A Quick Guide to Buying Titanium Rings for Men 2010-02-03

Many people’s approach to buying titanium jewelry for men usually doesn’t extend beyond looking at the picture and the price. But we recommend a little preparation before your purchase to ensure you make the right choice. Here are the basics:

1) How to Find Out His Finger Size
We can’t stress enough how important it is to start by getting the correct ring size. With titanium rings, resizing can be difficult. Enlarging a ring can only be done with the correct tools, and thus usually incurs a fee. Conversely, shrinking a titanium ring simply isn’t possible. In our experience, it’s always better to go with a snug fit rather than a loose fit.

Rings are separated by quarter sizes, so be sure to find out his size to the nearest quarter. Your best option is to get a sizing kit from a reputable dealer, such as TiRings.com. You receive a free ring sizing kit when you place an order (TiRings.com will wait to hear what size you need before sending the ring itself), which so far has yielded a 100% success rate. With your own sizing kit, you obtain the most accurate results because the size of a finger can change depending on things like the time of day and the temperature (strange, but true). Additionally, you can make the ring a surprise gift by sizing his finger covertly - here’s a quick guide to secretly getting his ring size.

Your other option is to go to your local jeweler and have his finger size measured (it’s usually free). However, be aware that there is no standard of measurement between jewelers.

2) What Kind of Guy is He?

Usually, common sense is all that’s needed when determining which ring to buy for a man. Is he a flamboyant? Practical? An introverted enigma? There’s no such thing as a “regular guy,” so consider his true personality carefully.

If he already wears jewelry, you’re going to want to give him something unique and special. You could try to wow him with an elaborate piece, or even choose an obscure design technique, such as Mokume Gane or Sable. However, if he’s never worn jewelry before, it’s probably wise to avoid starting him off on anything flashy, bulky or heavy (side note: titanium is ultra-lightweight, thus making it an excellent first ring).

Guys who are show-offs, and like flashy accessories, might prefer shiny or sparkling finishes because they attract attention. However, even guys who don’t fit this category may still prefer a titanium ring that makes an impression. If that sounds right for your guy, opt for styles and finishes that are polished or sparkle like our Frost titanium rings. Conversely, reserved or stoic personalities may prefer the subtle tones of Satin titanium rings, Black titanium rings, and so on.

Remember, there’s a ring for everyone. Titanium rings can be adorned with religious symbols, tribal or national insignias, and more. They can also be inlayed with any other metal, like gold or platinum, as well as set with gems, such as diamonds (check out our diamond titanium rings, for example).

3) Type, Grade and Finish

Most of the time, the titanium used in rings is going to be aircraft grade (or Ti 6-4 – that’s 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, 90% titanium; the added mix makes it three times stronger than pure titanium!). Some retailers sell “pure” titanium (99% titanium) and other alloy blends, however over the years it has become apparent to most dealers that aircraft grade is by far the superior choice due to its strength, scratch-resistance, and beauty. At TiRings.com, we use only aircraft grade titanium for this reason.

You should consider what kind of finish best suits the ring-wearer, based on his everyday life. For example, construction workers, carpenters, and other professionals who work extensively with their hands should opt for a Frost titanium ring. Frost’s surface is crafted in a way that easily hides the scratches that inevitably occur for those who work with their hands. Certain chemicals can also take their toll on jewelry; however titanium is very corrosion resistant, and thus makes an ideal material for this.

4) Engravings

For handmade titanium rings, engravings are free at TiRings.com. (However, this doesn’t apply to the Discount titanium rings range).

So, what to write? Like any blank canvass, the hardest part is coming up with something in the first place. Here’s our advice: don’t stress out about it.

If you’re really stuck, keep it simple – a touching expression of love or friendship in 3 or 4 words is usually fine. Alternatively, if there’s a message that only the two of you would understand, that could make the message special. Just remember that he is probably going to be wearing these words for a long, long time. Avoid silly, immature or temporary expressions (or even a recent nickname that he hasn’t fully consented to!).

Next, choose something from our selection of ring engraving fonts, which also includes examples of previous engravings.

On a technical note, you do need to consider word length. Be sure to have a shorter backup engraving in mind if we let you know that your intended one is too long. 15 characters (with spaces) is average, but more can be accommodated - it depends on the size of the ring and the font type.

Lastly, engravings cannot be changed, so choose your words carefully. They also cannot be removed without changing the shape and/or size of the ring!

Fortune Favors the Brave on Valentine's Day 2010-02-07

Valentine's Day is a day that brings mixed feelings. For those who have no love in their life, it can be an unwelcome reminder of that very fact. For those who do have love, it can bring a new appreciation for that person, or a reminder that the relationship isn’t quite as good as it should be.

But there’s another feeling that to me is the very epitome of Valentine's Day: the yearning lover. It’s the people who secretly desire someone they know, and haven’t yet made their feelings known. For many people, the thought of revealing their desires are terrifying.

It’s fascinating to note that, out of the millions of species on Earth, humans are the only ones that will hide their true feelings about who they want to make their lovers. There are thousands of unique courting rituals among the animals; not a single one involves keeping desire a secret. Perhaps nature has some lessons for us.

Make this Valentine’s Day the one that you seize, and remember forever - for better or for worse. Start with a gift and a letter. If nothing comes of it, then that’s fine. You did your part and can go on with your life without having lived any regrets. That burden is lifted from you.

Ha, you say – what about the awkwardness, the embarrassment, the ridicule, if the love is unrequited?

Consider that you’ll suffer more from the steady suppression of your true self and feelings over your lifetime, than by enduring ridicule or awkwardness right now. Even when you "fail," you get ahead, because you tried, you learned, and now you’re stronger for it. There’s an ancient Roman proverb we need to be reminded of whenever faced with a difficult path, and it goes, "Fortes fortuna adiuvat." Fortune favors the brave.

Valentine’s Day is the day that much of the world has set aside for just one thing: giving a gift to someone you care about. There’s true wisdom in gift-giving, something that we humans have been doing for as long as there have been civilized societies. Use this day well and be brave when it comes to that special someone you care about - the results can be dramatic.

The History of Titanium Jewelry 2010-03-25

For some reason, there seems to be almost no information out there about the history of titanium jewelry. We figured we’d have to at least impart a bit of information for the curious out there.

Here is what we do know. The use of titanium in jewelry is a modern phenomenon, not something that human civilization has been involved with for a long time (as with gold). Titanium was only discovered in 1791, and an efficient method of adapting titanium ore to a usable metallic form for jewelry has only been with us for a matter of decades.

As far as we can remember, the first titanium jewelry was being sold in the early 1990s. Well before the craft reached its maturity (i.e. now), initial jewelers had even figured out “anodization” – the almost magical process of bringing brilliant color to titanium (and some other materials) by applying an electrical charge to it.

It seems to be a complete mystery as to who exactly was the first to make titanium jewelry; however all we can offer is that Eric Pless here at TiRings.com was one of the first, so we often put these questions to him.

Eric is our chief designer (and, no less, our chief in general) and remembers experimenting with a sheet of titanium during the early 1990s. How he came to having the titanium to experiment with in the first place almost didn’t happen: Eric was on the phone ordering jewelry materials from his supplier, and decided on the spur of the moment to request a sheet of titanium, too. It was an off-hand decision that forever changed his destiny.

During these experiments, and watching how versatile and beautiful titanium was to work with, Eric knew that he would from that point on devote his working life to titanium jewelry.

To understand the gravity of this decision, you have to understand the craft at that point in history. For the experienced jewelry designers who made the switch to titanium, this was risky stuff. On the one hand, there’s thousands of years of jewelry-making tradition (using materials like gold and silver) and a guaranteed market for it; on the other, a brand new metal for which there was no demand, let alone even common awareness (at the time). Eric chose the big question mark, but it paid off.

That’s about it from our end, but if you can fill us in on some of these blanks, please get in contact with us. It’s not surprising that there’s now a Wikipedia page about titanium rings, given their rising popularity. We’ll add to this as we know more!

TiRings Now On Twitter, and Discounted Rings 2010-04-08

This is just a quick post to let everyone know that TiRings is on Twitter, meaning that by following TiRings you can find out about on-the-spot bargains, discount coupons, new ring designs, and more.

To kick it off, one of the first things we’re announcing is our Discount Range of titanium rings (well, more like “re-announcing.” Long-time customers will be aware that we’ve featured the discount range for a little while, but kept it low-key until now).

Here’s the deal: TiRings was founded on the idea of offering the highest quality handmade titanium rings. But sometimes you want a titanium ring for, say, a small gift and don’t want to pay “highest quality handmade” prices, right? The Discount Titanium Rings Range is the answer to that. They’re high quality machine-made titanium rings, rather than handmade, and cost just a fraction of the price.

Here’s a link to one of the rings in the Discount Range to show you what we’re talking about: $89 Discount Cable Fortitude Ring.

Once again, click here to follow TiRings on Twitter.

Know the People Who Make Your Rings (on Facebook) 2010-04-20

The crew here at TiRings.com is inviting you to join our new Facebook page. It’s our forum for news, loyalty discounts, new ring design images, and more. It’s also an opportunity to get to know the people who made the special ring in your life – whether it be your wedding ring, promise ring, or just that ring you wear because it defines a little bit of you.

Best of all, it’s a place where you get to share your thoughts, and read the thoughts of everyone else involved: be they the customers who enjoy our rings, the artisans who design and make them, or the support crew who hold the ship together.

Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/tirings?ref=nf

Just click on the “Like” button at the top center of the page to add us to your list (you may have to log in, the box for that is in the top right corner).