Sand Sifter
Well-known member
If any of you find rings that aren’t gold or silver, don’t immediately write them off as junk. Check to see if the ring is made from Tungsten, and if so, ya just might want to hold onto it. The Tungsten market is very quiet and flies below most people’s radar. Like Silver, Tungsten is one of the most critical and highly strategic metals for the U.S. and ranks in the Top 10 minerals with the highest economic and supply chain disruption risks.
The severe strategic vulnerability stems from a total lack of domestic mining along with extreme foreign reliance. 3 countries, China, Russia and North Korea control 90% of global Tungsten extraction and processing, and China alone dominates about 80% of global production. So, let’s see, Tungsten is a critical & strategic metal for the U.S., but almost all of Tungsten’s extraction & production is controlled by 3 countries that don’t like us, and that I’m sure would just love to cut off our supply. China has already started restricting the export for the majority of their Silver. And, after all, those 3 countries aren’t on our “closest allies” list. Let that sink in.
Tungsten has the highest melting point of all pure metals along with unmatched density, so it’s more difficult and expensive to melt into rings, bars, etc. The unique physical properties of Tungsten make it practically irreplaceable for the U.S. Dept of Defense. It’s also been nicknamed the “Teeth of Industry”, as without Tungsten, manufacturing in the U.S. would grind to a halt.
To tell if you’ve found a Tungsten ring, look inside the band. Tungsten uses a different marking scheme than Gold and Silver, so you won’t find a number inside the band, like 925 for Silver or 585 for 14k Gold. Instead, it will be stamped with one of the following identifiers inside the band:
The severe strategic vulnerability stems from a total lack of domestic mining along with extreme foreign reliance. 3 countries, China, Russia and North Korea control 90% of global Tungsten extraction and processing, and China alone dominates about 80% of global production. So, let’s see, Tungsten is a critical & strategic metal for the U.S., but almost all of Tungsten’s extraction & production is controlled by 3 countries that don’t like us, and that I’m sure would just love to cut off our supply. China has already started restricting the export for the majority of their Silver. And, after all, those 3 countries aren’t on our “closest allies” list. Let that sink in.
Tungsten has the highest melting point of all pure metals along with unmatched density, so it’s more difficult and expensive to melt into rings, bars, etc. The unique physical properties of Tungsten make it practically irreplaceable for the U.S. Dept of Defense. It’s also been nicknamed the “Teeth of Industry”, as without Tungsten, manufacturing in the U.S. would grind to a halt.
To tell if you’ve found a Tungsten ring, look inside the band. Tungsten uses a different marking scheme than Gold and Silver, so you won’t find a number inside the band, like 925 for Silver or 585 for 14k Gold. Instead, it will be stamped with one of the following identifiers inside the band:
- TUNGSTEN: The full word is the most common industry standard.
- TUNGSTEN CARBIDE: Signifies the ring is made from the highly scratch-resistant jewelry alloy (tungsten mixed with carbon).
- TC: The abbreviated shorthand for Tungsten Carbide.
