About Tungsten Rings

About Tungsten Rings
Tungsten rings are composed of a metal alloy, tungsten carbide. The alloy allows for maximum hardness and rigidity without sacrificing tensile strength. Each tungsten carbide ring is cut and polished with diamond tools. Tungsten rings are not sizable by ordinary jewelers' tools -- the metal is too hard. Most tungsten metal powder is converted to tungsten carbide (WC) by reaction with pure carbon powder, e.g. carbon black, at 900 - 2200 degrees centigrade in pusher or batch furnaces, a process called carburisation.
The Material
Tungsten is extremely hard and dense. Combined with carbon and other elements, it becomes tungsten carbide, which registers between 8-9 on the MoHS hardness scale. It's roughly 10 times harder than 18k gold and four times harder than titanium. In addition to its design and high polish, part of its attraction to consumers is its technical nature, says West.
Tungsten is processed with carbon and other elements and mixed in a powder form. The mixed powder is compressed into high-pressure dies to form a ring blank. The blank is sintered (fired) in an oxygen-free furnace at over 2,400°F, resulting in a solid tungsten carbide ring blank. The rough blank goes through a 30-stage precision grinding process by craftspeople using diamond-embedded grinding tools held in specially designed machinery. Rings with platinum or gold inlays are made by grinding a groove into the center of the ring and, using West's patented process, fusing the precious metal within the groove.