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Untitled Document
Frequently Asked Questions |
• Return / Exchange Procedure
• How to track DHL Global Mail?
• How to track Thailand Post?
• What's Tungsten Carbide?
• What's the hype about Tungsten Carbide Jewelry?
• Facts about plating materials and laser engraving on Tungsten Carbide.
• Grades of Tungsten Carbide
• Tungsten jewelry is not the same as Tungsten Carbide jewelry!
• Concern about Cobalt in Tungsten Carbide jewelry
• Can Tungsten Carbide be bent, resized, or broken?
• How to remove Tungsten Carbide ring in case of emergency
• How to properly care for Tungsten Carbide jewelry
• Titanium Facts
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What is Tungsten Carbide?
Tungsten Carbide is a chemical compound containing Tungsten and Carbon, producing a very hard metallic like “ceramic” material. You could call it “metal” but for the process used to make the material. |
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What's the Hype about Tungsten Carbide jewelry?
Typical price of Tungsten Carbide rings in the market ranges from $300-400. What's so special about it is that Tungsten Carbide is virtually indestructible and it lasts for life! Tungsten Carbide jewelry will not scratch, bend, or dent FOREVER and will stay as beautiful like the first day you buy for your whole life unlike the stainless steel jewelry which scratches easily after a few days you have worn.
Tungsten Carbide's hardness is around 9 Mohs, scale of hardness, second to diamond which is 10 Mohs. The features of it are extreme hardness and polished, never abrade and fade. It's 10 times harder than 18K gold, 4 times as titanium and equal to natural sapphire, and it glitters nearly originally, charming and joyful.
Tungsten Carbide is the only rare and exotic metal that can be permanently polished. The polish and finish can last as long as your lifetime commitment with your partner! With gold, platinum and even Titanium jewelry, you will notice varying degrees of scratching, denting and surface mars. However, with Tungsten rings, the surface will maintain its original beautiful shiny finish. To describe the surface of the ring after fully polished, I would call it "a gray mirror", a bit more grayish than stainless steel, but reflects light more brilliantly. Many people also enjoy the solid weight of a tungsten ring. The enduring polish of a tungsten ring together with the solid weight, speak of commitment, security and an everlasting bond.
In other words, Tungsten Carbide material is the hardest of all steel ever produced. They're usually used for aerospace industrials, armor-piercing ammunition, and for industrial moulds. Recently, the jewelry industry is turning their attention towards this material because of their distinct characteristics to create modern style jewelry for new generation people. |
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Facts about plating materials and laser engraving on Tungsten Carbide Rings
Cubic Zirconia simulating diamond or CZ
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To give you a better picture, you might have already known if I mention “Cubic Zirconia” or CZ, a simulating diamond commonly used in jewelry industry. It's the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2).
Zirconium in its pure form is very hard metal comparable to natural Sapphires and will withstand scratches under most circumstances. However, it will not withstand abuse, unlike pure Tungsten Carbide.
The Zirconium coating on our jewelry; however, is zirconium nitride (ZrN). It is hard ceramic material similar to titanium nitride and is a cement like refractory material. When applied using the PVD coating process it is commonly used for coating medical devices, industrial parts, automotive and aerospace components and other parts subject to high wear and corrosive environments. It is also used in refractories, cermets and laboratory crucible. |
For jewelry, Zirconium coat is virtually scratch proof unless you deliberately abuse the ring which in that case, you might cause a permanent damage to the zirconium layer of the ring.
If you would like to wear the ring with a matching chain, I would recommend that any metal which is less harder than 8 Mohs of Zirconium will be fine and will not scratch the ring. This includes, silver, gold, and stainless steel, for example. But do not wear the ring with Tungsten Carbide chain.
Although Zirconium coating is long lasting and very durable, unfortunately no coating or plating can last forever even with the best coating method available. This is a known fact in the Jewelry industrial. The gold tone of Zirconium might gradually fades away after years (which could be 3-5 years, depending on use) revealing the original silver color of the Tungsten Carbide inside. And please do not worry about the laser engraving, this is done by burning the surface of Tungsten Carbide with laser beam, so it’s permanent.
The fading of zirconium coating is more of theoretical one. The fact is that Zirconium plating will not chip or oxidize like "K" gold plating. Still, no plating can last forever. The only technical possibility of wearing on zirconium plating is that it will slightly fade over times because the coating slightly loses its layer over time. Based on my personal experience, the zirconium plating is very durable and the zirconium plated ring that I have worn for a year doesn't fade or scratch. So the result is very satisfactory. In theory, when the color fades away, it will leave the natural color of Tungsten carbide. But frankly speaking, i haven't seen any ring that fades up to that point yet, so I can't 100% confirm how it will look finally compared to the ring that doesn't coat anything from the beginning. But since there is a chance of wearing, I have to disclose that info to my customers. A lot of sellers hide this info since they're afraid it might affect sales. But I want to mention everything truthfully. My suggestion is that please do not worry about the coating of the ring. It's very durable. So if you like gold color more, choose gold. But if you like the look of silver more, pick silver.
The materials of black plating on Tungsten Carbide is different so it will not fade away but can be damaged (such as scratches) only in the case of extreme abuse. (Normal wearing is fine and black plating is highly scratch resistant).
To prolong the plating on Tungsten Carbide or any other jewelry, it's best to always keep it dry and away from alcohol, perfume, cleaning supplies. Only clean with water or soapy water when it gets oily and dab dry with a towel. This will prolong the life to its maximum.
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Grades of Tungsten Carbide
Please note that the Tungsten Carbide for jewelry has two different grades. One can be magnetized by magnet that is the recycled material. The other cannot be magnetized by magnet that is the better material. If using the recycled material, the ring will change its color after a few years but if using the better grade, the ring will not change its color forever. |
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Tungsten is not the same as Tungsten Carbide!
Be careful about the rings advertized on the market as Tungsten Carbide rings, since many of them are just Tungsten not Tungsten Carbide. Tungsten rings are very hard but not resistant to scratch! We guarantee that all of our rings are completely resistant to scratch, abrade, and wear. A Tungsten Carbide ring can only be scratched by a diamond or a product containing the mineral corundum. Our rings are made only of highest jewelry grade, non-magnetized, cobalt-free tungsten carbide. More technical information regarding Tungsten Carbide can be found on Wikipedia. |
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Concern about Cobalt in Tungsten Carbide jewelry
Industrial grade Tungsten Carbide contains Cobalt inside. The alloy containing Cobalt is easier to procure and rings containing Cobalt are being commonly sold. However, rings containing Cobalt will develop a negative react to your skin. After a short time period the ring will develop oxidation spots that cannot be removed or polished out. This is due to the Cobalt reacting to the human body. |
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Can Tungsten Carbide be bent, resized, or broken?
Because the material is so hard, the surface finish is not scratched in normal wear. Also, because the material is so hard, if for some reason the ring must be removed from an injured or swollen finger, tungsten cannot be simply sawn through as with gold or platinum jewelry. One method of removing a tungsten band from the finger is to place the ring(and finger) into a vice and squeeze gently on the band until it crushes. The vice will not go further and the finger is ok in this “horrific sounding” process. A sharp hammer blow can do the same thing but will not likely spare the finger! Tungsten carbide is very hard but is brittle compared to normal jewelry metals and materials. Gold will bend and tungsten will not. The material will break before it will bend. Obviously, a tungsten carbide band cannot be resized and must be purchased in correct size to start with. And please be careful not to drop Tungsten Carbide jewelry against hard flooring from the distance, since there is always a chance that it might break.
Regarding the breakage of Tungsten Carbide, although it may sounds odd, this is universal truth for physically hard object.. It's the law of physics that the harder the object, the more brittle it becomes. So I have to forewarn that it can break, however, it doesn't mean it will always break. There is a chance. Tungsten Carbide is composed of tungsten and carbon. Because of carbon, this metal is so hard that nothing can scratch. But again, because of high carbon content, it makes the metal more brittle. Please try thinking about other high carbon objects like diamond and pencil lead. They're extremely hard but with the right amount of force at the right angle, you can break them. Other metals bend before they break, tungsten carbide breaks before it bends. But it doesn't mean it breaks so easily. You should not worry much if you wear normally. I dropped my rings (in size 8) many times and never broke it before. There has been less than 1% of my past sales that my customers actually broke (mostly on bigger sizes like 10 up). If you care for Tungsten Carbide like you would care for other fine jewelry. There is nothing to worry about. I need to forewarn because some of the customers. Hearing that it's the hardest metal, they try to deliberately destroy the rings for fun. |
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How to properly care for Tungsten Carbide jewelry
Tungsten Carbide jewelry is easy to сare for. Just wash it sometimes with soap when it gets oily and dab it dry with a towel. No special treatment/polish needed. And please be careful not to drop Tungsten Carbide jewelry against hard flooring from the distance, since there is always a chance that it might break. The larger the diameter of the ring is, the greater chance it might break.
Also to prolong the zirconium / gold / black plated Tungsten Carbide jewelry or any other plated jewelry, it's best to always keep it dry and away from alcohol, perfume, cleaning supplies. Only clean with water or soapy water when it gets too oily and dab dry with a towel. This will prolong the life to its maximum. |
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Titanium Facts
Titanium (Ti) is a naturally occurring element like gold, silver, and platinum. Titanium has a melting point of 1660° Celsius (3020° Fahrenheit). It is a luxurious grayish white non ferrous metal with the highest strength to weight ratio of any known element. As a result, Titanium is the favored material in the aerospace industry with its weight only slightly heavier than aluminum.
Titanium is also now a popular material in the jewelry industry for its hard wearing & hypoallergenic properties. It is becoming increasingly a popular choice of material for wedding bands because they will stand up to more wear and tear than other precious metals and perhaps, more importantly, Titanium rings are beautiful to behold. Titanium jewelry, as with many other materials, will scratch, appear dull or faded with wear; however, to restore the original vibrant colors, simply wash the items in warm soapy water or alcohol and blot dry with a soft paper towel.
Tungsten Carbide and Titanium are both popular due to their durability and hardness. The difference is that Titanium ring is as light as Aluminum, making it comfortable to wear; however, the solid weight of Tungsten Carbide rings made them appear more valuable and also the look is different both in color and overall hardness. Typical price of a Titanium ring in the market ranges from $200-300, while a Tungsten Carbide ring can go as high as $300-400. (you can search google). |
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Return / Exchange Procedure
Please contact us for the procedure and the return shipping address. We will reply within 24 hours.
For size exchange, there is a slight processing fee of 3.30 USD (and we will be responsible for any cost of shipping the new item back to you). Please let us know what size you prefer so we can check the availability for you. If the item is returned for a refund, we will issue a full refund less shipping charge.
Please contact us for the return procedure, In summary, the item must be posted back in original condition through registered, certified, or equivalent airmail service, so that you receive a label or registration number, such as, "RDxxxxxxxxxUS". Please email this number to us in order to verify the shipment. Also please understand that we cannot be responsible for the lost shipment so please protect your item with appropriate insurance. If the above service is too expensive in your country, you may opt for cheaper airmail service but you must assume all risks. |
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How to Track DHL Global Mail's shipment?
DHL Global Mail is a non-prioritized airmail service by DHL express though its many regional hubs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Singapore, etc. The tracking number therefore can have different country's code depending on your area. We always update the tracking number in your "Purhcase History" section in your eBay account.
You can track the package at: http://www.track-trace.com/post
(please wait 3-4 days before the tracking is updated since the package is originated from Thailand before being scanned in different hubs.)
DHL Global Mail is more reliable and safer than Thailand Post; however, the delivery time can be a bit longer than Thailand Post in some destinations. We reserve the right to decide which shipping method is more suitable for your country.
The tracking on the originating post website will shows the latest status of the package until it leaves the border only. The rest of the tracking info must be checked on the local post website of your country (provided online tracking is supported by your local post)
For US customers, the package is trackable on USPS.com. The international registered airmail, which is equivalent to "Certified Mail with Delivery Confirmation" mailing service by USPS in USA, requires your signature upon delivery. If you are not available at the time of delivery, the post man is required to leave a notice of attempted delivery so that you can pick the package later at the post office near you.
For Australian customers, the package is not trackable online but you can make a telephone call to the Australian post at 131318 (local phone number) to inquire the status of the package if you feel the delivery is too long.
Other countries, please refer to the table below for the list of countries we have verified the tracking ability.
Registered airmail is very reliable and safe. We have sent more than 2,000 airmails to over 60 countries and have never had any loss, although the delivery time can vary from 7 - 30 days or a little longer
if involving customs. So your patience is highly appreciated. And please do not worry since this type of airmail is insured. If the item is lost or the delivery takes longer than 1 month, I will help you file an investigation with DHL and get your money back. If you prefer more speed and safety, please upgrade the shipping to express and we will ship via, EMS, FedEx, or DHL Express.
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How to Track Thailand Post's shipment?
Registered Airmails via Thailand Post is considerably faster than DHL Global Mail for shipments inside Asia. Thailand Post's international registered airmail will show its status on Thailand Post website. However , once the item arrives at the countries listed below. the tracking is still available online on the post office's website of that country (if supported).
The tracking website of Thailand Post: http://track.thailandpost.co.th/trackinternet/Default.aspx
We reserve the right to decide which shipping method is more suitable for your country. You will be notified in the shipping notification email whether your shipment is done via Thailand Post of DHL Global Mail. As a rule of thumb, we prefer Thailand Post for destinations in Asia Pacific, because of its speed.
Registered airmail requires your signature upon delivery. If you are not available at the time of delivery, the post man is required to leave a notice of attempted delivery so that you can pick the package later at the post office near you. We always send an airmail label number to you in a shipping notification email right after the item has been posted so that you can keep as a reference in case that you need to contact the post or customs office in your country.
Registered airmail is very reliable and safe. We have sent more than 2,000 airmails to over 60 countries and have never had any loss, although the delivery time can vary from 7 - 30 days or a little longer
if involving customs. So your patience is highly appreciated. And please do not worry since this type of airmail is insured. If the item is lost or the delivery takes longer than 1 month, I will help you file an investigation with DHL and get your money back. If you prefer more speed and safety, please upgrade the shipping to express and we will ship via, EMS, FedEx, or DHL Express.
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