EDUCATION:

Ring Education: Metal Education - Alternative Metals

Color: Silver-grayish metal that can be colored.
Properties: Extremely strong, lightweight, and corrosion-resistant.

Alternative Metals are commonly used for men's wedding bands and fashion jewelry.

	Titanium: Color: Silver-grayish metal that can be colored. Properties: Extremely strong, lightweight, and corrosion-resistant. Pros: Hypoallergenic, doesn't tarnish, can be anodized to produce various colors. Cons: Can't be resized easily, more difficult to work with than traditional metals.
	Tungsten Carbide: Color: Gunmetal gray, but can also be found in black or white. Properties: Four times harder than titanium and extremely scratch-resistant. Pros: Keeps its shine forever, won't bend, does not easily scratch due to its high hardness. Cons: Can shatter if dropped, cannot be resized.
	Stainless Steel Color: Silvery-white. Properties: An alloy of steel and chromium, known for its strength. Pros: Durable, corrosion-resistant, hypoallergenic, and affordable. Cons: Heavier than titanium and tungsten, can scratch.
	Cobalt: Color: white to grayish white, similar to platinum in color. Properties: Harder than platinum but less dense. Pros: Resistant to chipping and scratching, hypoallergenic. Cons: Not as common in jewelry as other metals, so choices might be limited, more expensive than most alternative metals.
	Zirconium: Color: Black when oxidized; otherwise, silvery-white. Properties: Extremely heat-resistant and strong. Pros: Hypoallergenic, can be blackened for a unique appearance. Cons: Blackened zirconium can scratch over time, revealing the silver beneath.

Note: Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when considering alternative metal jewelry is that jewelers will not usually work on these types of metals. In nearly all cases, alternative metal rings cannot be sized, and due to their extremely high melting temperatures and hardness these metals are not malleable or workable.