Wedding Rings

[aBoMoFo]

I have found the good fortune to find a gal who didn't say no when I asked her to marry me and we are in the process of finding me a wedding band (as well as all the other details involved in the wedding day thing). The day is in the middle of April and I am looking for input from fellow bass players about wedding rings. Ideally I'd like to find something that is tough as nails yet will not impede finger dexterity.

A bit of background. I like wider banded rings with at least 7mm or width. I prefer to never take my ring off, I have one on the middle finger of my right hand made of sterling silver I have worn nearly every day for the past 7 years. I work with my hands all the time and something tough is a necessity. Therefore softer metals including golds are out of the question.

Please give your thoughts on the following metals.

Tungsten Carbide
Cobalt
Titanium
Stainless Steel

Thanks to any and all that contribute!

[pedroims]

well, I lose mine on my honey moon so I will say buy something cheap

[Tituscrow]

Platinum

[Floyd Eye]

My wife and I tattoed them on.

[tplyons]

In my days working in the lumberyard, our assistant foreman got married. He figured since his wife got two rings (one for engagement, one for marriage) that so should he. He got the same wedding band in two metals, one in stainless to wear at work, and the other in platinum to match his wife's when he wasn't at the yard.

[tekdiver500ft]

Over the years, I've had to cut several rings off my fingers after having them crushed, or finger broken, or whatever. This last time, I bought tungsten carbide. Why? Several reasons: it won't hold dirt, it's not magnetic, it won't deteriorate, it is darker than other typical ring metals (oddball factor FTW), and the main reason... IT SHATTERS. If it gets hit, it simply shatters, so that it won't crush down and cut your finger off. This is the safest metal for any jewelry.

[Marley's Ghost]

Run while you still can.

[HEIST]

I can only comment on Stainless Steel and Titanium. There are many grades of both, so look into that. When you go into the higher grades, both metals are really nice. They hold up extremely well. Titanium is almost half the weight of stainless steel, but it is a lot more porous so you need to find ones that are really well polished. In the higher grades they are not magnetic (won't set off airport systems).

[ADbassman]

In my experience stainless steel is pretty worthless. It scratches easy and is heavy compared to other rings. I haven't had much experience with Cobalt but I always thought it looked neat. Tungsten has become more popular in recent years and my brothers ring is made out of tungsten. He likes it a lot and it seems to keep it's polish and shine well. As someone else previously mentioned, they're much easier to get off in case of an emergency. You can take a pair of vice grips to a tungsten ring, apply the right amount of pressure and it will simply crack in half. Titanium is a decent metal as well, but I like a little weight on my ring and titanium is extremely light. Personally, I have a white gold ring with diamonds, and I like it a lot.

[iamlowsound]

I have a tungsten carbide ring and have zero complaints about it.

lowsound

[hover]

Had mine custom made out of titanium. 13mm brushed finish with a groove offset from the middle. Soon I will have 3 birthstones mounted in it by the same guy. Find a local craftsman and have something truly personal made, for both of you. Mine seriously didn't cost any more than store bought, and in 100% honesty, cost less than an equivalent width band I had priced (like my rings uber-wide too, but not too heavy, hence the titanium).

Just remember, get it sized right since titanium is a one shot deal, no stretching.

[pasta4lnch]

I really dig titanium but it has a huge drawback. It retains heat, which to me is not so comfy. I wear a tungsten ring and love it. I do have to take it off when I play guitar though... not so much on bass.

I do have a titanium thumb ring that is 10mm iirc that weighs next to nothing. Also fwiw titanium scratches easily. My tungsten ring looks shiny new.

Always wanted to check out a carbon fiber ring!

If your looking for steal, I came upon this company Xen (I think?) I'll search for a link when I'm not on my phone...cool stuff too.

[Phalex]

Should you be wearing a carbide, or titanium ring and break your finger, or sustain another injury that causes swelling. Cutting it off to restore circulation and save you finger could become problematic.

I'd go Gold, platinum, or silver. How about rhodium?

[BurningSkies]

Mz. Skies and I looked at rings this weekend (actually we've been looking for a while)...the carbide and Ti rings kinda looked and felt cheap...and were. The Carbide was about 80 bucks vs. what gold or platinum would run (most of those were in the 700-1200 range).

I've had a few sales people suggest Palladium as a good choice. It's harder and wears better than gold or platinum and not quite as expensive while not being a common metal. They've been using it since the 1930's off and on as well.

Right now we're leaning towards white gold for mine, Mz Skies will probably get platinum, since her engorgement ring is also platinum with sparkly items.

[pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by Phalex

Should you be wearing a carbide, or titanium ring and break your finger, or sustain another injury that causes swelling. Cutting it off to restore circulation and save you finger could become problematic.

I'd go Gold, platinum, or silver. How about rhodium?

I was worried about that too. Do a YouTube search. They actually aren't that hard to get off. Titanium will cut and tungsten is somewhat brittle and can easily break.

I should also mention my tungsten ring cost less than a hundred bucks. Wasn't looking to bargain shop... got it at the same place I got my wife's engagement/wedding rings.

[Icey101]

ummmmm......pretend not to be able to find the right one and dont get one

you will have more fun when you're gigging :-P

[Let It Fall]

i got tungsten carbide. I love it 25$ on amazon. why pay more?

[aBoMoFo]

Great responses and I'm loving all the input! Keep them coming guys!

[matt descending]

Tungsten. Two years now with no complaints. Still looks like the day I received it. Check out tungstenforever.com . Many cool styles.

[Sneakypete]

Watch a movie called The Abyss (I'm not saying marriage is like an abyss - 32 years for me and still going strong) and you'll see Ed Harris keep a door open with a ring. Get one like that - it could save your life one day!