With newer alternative ring materials quickly rising to popularity, it's no surprise that people have questions about what type of metal they should use. Certain qualities and properties of these alternative precious metals may be unfamiliar to you, but because of their affordability or perhaps your urge to try something new, you’re considering taking a chance on a ring made out of less common, but equally beautiful metals. Tungsten is one of the many increasingly popular choice for alternative metals used for wedding rings and for good reason! If you are considering getting a tungsten engagement or wedding band and we’re here to tell you all you need to know about tungsten rings and answer the very important question - can tungsten rings be resized?

Tungsten is a very strong–if not, one of the strongest metals found on earth. Ranked 9 in the MOHs Hardness scale, tungsten is known to have a hardness second to the diamond. Because of its strength, tungsten is commonly used for high-intensity tools and items, such as weights, turbine blades, and armaments. 

Considering that tungsten rings are fairly new to the jewelry market, its properties are not quite as known as other popular wedding ring metals like white gold, yellow gold, silver, and platinum. Tungsten is one of the sturdiest metals on earth. Tungsten rings cannot be bent and can easily retain their shape. Because of this, tungsten rings cannot be resized. This may be a good thing in some areas–tungsten rings will certainly make for quite the long lasting wedding ring metals capable of dealing with wear and tear and those who live active lifestyles, but may come as a problem in the future once you’re due for a new ring size because your finger size has changed. Resizing a tungsten ring may be near impossible to do, but jewelry stores will be happy to offer you alternatives should the need for a resizing process arise!  Some may even offer complimentary resizing. Patrick Adair Designs offers one free size exchange for all non-custom tungsten rings. 

The tungsten’s rings strongest suit may also be its flaw—its immense strength means that tungsten rings are not malleable, and will be nearly impossible to bend. We’ve already established that it is because of their hardness that prevents them from being easily resized, but this also means that ring designs may not be as detailed as you’d like.  It also becomes imperative to get the correct size for your finger. 

Being the hardest metal on earth doesn’t mean that it isn’t completely immune to other types of damages! Because of their immense hardness, tungsten rings are prone to cracking, especially when put under pressure.