Stainless Steel Rings

Stainless steel rings are the answer for those individuals wishing to get a ring, either for engagement or weddings, but can’t afford the price tag accompanying precious metals. A trained eye will have no difficulty spotting the difference of stainless steel rings from others of its like, such as white gold or platinum, but a well made stainless steel ring can always look much more expensive (and therefore more exquisite) than it really is.

Actually, aside from the sentiments that usually accompany precious metals, including gold, silver, titanium and platinum, aside from the obvious aesthetic appeal of the former, stainless steel don’t really have any downbeat factor. For its price, it has considerable strength, more so than white or yellow gold or silver. Steel is only overtaken by platinum and equal to titanium in terms of strength, though both titanium and platinum are considerably lighter. That means a ring using stainless steel can hold gemstones in a prong setting more securely than a ring using gold or silver. On texture, titanium has a rather dullish appearance and texture while platinum can be white as silver or white gold and shinier. High grade stainless steel can exude as much luster as these precious metals though unlike platinum, silver and white gold, the stainless steel ring has to be maintained for it to retain its luster. All in all, there’s really no gigantic remarkable difference when comparing stainless steel rings to white gold, silver and platinum at face value. As long as the stainless steel is well made, it can fool the casual eye.

One thing about steel also is that it isn’t as malleable as the other nearly identical metals of white gold, silver, and platinum. That’s why it’s very rare to find an elaborately designed stainless steel ring. But there’s one ring design that’s best suited for stainless steel, and that is tension rings.

All about Tension Rings

Tension rings are among the more contemporary designs of rings, ascetic yet uniquely designed. Always tension rings use one gemstone in its design, so when it is a diamond tension ring, it can also be called solitaire ring.

A tension ring’s mounting is unique, that it applies contemporary physics in an art. The gem is held much secured in place on a metal band, where the two ends meet. Therefore it is highly important that the metal should be very resilient to outside influence of force, and should have the strongest inherent “springiness” to it, to hold the gem in place. A tensile strength of normally 75 – 100 lbs is needed to hold a gem securely, and no amount of alloyed gold or silver can produce as much pressure.

For that matter it’s also important that the stone itself can stand firm against such massive force, that’s why diamonds are the most favored stones in tension rings. Also those stones that don’t have cracks and breaks that could impinge the stone’s integrity. For the ring itself, platinum and titanium offer the best bet for material but results in a much expensive price that people are surprised that tension rings could cost much, much more than solitaire rings. That’s where stainless steel comes in handy. Way much cheaper yet emanating equivalent tensile strength, they make tension rings more affordable.

In the old days when stainless steel usage wasn’t as widespread, stainless steel was more acknowledged as a material for jewelry, but with today’s universal usage of stainless steel, it became consequentially the least idea for jewelry material. Yet, for its properties while remaining on the cheap side no one can refute that stainless steel will still have its place. Do you need an engagement ring without going bust? Go get stainless steel engagement rings.