Titanium (Ti-22) - The metal of a new era!

Titanium Usage - Jewelry

Most recently the special qualities of titanium have become desirable in the application of jewelry making. Its light weight makes it comfortable to wear. Its inertness makes it 100% hypoallergenic. And, its strength and durability make it far more durable and longer lasting than gold or platinum.

As you can see, with this manufacturer of rings the titanium is also very beautiful when crafted with the hands of an expert jeweler, and can even be combined with other metals to make elegant multi-tonal pieces.

The craftsmanship of these rings are guaranteed to last a lifetime under extreme wear!

Titanium Usage - General

High Tech Titanium

Titanium is a natural occurring element as light as aluminum yet as strong as steel. These remarkable qualities make titanium ideal for jewelry. Titanium is completely hypoallergenic. In fact, titanium is the most hypoallergenic material known to man, and is rapidly replacing surgical implants such as prosthetic implants ie hip, shoulder, and jaw, as well as surgical instruments such as scalpels, hemostats, and tweezers, since the body does not react to it.

Because of its high tensile strength, extraordinary corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand extreme temperatures, titanium alloys are used in aircraft, armor plating, naval ships, spacecraft, and missiles. In fact, about two thirds of all titanium metal produced is used in aircraft engines and frames. Due to excellent corrosion resistance to sea water, titanium is used to make propeller shafts and rigging and in the heat exchangers of desalination plants; in heater-chillers for salt water aquariums, fishing line and leader, and diver knives as well. Titanium is used to manufacture the housings and other components of ocean-deployed surveillance and monitoring devices for scientific and military use.

Titanium Care

Always avoid scratching the surface, since the color is an optical phenomenon. Titanium jewelry, as with all, may appear dull or faded with wear. However to restore the original vibrant colors, simply wash the pieces in warm soapy water or alcohol and blot dry with a soft paper towel.

Wood Inlay Titanium Rings

Titanium is Non-Toxic

Titanium is non-toxic even in large doses and does not play any natural role inside the human body. An estimated 0.8 milligrams of titanium is ingested by humans each day but most passes through without being absorbed. It does, however, have a tendency to bio-accumulate in tissues that contain silica. An unknown mechanism in plants may use titanium to stimulate the production of carbohydrates and encourage growth. This may explain why most plants contain about 1 part per million (ppm) of titanium, food plants have about 2 ppm and horsetail and nettle contain up to 80 ppm.

Titanium is Very Strong and Lightweight

Commercial (99.2% pure) grades of titanium have ultimate tensile strengths of about 63,000 psi, equal to that of steels alloys, but are 45% lighter. Titanium is 60% heavier than aluminium, but more than twice as strong as the most commonly used 6061-T6 aluminium alloy. Certain titanium alloys achieve tensile strengths of over 200,000 psi.

Titanium Color

No paint or any other pigments are ever applied!

Refractory metals (such as titanium, tantalum, and niobium) have a unique relationship with oxygen. Oxygen causes a structural change in the metal's surface crystals creating an oxide. This oxide is as hypoallergenic as the titanium itself, but with unique light refractory properties.

Using electricity to force oxygen onto the surface of the metal thus thickening the oxide layer enough for a visual color change. At this point, white light becomes diffused into various colors - like a rainbow, oil on water, or a peacock's feather. The blending of various colors is a combination of the voltage used and the length of exposure. Controling and varing the electrical exposure to achieve various colors of blue, pink/purple, turquoise and green. Although coloration sounds simple, the initial surface preparation is very time and labor intensive.

Titanium Grades

About 50 grades of titanium and titanium alloys are designated and currently used, although only a couple of dozen are readily available commercially. The ASTM International recognizes 31 Grades of titanium metal and alloys, of which Grades 1 through 4 are commercially pure (unalloyed). These four are distinguished by their varying degrees of tensile strength, as a function of oxygen content, with Grade 1 being the most ductile (lowest tensile strength with an oxygen content of 0.18%), and Grade 4 the highest tensile strength. All of our titanium rings and bracelets are made with this highest grade of titanium -- Grade 4.

Titanium Occurance in Nature

Titanium Natural Ore Titanium is the 9th most abundant element in the earth's crust and is pound for pound one of the most durable materials you can find. It has the qualities of being light weight yet strong, chemically inert and practically indestructible with a melting point of about 3020 degrees Fahrenheit (1660 C). For years it has been the material of choice for industries such as aerospace, medicine, sporting goods, and the military.

It is widely distributed and occurs primarily in the minerals anatase, brookite, ilmenite, perovskite, rutile, titanite (sphene), as well in many iron ores. Of these minerals, only rutile and ilmenite have any economic importance, yet even they are difficult to find in high concentrations. Significant titanium-bearing ilmenite deposits exist in western Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and Ukraine. Large quantities of rutile are also mined in North America and South Africa and help contribute to the annual production of 90,000 tonnes of the metal and 4.3 million tonnes of titanium dioxide. Total known reserves of titanium are estimated to exceed 600 million tonnes.

Titanium is contained in meteorites and has been detected in the sun and in M-type stars; the coolest type of star with a surface temperature of 3,200 °C (5,792 °F). Rocks brought back from the moon during the Apollo 17 mission are composed of 12.1% TiO2. It is also found in coal ash, plants, and even the human body.