The majority of our pieces are made in a gold setting, be it white, yellow or rose gold. But a “newcomer” is slowing conquering space in our creative team’s workspace. We say “newcomer” but actually, titanium was quite popular during the 90’s, particularly in rings. While it was found many years ago, in 1791 Cornwall, England, it only started to be manufactured over a century later. And then in 1946 experts discovered how it could be commercially produced. It then took awhile to develop the right methods to create jewellery with the material, but there are many benefits to using titanium in jewellery!
To begin with, it may be tinted in a wide array of colours to create extremely lively and colourful jewellery! In the picture above you can see the leaves made in titanium are coloured in purple and green.
The colour effects are creating using an electrochemical process called “anodising”, by immersing the titanium in a salt solution and passing electricity, which adds to the thin layer of titanium oxide. The thickness of the oxide layer then changes the perceived colour.
In the pictures below and above, you can see the various blue to green colours that have been created on the titanium.
Titanium is exceptional amongst metals for the highest strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideal for creating large earrings that are also very light and comfortable to wear.
Appraised for its resistance to corrosion, it’s a perfect choice for people who like to accessorise to the beach, as it’s remarkably unaffected by the effects of salt water and chlorine (we are not necessarily recommending you swim in it, though).
It’s also hypoallergenic as it’s not mixed with potentially irritable alloys, so it can be worn by those prone to allergic reactions to other metals.
The special qualities of titanium, however, also mean that creating jewellery with the metal requires very specialised equipment and techniques that does add significantly to the cost as compared with using gold. But with the amazing colours that can be created along with its light weight, it’s definitely a metal that we love to work with!
Many people wonder how it performs compared to stainless steel. So let us break down the major differences to you…
On the surface, they may look pretty much the same, but there are some key distinguishing features to consider. While both are relatively light, Titanium wins the prize by miles, with a density of 4.54 kg/m3. There is a
reason why it is used for building aircrafts… Making it a very comfortable choice for earrings, for instance.
If we are comparing wearability, the pivotal difference between the two is their components. Stainless steel contains nickel in its composition, hence why it not being considered hypoallergenic, as many wearers with sensitive skin may react to it. Titanium, on the other hand, is all around a safe choice on that end.
Appearance wise, their colours are slightly different: Titanium has a darker shade of silver gray. It also possesses a more weathered look, even when polished. A trait we actually love about it, as it creates beautiful contrast against our colourful gemstones when left in its original shade.
For all of these reasons, Titanium is surely experiencing a rise in popularity. We for one are excited to keep exploring creative options with it in the making exquisite bespoke jewels!
