What is the difference between cheap and expensive tungsten rings? When you want to buy a tungsten ring for someone or yourself, you will find the price varies greatly.
From $15 to $600, Why is there such a big difference in price? After reading this post, you will know the secret hidden by many tungsten ring sellers.
1. The Main Difference Between Cheap Tungsten Ring and an Expensive One is:
Cheap tungsten rings made with Cobalt ( Industrial Grade)-Bad
Expensive Tungsten rings Made with Nickel. ( Jewelry Grade)-Good
Cheaper tungsten rings made with cobalt, cobalt is a cheaper filler some ring factory use that to make tungsten rings. So, the tungsten is not jewelry grade, only reaches the industrial grade.
Cheaper tungsten rings with cobalt( industrial grade) will tarnish. It will make your finger gray or black.
Expensive Tungsten rings Made with Nickel( jewelry grade) Jewelry grade tungsten will NEVER tarnish or haze. So you can enjoy your rings for a long time.
A friend of mine bought a cheaper tungsten rings online, this is what happened.
The tungsten rings with cobalt or nickles may look the same you saw at a ring store or online. But, industrial tungsten rings would take on a dark cast and might have discolored in places after 3-6 months.
Industrial tungsten is awesome for other applications, but for fashion jewelry? Oh, no, not a good choice.
Jewelry grade tungsten carbide rings with nickel will retain it’s original look and luster for a long time.
Important Note: Nickel might irritate your skin, but the amount of nickel in tungsten alloy is less than 1%. This means that unless you have a severe allergy to it, you wouldn’t even know that it was in there.
Pro tips: Cobalt is the only aspect that makes it tarnish. You need something that is jewelry grade, not industrial grade. Jewelry grade tungsten will NEVER tarnish or haze. Tungsten HAS to be an alloy, as it is far too brittle by itself. Find one with no cobalt, and you should enjoy the piece forever.
This the main difference between cheap tungsten ring and expensive.
My suggestion is: if you buy a tungsten ring for daily outfit, you can buy an affordable tungsten ring like this one. Awesome quality, Fair price.
If you want to buy a ring as a gift, I suggest you pay more for a better one. Such as this one on Amazon, they provide Lifetime Warranty.
Want to know more about the differences, please keep reading…
2. Where is Your Tungsten Ring Made?
Where your tungsten ring made does not determine the quality, but it will absolutely determine the price of your tungsten rings.
Tungsten rings are made in China, the USA, Korea. But as far as I know, 80% of tungsten rings on the market are manufactured in China. Even Triton jewelry is made in China
Why?
Better quality with a much lower price.
The tungsten carbide rings manufactured in the USA would cost more than rings made in China, in other words, manufacturing costs are much higher in the USA.
NOTE: the factory price for tungsten ring is about 3 Dollars. This is just the factory price. The wholesale price is about $5.
3.The craftsmanship of Your Tungsten Rings
As for craftsmanship, the difference is not so big. As a ring manufacturer, I know the whole process of making tungsten rings.
If your retailer wants to pay an extra dollar, the finishing will be great.
4.Short Time Warranty/Guarantee VS Lifetime Warranty
If you buy a tungsten ring on Amazon or eBay, your warranty time is 30 days. Here is post focus on Why Are Tungsten Rings So Cheap on Amazon or eBay?
If you spend more money, for instance, $50, the warranty time is about 90 days or one year.
Or you even can spend more than $300 on 1 tungsten ring, you would have a lifelong warranty time.
That is the difference you pay for the cheap one and the expensive one.
Suppose that you purchase a cheaper tungsten ring on eBay, but your ring breaks( the chance is slim, but could happen), the time could be a month or a year, or the plating wears off( it could happen), or any bad things that may happen, even you get the best quality of ring..
Can you return the ring? Is there someone you can call for help? Is there some warranty or guarantee?
But, if you buy an expensive tungsten ring, you will get a lifetime warranty, you can replace a new one if you break it or your finger grows bigger. You have rights to replace a new tungsten ring for free.
The difference: You get what you pay for. This is rule never changed for a long time.
Conclusion:
If you have a tight budget, buy some rings on amazon. You got no problem if you do not buy industrial grade tungsten rings.
If you buy rings for your beloved ones, you can look for a lifetime warranty by paying extra money.
Guys, visit our home page for more fashion jewelry information or go to our tungsten rings section for more posts.
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.