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Titanium Jewelry: What is it?
Fine Jewelry crafted from Titanium metal has become more popular in recent years and found a market niche.
3 grades of titanium are used to manufacture jewelry.
Ti-6/4 - Aircraft grade titanium alloy (6Al/4V)
Ti-6/6/2 - Extra-hard titanium (6Al/6V/2Sn)
CP 4 - Commercial Pure Titanium, grade 4
The increasing popularity of Titanium is due to it's superiority because it will never tarnish, is 100% compatible with the human body, does not produce allergic reactions, skin irritations or discoloration of any sort, as some forms of Platinum (with cobalt as the alloy)or Gold, making it the ideal metal for those with sensitive skin. This is true for all grades of titanium, including CP, 6/4, and 6/6/2.
Ti-6/4 Aircraft Grade Titanium is used primarily in jewelry because
it has greater hardness than basic grade Titanium (CP.)
This Aircraft Grade Titanium alloy is about 3 times stronger than basic grade (CP) and resists wearing to a much greater extent.
Titanium 6/4 consists of 90% titanium, 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium. This alloy has a tensile strength of up to 150,000 psi and a Brinell hardness value of 330.
This alloy combination offers the highest resistance to denting and bending.
Titanium 6/6/2 consists of 86% titanium, 6% aluminum, 6% vanadium, 2% tin. It has a tensile strength of up to 180,000 psi and a Brinell hardness value of 389.
Aircraft Grade vs. Pure Titanium:
Aircraft Grade Titanium requires more labor to create an outstanding piece of jewelry as opposed to the basic grades (CP). In themselves 6/4 and 6/6/2 are costlier, tougher, and take more time to machine, finish, and polish, accounting for their increased value.
Using the Ti-6/6/2 alloy is extremely difficult to work with, which is why not many jewelers offer it as an option for rings. But this grade is the ultimate in strength. It is increasingly resistant to demanding wear, retaining its form long-term.
Titanium Jewelry
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