Where Does Tungsten Come From?

Where does tungsten come from? Many who see the 'tungsten jewelry' term in wholesale body jewelry manufacturer ads and other jewelry websites invariably asks this question, especially if they aren't from a science background. For others, who have heard that tungsten is used in incandescent lamp filaments, they might think what tungsten has to do with jewelry after all? Well, the answer to all these common doubts are answered in the next few paragraphs, wherein we see how a tungsten compound doubles up as an excellent jewelry metal that is strong and even resistant to scratch and moisture.

A bit of chemistry now; tungsten, the metal that is used in making jewelry, is a rare heavy metal - mined from Wolframite ore - that surprisingly maintains its shine and glitter better than even gold or platinum. Its compound form, called tungsten carbide, is one of the hardest materials in earth. For example, tungsten carbide is at least 4 times tougher than platinum and 5 times harder than steel. But the biggest peculiarity of tungsten carbide, as mentioned above, is that it is scratch resistant. If there is any substance available on earth that can scratch a tungsten ring, it has to be diamond, the known hardest substance available in the earth at present. No wonder, wholesale illusion jewelry makers around the world prefer tungsten to make wedding rings.

Another cool feature of tungsten jewelry is that since it is heavy, the person wearing it will feel its presence. No chance of someone losing his/her ring, and not realizing it.

Tungsten jewelry, as it is commonly referred to, comes in different types and qualities, depending on the content of carbon, nickel, cobalt, and other compounds - and their grain sizes - present in the mixture. For example, since cobalt leads to skin irritation in some people, wholesale stainless steel jewelry makers, generally prefer to market cobalt free tungsten jewelry in their stores. However, don't assume that cobalt causes skin irritation in everybody. There are more people who are allergic to gold and silver there in various parts of the globe than somebody whose skin is badly reactive to tungsten carbide.

The best place to shop for tungsten jewelry is one of those popular online jewelry stores in the web. Wholesale titanium jewelry merchants sometimes stock tungsten jewelry, but then the options available with them may be far lesser, thanks to the low cost of tungsten jewelry, and hence the low margins they get at the end of a sale, no matter how bulk the sale was. But online jewelry portals offer more designs/varieties to prospective buyers.