A ring is a ring is a ring. They are all round, they fit on one of 4 fingers unless you count the thumb as a finger and in this case we might expand the math to 5. They are black and white, they are gold and silver, they are thick or thing, they have stones that are as fake as a bad toupee or in some instances carry stones that are worth far more than the ring itself. I mean how hard can this be? Buy the one you like to look at, pick a color or a material and add the condiments so to speak. Big deal … pick a price … do you want cheap? Do you want brand-name? Do you want extravagant? Do you want something that you can pass along to your children and your children’s children. Then buy accordingly and move on to a more complex issue of life. This is not rocket science nor is it brain surgery.
OK. We accept the fact that this issue might not be one of the more complex ponderings of life. But, may I suggest that there is more to this issue than meets the eye; literally.
I bought a tungsten ring not long ago. It broke. Yes, it broke, cracked when it fell on the floor. When I saw the 2 pieces I noticed that the ring looked like it had a soft inner core and that the outside had a shell or casing around it. Humph. Were all tungsten carbide rings made this way I thought? I did a little research and quickly found out that the answer to this question, albeit not one of life’s great quandaries, is NO. Absolutely not in fact. My original ring was manufactured in China. It didn’t take long to figure this out … I went to the source where I bought it and they honestly told me that their rings were all made overseas because they can be made so cheap there and of course this translates into one of two things where they are sold: greater profits or cheap prices.
I then stumbled upon a collection of not just tungsten rings, but stainless steel and titanium as well. The name registered to these beauties was Triton. Turns out this brand is one of the most elite in its class and that the beauty runs far deeper than the outward appearance – although these need no apologies for their looks! Here is what I mean …
The Triton Collection is a protected ring manufacturing process – 7 in total – all under different patents but the main one is TC-850. Here is what I found out when studying this brand and their patents … their mens rings are ground and highly polished into a patented design that employs angled facets on the exterior that emphasize light reflections.
The Triton Collection Tungsten line is manufactured as follows:
1) Tungsten is processed with carbon – then ground to a powder.
2) The metal powder is compressed to form a ring blank.
3) The blank is then fired in an oven at 2400° F.
4) The result – a solid metal ring with extreme hardness and toughness.
And here is the icing on the cake that truly answers the question about “is beauty more than skin deep” in a ring:
The Triton ring then goes through a complex 30-step grinding/polishing process using diamond tools.
So, the next time you meander out to find the perfect ring, it might pay to ask the right questions, search a little longer, and find out how deep you must go to find the real value. I’m glad I did.
