Titanium Gains Popularity in the Jewelry Market
Over the years titanium has been used mostly in aerospace and industrial applications, and with good reason. Titanium is nearly as hard as steel, but it weighs much less. It is extremely resistant to corrosion and wear. It resists deformation - you are going to have to jump up and down pretty hard on a titanium ring or pipe to get it to flatten.
And here’s a funny thing. Even though titanium looks like platinum at first glance, platinum is a lot different. It abrades easily and is softer than titanium. It is much more malleable. About the only characteristic shared by the two metals is that they resist corrosion.
But there is one big difference between platinum, gold, and titanium, which is that scrap titanium is currently selling in the range of $5.00 - $7.00 per pound. (That’s right, per pound.) So it can hardly be thought of as a precious metal.
Titanium Enters the Jewelry Marketplace
Now a number of companies, including one called COI, are selling titanium wedding and friendship rings in attractive styles. Why is it that you won’t find any titanium engagement rings in their lineup? Simple answer. Due to its lack of malleability, titanium can’t be easily fashioned to have the small tines that are needed to hold gemstones. So if you’re looking for an engagement ring with a nice big diamond mounted in it, you’re going to need to shop for a ring made of gold or platinum, which are more malleable.
And what if you are on the lookout for old jewelry or metal scrap and come across a batch of shiny white rings? How can you tell if they are made of platinum, titanium, or white gold? One way is to look inside them to see if there are any stamped indications. (Platinum and gold will usually be stamped as such; titanium will usually not be, because it is not a precious metal.)
You can usually tell titanium because it feels kind of industrial. It’s hard, bright, and shiny, but feels nearly as light in the hand as aluminum does.
Not Sure What You Have? Call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners
If you have a batch of rings made of white metal (or white metal scrap of any kind) and are not sure what it is, now is the time to call our consultants at 800-426-2344. What you thought was titanium might turn out to be platinum, which is currently trading at $932.00. That’s the kind of pleasant surprise that can put money in your pocket.
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