Tungsten Carbide is the hardest metal known to men. Because of its unique physical and hypoallergenic properties, it is the perfect material for intimate jewelry. The only material harder than tungsten carbide is a pure diamond with a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, whereas tungsten carbide is on level 9. Because of extreme hardness, we have to use the most expensive and precise diamond-cutting tools to design and shape our rings.
The word "tungsten" originates from a Swedish term meaning "heavy stone", which perfectly describes one of the main properties of tungsten. The density of tungsten carbide is double that of stainless steel, four times higher than the density of titanium, and 50% higher than pure silver. Rings are unexpectedly heavy when first picked up and added heft further elevates luxurious feeling when worn around your manhood. They feel solid, dense, and almost indestructible.
How are Himeros rings made?
The first step is to melt tungsten with carbon and other alloying materials in the form of a fine gray powder. In a process called sintering, the powder is compressed under high pressure and extremely high temperatures in excess of 3400 °C (6200 °F). An oxygen-free oven is used to ensure the highest possible quality.
Two different binding agents can be used for sintering: cobalt or nickel. Cobalt is the cheaper and easier option, but has one huge drawback – it is not body-safe. For this reason, all our rings strictly use only nickel and are consequently hypoallergenic, body-safe and cobalt-free.
After the sintering process, we get so-called “blank rings”. They are in a natural gray color and prepared to enter the next phase – cutting (if needed) and polishing. Only diamond tools can be used for cutting and shaping rings into a form that is needed for making inlays and for polishing processes.
Polishing is done in multiple steps. The hardness of tungsten carbide introduces some challenges – only diamond compounds are suitable to create a mirror-like surface that will be practically indestructible for the whole lifetime of the ring.
After the rings are shaped and polished some designs require further steps to complete their unique look. To achieve colours other than stock silver/gunmetal gray, rings are ion-plated. Ion plating is a process where a special coating is deposited on the surface of our rings. Ion plating is five to eight times more durable than the older traditional methods. If you would like to know more about ion plating, please let us know in the comments below and we shall dedicate a separate blog post specifically to ion plating.
After ion plating is completed, there are only two steps left before rings are completed; creating unique inlays and engraving our logo with a laser on the inside surface of the ring.
To sum up...
Tungsten Carbide is a special material, that requires high-tech manufacturing tools and equipment. It is much more difficult to process than stainless steel or gold, but the advantages it brings are worth the hassle without a doubt! Pros:
- High density, twice the density of stainless steel
- Extreme hardness – second hardest material on Earth only next to the diamond
- The highest melting point of all metals
- Body-safe hypoallergenic properties
- Scratch-resistant
- Does not rust nor tarnish
- Almost indestructible
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