Tungsten Carbide is highly scratch resistant, and will resist abrasions better than any other metal, but should not be considered scratch proof. Perhaps the best way to describe it is as a ceramic-like metal with incredible wear resistance, which is why it has been used in the tooling, defense, and aerospace industries. Whereas gold has a rating of 3 on the Mohs hardness scale and titanium a 6, tungsten metal rates somewhere between 8 and 9, giving it the best comparable resistance to scratching, and subsequently, tarnishing as well.
This hardness also makes a tungsten ring unbendable, which in an emergency removes the risks related to having a softer metal ring bend and crush around your finger. In the event medical personnel need to remove a tungsten ring and the hand is too swollen to remove it normally, a tool such as vise grips can be employed to snap the ring with negligible collateral damage (especially when compared to having to cut off a gold ring, for example). Subsequently, you should avoid significant impact against hard surfaces (dropping or slamming onto concrete, for example), as Tungsten is not indestructible. Also please be aware our blue, black and gold tone rings are plated. While our plating is vacuum plated which is extremely durable, plating can still be scratched and wear over time.
The many advantages of tungsten, including the wear resistance as well as the smoothness and durability of laser etched designs make for its increasing popularity as wedding bands. We just want to make sure our customers are aware of the facts vs myths when it comes to caring for what to many of our customers is a sentimental keepsake!