Today, primary materials, used for the wedding band production, are gold, platinum and titanium. Let us compare these incomparable materials in order to make your choice of a wedding band a little easier, as you will realize the properties of each and choose the criteria of preferring one to another. What is titanium and what is a titanium wedding band? First known as "Menachite", titanium was re-named two hundred years ago by Dr. Martin H. Klaproth, who referred to the giants of Greek mythology, the Titans. The titanium's atomic number is 22, with the atomic weight being forty seven point nine.
A titanium wedding band is made from high aircraft grade titanium. In fact, a titanium wedding band is cheaper than a gold one and, certainly, a platinum wedding band, while the unique properties of titanium make this material excellent for a wedding band, although it is different from traditional gold, silver and platinum. It is a very lightweight metal, weighing only one third as much as gold. Many people prefer a titanium wedding band, since they hardly notice they are wearing a band at all. Titanium is of a grayish color, even close to white, but it is a little bit darker than platinum and white gold. Titanium is more resistible, durable and strong material as compared to gold and platinum and due to these unique features, it is difficult to cut and shape a titanium wedding band, while to re-size it is almost impossible. Therefore, when buying a titanium wedding band, you should be extremely careful about the size chosen. It is only possible to slightly increase the size of a titanium wedding band in the process of removing a small amount of material from the inside surface.
Titanium is not a rare or precious metal. It is used in the sports industry, medicine, architecture, furniture and computer production; we even have titanium batteries today. While the cost of gold and platinum is reasonable due to the rarity and preciousness, the cost of titanium lies in the skilful labor to craft a titanium wedding band. What concerns a skin allergy and irritation, which some metals can cause, titanium will neither irritate your skin nor harm the body; additionally, it is used in the medical and dental spheres in surgical implants, bone screws, heart valves and many more.
Titanium wedding bands are superior in durability than those made of gold and platinum and a band can long outlive its wearer. The starting price for a titanium wedding band is approximately sixty dollars, which is actually a fabulous price for such a quality wedding band. Today, titanium wedding bands are probably available in the same abundant varieties and designs as traditional gold wedding bands and white gold wedding bands are.
There is also a sort of titanium, known as black titanium, and the customers' requests for black titanium wedding bands are many. However, some manufacturers do not produce black titanium bands and do not recommend them to purchase, as due to the researches, black titanium is not as durable and becomes insufficient over time.