Weddingbee Blog

Titanium from Zales

“something hard so it doesn’t get lots of scratches”

“nothing frilly or with too much decoration”

“nothing with diamonds”

“something really light so I won’t feel it on”

These were the requirements of Mr. Pashmina as we went on our search to find the perfect men’s ring. Just to give you a little insight into the type of guy my husband is: he has “going out” sweats, “at home” sweats, and “exercise” sweats. Did you think there was just one kind? Oh, no!

When he does dress up he will wear a button down flannel shirt with broken in jeans. This is his dressy look. He does have to wear a shirt and tie to work but he hates how stuffy it feels. He often leaves his tie off until the very moment he arrives to work. Then, he will proceed to roll up his sleeves.

His type? The casual man.

So it is no wonder that he wanted an effortless ring. Something simple, light, and streamlined.

A few months before our wedding we hit the Route 4 section of New Jersey. known as Jewelry Row. After stating the above requirements to the jeweler, we were told that the rings we would be interested in looking at were titanium, tungsten, platinum, palladium, and stainless steel. All these rings are light and would hold up better from scratches than gold.

Tungsten from Zales

First we looked at Titanium.

The pros:

1. It is a common metal, so it is inexpensive
2. Lightweight
3. trong metal and so resistant to scratches
4. Hypoallergenic
5. Doesn’t tarnish in salt water

The cons:

1. It can’t be resized so if his finger changes over the years, he would need to get a new ring
2. Although it is a hard metal, it still may get dings and abrasions

Next, we browsed at Tungsten rings. We weren’t familiar with the metal so the jewelry explained a bit about it.

The pros:

1. Three times stronger than Titanium
2. It hardly will ever lose its shine
3. It can’t be resized
4. Not a precious metal

The cons:

1. It is heavier than Titanium
2. It can’t be engraved
3. It can tarnish in salt water

Note: There is something called Black Tungsten which is a black metal, which will appeal to some guys.

Platinum from Zales

Then we turned to Platinum. Many of these included diamonds or decorations but there were a few that were a bit more basic bands.

The pros:

1. It is more durable than gold
2. It has a true white/silver color
3. It is hypoallergenic
4. It is a precious metal
5. It can be engraved

The cons:

1. It is expensive
2. It scratches decently easily

Stainless Steel from Zales

Then we looked at stainless steel rings. Many of these were less formal looking, with fun details.

The pros:

1. Inexpensive
2. Tarnish-free and easy to clean
3. True silver color
4. Strong metal

The cons:

1. Can contain nickel so can irritate skin
2. Not a precious metal

Palladium

The pros:

1. In the platinum family of metals so it has similar properties
2. Lighter in weight than platinum
3. Precious metal
4. Hypoallergenic
5. A little cheaper than platinum
6. A little more durable than platinum

Palladium from Blue Nile

The cons:

1. Expensive
2. Not as many rings are made from it, so there are less style options

Note: It often is a lighter white silver shade than platinum.

Immediately, the hubby gravitated toward titanium. His reasoning was that “If it is good enough for the space shuttle, then it is good enough for me!”

Mr. Pashmina wanted a plain band—one that was very simple and traditional looking. But after looking at the Titanium selection, it wasn’t that easy. He didn’t want too much detailing, but there were a lot rings that had just a little bit…which he liked. The questions then turned to choosing between a rounded or squared edge. And what about finish? Matte? Brushed? Satin? Polished? Or even striped by combining two metals together or cutting a ribbon into the band? How thick do you want the ring to be? Skinny, wide or somewhere in between?

Our jeweler was very helpful. After listening to how Mr. Pashmina described his perfect ring, the jeweler brought out his ordering book and flipped to exactly what he just detailed.

So what band did he end up with? Wait for the next post to see!

What type of metal do you like most? Does your man want a simple band or one with more decorations?