Titanium

[Kelly]

I've heard some good and bad things about titanium I like the look however it appears a bit more masculine than feminine. Some say that because it is so tough that sizing can be a big problem. I've also heard that in case of an emergency you can lose a finger. Is it more expensive than platinum? Is it brittle in cold weather? Does it cause problems for those with arthritic fingers?

What are the facts about this metal for rings?

[Feydakin]

As far as I know no one "sizes" or "repairs" titanium.. It's simply too hard.. You need a real machine shop, not a jeweler, to work on these things..

As for loosing a finger, you can do that with a silver ring as well.. But, if you should manage to smash it onto your finger, requiring it to be cut of (the ring that is), you may have trouble finding a place that can do it for you short of an ER..

Steve -

[Bearman]

As far as I know no one "sizes" or "repairs" titanium.. It's simply too hard.. You need a real machine shop, not a jeweler, to work on these things..

As for loosing a finger, you can do that with a silver ring as well.. But, if you should manage to smash it onto your finger, requiring it to be cut of (the ring that is), you may have trouble finding a place that can do it for you short of an ER..

Steve -

I don't think even an ER can cut it off for you.

[Gregory Diamond]

Most hospitals do have the tools to cut a titanium ring off.

The problem is that emergency vehicles like ambulances do not and many times it is too late once you get to the hospital.


Greg

[Bearman]

Most hospitals do have the tools to cut a titanium ring off.

The problem is that emergency vehicles like ambulances do not and many times it is too late once you get to the hospital.


Greg

I learn something new every day.

[denverappraiser]

.. requiring it to be cut of (the ring that is), you may have trouble finding a place that can do it for you short of an ER..

Steve -

I disagree. It's not that difficult to cut. Titanium has about the same workability as stainless steel and can be cut by any of the standard tools used for cutting steel. This includes hacksaws and rotary tools like foredoms and dremel tools. Ambulance and Fire crews always carry this sort of equipment although they usually want to spend their valuable time on other activities unless the ring is posing an imminent danger. It's not as easy as gold and silver, which can be simply clipped off with a bolt cutter if desired, but it's not nearly as difficult as the above statement would suggest either.

Steve, at your bench you can cut the stuff with a standard foredom tool and a separating disk. You could cut off a typical ring in less than 2 minutes. I've done it. Unlike gold, silver and platinum, this is irreparable damage to the ring. The standard way to size a titanium ring is to make another one like it in the proper size.

Titanium is usually quite a bit less expensive than platinum. The metal cost is way less expensive but the designer making the ring can charge whatever they want within the limits of what their customers are willing to pay. Some can get pricey but they are usually pretty reasonable. Cold weather has no significant affect on the metal.

Titanium shouldn?t directly affect arthritic fingers but I know of no ?arthritic? style shank where the ring can be made to expand to fit over a large knuckle and then be adjusted to fit more tightly on the finger and, as mentioned above, it?s basically impossible to change the size after you buy it.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA

[Feydakin]

Let me rephrase my answer slightly -

Do to liabilty issues and the hardness of titantium, you may have trouble finding a place that can do it for you short of an ER..

We don't even cut off silver or gold rings anymore.. It's just not worth the risk of being sued by someone should they get cut or something even worse should accidentally happen.. I can't imagine putting a pair of bolt cutters, or worse yet, a foredom with a serperating disk, next to someone's finger to hack off a ring..

And as you said, I can't size a ring at my bench.. I can destroy it real goodly, but not put it back together and still be able to call it jewelry..

Steve -

[denverappraiser]

You're probably wise in declining this sort of work. Liability issues can be a pain, in more ways than one. A standard jewelers block policy would cover this risk under the general liability clause but it probably isn't worth the trouble. Discussions like this make me glad that I've retired from the bench.

Most jewelers have more delicate tools than bolt cutters but your point is certainly valid. Bolt cutters is the approach used by the ambulance crews. It's a very fast and effective way of preserving the finger at the expense of the ring. This strikes me as an entirely appropriate approach for an paramedic to take. I would hope that any customer who showed up at a jeweler with this request is not in a position where they are risking their finger but customers can ask for some pretty dumb things. Declining all requests seems like a sound policy.

Neil

[Sally414]

why would someone want titanium in the first place?

[Quinn]

I work in an emergency room as an RN. I have yet to run across a titanium ring that we have had to cut off, they probably aren't popular in this area.

We have had to cut rings off of people though. This is usually due to a broken arm, wrist or finger or any other condition where swelling of the extremity might cause the ring to cut off blood supply to the finger. There have been quite a few lawsuits over lost digits due to rings. We have to have the person sign a release of responsibility form prior to removing the ring. The person usually gets a rather mangled ring back. We don't accept responsiblity for lost stones etc.

I can fully understand why a jeweler would not want to take the risk involved in potential damage or percieved damage caused by removal of a ring by cutting. One small scrape of the skin on a compromised finger of a diabetic or someone with poor circulation could result in infection and possible loss of a digit. We had one instance where a person had a jeweler cut off a ring, just being a nice guy, the person developed a severe infection with MRSA, eventually lost their 3rd and 4th digit as a result. I'm not sure if a law suit followed.