If you're a jewelry designer, you may be attracted to the idea of making tungsten wedding rings or just tungsten rings for any occasion. This is the most temperature-resistant metal discovered so far, and it also boasts incredible strength and resistance to corrosion. If you want to work with a tungsten supplier to get metal to create wedding bands, here are some points you should consider.

1. Consider the Binder Carefully

Generally, when you work with tungsten for jewelry making or other types of metalworking, the metal you purchase is actually an alloy. It tends be an equal mixture of tungsten and carbon with a bit of nickel or cobalt as a binder. You may want to consider which binder you choose carefully.

Both binders offer a lot of advantages, but cobalt can add a blue tint to the finished product. Depending on your objective, that may be a welcome or an undesirable addition. Additionally, some people are allergic to cobalt while others are allergic to nickel so you may want to have both options on hand for your future customers.

2. Start With a Tube

Because of its strength, tungsten is used in a lot of industrial applications. To that end, you may want to make the process easier by just ordering a metal tube made of tungsten. Then, you simply need to cut the tube into small rings. If you decide to take this route, you need to order tubes in multiple sizes from your tungsten supplier.

3. Try a Mold

Instead of cutting up a metal pipe, you may want to make tungsten rings with a mold. Unfortunately, this tends to be the only other option with ring making because it's not possible to weld tungsten.

If you decide to take this path, you need to work with a tungsten supplier who can provide you with a powder form of the alloy. Then, you need to place that in a mold that goes into an extremely hot vacuum furnace. After exposure to that heat, the metal solidifies and you get a ring as the final product.

4. Make a Plan for Polishing

Then, you need to polish the ring. Generally, a diamond-coated wheel in a polishing machine is the best option. This step takes the ring from a matte or satin finish to a bright shine. If you prefer a satin look, you may want to skip the polishing step.

5. Decide If You Want to Add Stones or Inlays

You can set stones into the tungsten band, or if you prefer, you can hollow out the entire band and add an inlay in a range of materials. In both cases, you need to use a laser cutter to create the openings you need. Note that although adding a stone may increase the aesthetic and pneumatic value of the ring, it also makes the ring a bit weaker. If your selling point is the strength of the metal, you may want to skip designs that have jewels set in them.

That's also true for adding an inlay as you make the ring significantly thinner. However, if you decide to put in an inlay, have some fun with this step and make your inlay the signature of your design. You can opt for other metals such as silver or gold, or you can do something like wood, ceramic, or even stone inlays. For example, you might want to make a tungsten ring with marble inlay.

To get more ideas, contact a tungsten supplier directly and consult with another jewelry maker. Both of these professionals may be able to give you additional tips on the type of tungsten you need and the supplies required for this type of project. Even if you've been a jewelry maker for years, you may find that there's a learning curve for working with tungsten.

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