An Intimate Request
As most of you know, Prag and I are in the market for wedding rings. I figured I would outsource the project a bit. What is your favorite wedding ring style? Vendor? Metal? Why? Any opinions at all? Let us have 'em!
*we may not give any weight to your opinion at all, but hell, we will read them!
*we may not give any weight to your opinion at all, but hell, we will read them!
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My two cents, Irish pattern silver looks beautiful I can't find any pictures just yet but the winding/braided nature of Irish silver work is simply great.
lol @ posting this in "Hardware"
Tungsten carbide, also called cemented carbide, has become a popular material in the bridal jewelry industry due to its extreme hardness and high resistance to scratching. While the material’s hardness contributes to its scratch resistance, this trait translates into low ductility (a type of plasticity) which results in a material that is brittle. This can be improved using a cobalt or nickel binder. Using nickel as the binder also makes the ceramic extremely resistant to corrosion from acids or sea water.
Other structural factors influence durability. When fashioned into a wedding band, any grooves, plastic, metal inlays, diamonds, precious or non-precious gemstones set within Tungsten Carbide create additional voids beyond what is already a non-solid material. These voids, or lack of material, translate into a lack of support under compression or pressure. When Tungsten Carbide is dropped or repeatedly tapped on a hard surface (like a table top or stair railing), a tungsten carbide wedding ring may fracture, chip or break. This is due to fatigue, the combination of low ductility and lack of material support within any given void.
Design variations can make a tungsten carbide wedding band even more prone to fracture. Holes formed to hold gemstones leave a maximum of only two points of support, while both “grooved" and “channeled” designs, which are popular within the jewelry industry, further weaken the structural integrity of the ring. When coupled with low ductility, all three design motifs magnify the rings ability to break. Tungsten Carbide is not a solid metal – it is a ceramic. "Cemented carbide" is formed by sintering fine powders (powder metallurgy) of tungsten ( or sometimes tungsten oxide) and graphite which will form the carbide along with powdered nickel (and / or cobalt) based alloys as bonding agent, creating a metal matrix composite through high pressure. It is the gaps between bonding agent and aggregate that creates the brittleness that leads to structural failure. A SEM micrograph of cobalt and of tungsten carbide reveals the crystal-lattice differences.
(Not a vote one way or another, and apologies for the sidetrack - was just interested in learnin'.)
Unless you're going to put it in a press, it's unlikely that it'll shatter.
Yellow Gold, while valuable, is, in my opinion, the ugliest metal on Earth.
Charity's: http://www.bluenile.com/wedding-ring-white-gold_20377
Mine: http://www.bluenile.com/tungsten-carbide-wedding-ring_20337
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70032357/wood-wedding-bands-walnut-bent-wood-ring?ref=sr_gallery_6&sref=&ga_search_query=wooden+wedding+ring+set&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=00E-0009-000E7
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89241096/mens-comfort-fit-gold-wedding-band-5mm?ref=sr_gallery_2&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=hammered+gold+wedding+bands&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79795424/wavy-hammered-wide-wedding-band-ring-in?ref=sr_gallery_4&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=hammered+gold+wedding+bands&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=3&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
Its a bit hard to see but we got CB a cool square ring with an infinity on each side. My wedding band is just a boring plain band that meshes up with my engagement ring. I would have to root through my ancient emails to find where we bought it, but we bought it online for not very much.