Tungsten Carbide Rings – Timeless Appeal

What is Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide

Tungsten, also call wolfram, previously referred to as Heavy Stone, is a very hard and heavy metal symbolized by a W or #74 on the periodic elements table that is extracted from Wolframite ore. Tungsten is used as the filament wire in most light bulbs because it melts at an extraordinary 6,200 degrees F. When tungsten is processed with carbon and other elements it is transformed into Tungsten Carbide (WC), between 8 and 9 on the Mohs hardness scale. The diamond is 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is the hardest in the world. A similar formulation of this super hard composite metal has been widely used for over 50 years as a cutting tool for industrial applications. A special formulation of Tungsten Carbide has been used as well for the production of scratch proof wrist watches for over forty years.

The History of Tunsgen

Tungsten (Swedish tung sten meaning “heavy stone”), even though the current name for the element in Swedish is wolfram (sometimes spelled in Swedish as volfram), from the denomination volf rahm by Wallerius in 1747, translated from the description by Agricola in 1546 as Lupi spuma, meaning “wolf’s froth” after the way tin is eaten up like a wolf after sheep in the process of its extraction.

It was first hypothesized to exist by Peter Woulfe in 1779 that examined wolframite and concluded that it must contain a new substance. In 1781 Carl Wilhelm Scheele ascertained that a new acid could be made from tungstenite. Scheele and Torbern Bergman suggested that it could be possible to obtain a new metal by reducing tungstic acid. In 1783 Jose and Fausto Elhuyar found and acid in wolframite that was identical to tungstic acid. In Spain later that year the brothers succeeded in isolating tungsten through reduction of this acid with charcoal. They are credited with the discovery of the element.

In World War II, tungsten played an enormous role in background political dealings. Portugal, as the main European source of the element, was put under pressure from both sides, because of its sources of wolframite ore. The resistance to high temperatures, as well as the extreme strength of its alloy, made the metal into a very important raw material for the weaponry industry. However, it is still quite new for the jewelry industry.

The process to create tungsten carbide rings

The two biggest challenges to create these rings are shaping and finishing the super hard metal as well as devising a method to permanently bond bands of gold and platinum inside the tungsten carbide host ring.

The following is a simplified version of how the Coppari manufacturing process works:

Tungsten is processed with carbon and other elements and ground to a powder. The mixed in an oxygen free furnace at over 2,400 degrees F, resulting in a solid tungsten carbide ring blank of extreme hardness. The rough blank goes through a 30 stage precision grinding process using exclusively diamond embedded grinding tools held in specially designed machinery. Versions containing platinum or gold inlaid sections are made by grinding a groove into the center of the hard metal ring and using our exclusive patented process to fuse the precious metal with the groove. The finishing process is unique in that diamond polishing compounds are used by skilled craft makers and equipment to create a brilliant polish and luster never before achieved in the industry.

Why should you buy tungsten carbide wedding bands?

Coppari is one of the earliest designers that have engaged in tungsten carbide jewelry. Coppari tungsten carbide wedding bands are made of Tungsten Rod which is the hardest metal in the world. Coppari rings are brilliant high polish and resist scratching longer than stainless steel, four times harder than titanium. However, in the market the tungsten rings that some others sell are usually tungsten, but not tungsten carbide. They are easily scratched and lose the polish quickly. Even, some sellers do not know that the rings they are selling are made of tungsten and not tungsten carbide. Furthermore, Coppari tungsten carbide jewelry is made without cobalt. So there is no problem with skin anaphylaxis. Coppari jewelry is very comfortable to wear.