AN EXCITING TIME TO BE SHOPPING FOR MEN’S WEDDING RINGS
You may be thinking “Unique men’s wedding bands? You mean there is something besides the traditional 10k gold band?”. If this were a mere ten or twenty years ago, the answer to that question would be a resounding no. But, the jewelry industry has gone through some interesting changes in the last couple of decades, due in large part to the growth of online shopping.
The rise of the internet has allowed small-scale custom jewelry studios to veer from the norm, and experiment with alternative materials and styles. This is good news for anyone searching for a unique wedding band, as it opens up options that simply weren’t available in the past, and still aren’t available in most local jewelry stores today.
We are happy to be among the relatively small group of jewelry studios who are working with new materials and styles. We focus on specific alternative materials, namely titanium, stainless steel, zirconium, wood, and Damascus steel, but we also work with the more traditional precious metals, and occasionally work in other materials upon request.
We have provided a brief description of the alternative materials that we work with below. We hope they inspire you to find a truly unique men’s wedding band.
Titanium
Titanium is hard, strong, and light. It is now used extensively as an alternative metal in jewelry, particular in men’s wedding bands because of how light and strong it is, and also because its gray overtones make it stand out from some of the other white metals.
- Titanium rings are frequently inlaid with other metals, wood, or stone, and can be finished with a high degree of polish, or with a less reflective matte finish.
- It is ideal for tension setting stones because it has a good amount of springiness and tensile strength. It is also a good material for flush setting gemstones.
- Most titanium jewelry is made from pure titanium, which is hypoallergenic.
- Cannot be resized.
Stainless Steel
Similar to titanium, stainless steel is strong and holds up well to everyday wear. However, it is substantially heavier, which makes it a good choice for anyone wanting to feel the weight of a ring on their finger. Unlike some of the other white metals used in jewelry, stainless steel is not plated or coated, and will not lose color over time.
- It can be finished in a variety of ways, from matte to highly polished, and can be set with flush or tension set stones.
- While stainless steel is very resistant to rust and oxidation, it is not impervious, and under some extreme conditions will rust.
- Hypoallergenic.
- Cannot be resized.
Black Zirconium
Zirconium is a metal that is fairly new to the jewelry industry, and is steadily gaining in popularity. It is a white metal that has special characteristics that enable it to develop a hard oxide layer when exposed to heat treatment. Depending on the way the ring is finished, the oxide layer ranges in color from charcoal black, to a deeper black; hence the name “black” zirconium.
- Portions of the metal can be left white, while portions can be blackened, allowing for a beautiful contrasting appearance.
- The black oxide layer is very hard, and is resistant to scratches.
- Takes on a different degree of blackness, depending on how it is finished.
- Hypoallergenic.
- Cannot be resized.
Wood & Stone
As men increasingly searched for unique wedding bands, it was practically inevitable that wood and stone would eventually be incorporated into wedding ring designs. Some of the more interesting and exotic wedding rings that have become available are those that incorporate wood and/or stone. While bands made entirely out of wood have become popular in recent years, thanks to the substantially improved bentwood ring design (we have made many of these ourselves), we prefer to make our wood/stone rings with metal cores.
- Wooden rings can be made with a piece of wood that you send us.
- Metal cores for rings that incorporate wood/stone can be made in your choice of titanium, stainless steel, or gold.
- Wooden rings with metal cores can be made with a hypoallergenic metal.
Our wooden wedding bands
Our wooden engagement rings
Damascus Steel
Damascus steel is another one of those materials that were destined to be worn on a man’s finger. It is formed by tightly twisting or folding steel (we use stainless steel Damascus) during the forging process. It is essentially the same as stainless steel, but is so unique in appearance that we thought it should be mentioned alone.
- Can be finished with a high polish, or bead blasted for a matte finish.
- Can be inlaid with other metals, but should be done so sparingly as to avoid ruining the beautiful patterning.
- Hypoallergenic.
It is an exciting time to be making jewelry, and we will continue to search for new materials that suit our style and design choices. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your search to find a unique wedding band.
