total separate steps required for completion. The cutting and shaping of a tungsten ring is similar in many ways to the cutting and polishing of a rough diamond. The ring is then skillfully polished with diamond polishing tools and wheels creating a permanent luster and polish not possible with other metals.

A tungsten carbide ring will remain polished forever, and is virtually impossible to scratch. It is a unique metal that epitomizes today's technological advancement more than any other.