One cool Cobalt Ring!

Now this particular Cobalt Ring might be a little bold for some folks who have a more conservative style, but you really need to check this ring out. It is just so cool! No other jeweler has anything remotely close out there.

Created by Heavy Stone Rings, in Utah, this cobalt ring is constructed of Cobalt Chrome, Black Zirconium and 18K yellow gold. I personally voted for this ring in the annual JCK JEWELERS CHOICE AWARD. Although, it didn't win it was a finalist! However, I take consolation in that it's "all cobalt" brother won the award! I just personally like the contrast of the Black Zirconium with the bright white Cobalt Chrome.

The ring has a real industrial feel. There are 27 different parts that must be individually made then the ring is hand assembled. It's truly an engineering marvel that can be worn and shown off every day!

Kudos to the designers over at Heavy Stone Rings!

Award Winning Cobalt Ring from Heavy Stone Rings

In the earlier post I mentioned how the WILLIAMS Cobalt Chrome Ring by Heavy Stone Rings was the winner of the JCK JEWELERS CHOICE AWARD.

But I thought now I would post where the inspiration of this really unique cobalt ring came from. Nick Williams, one of the designers at Heavy Stone Rings, actually designed this ring (hence the ring's name "WILLIAMS"). In New York City there are old rustic iron trusses and beams in their subway system. Many of these are well over a century old. The iron pieces are held together with large protruding bolts. It's a very industrial look and exudes a measure of masculinity. Nick Williams has been fascinated with these iron trusses and wanted to carry out a design in a men's ring that would capture a similar feeling.

The ring is actually comprised of 27 different pieces! Most rings are a simple piece of round piece of metal - just one piece. But the WILLIAMS cobalt ring has TWENTY SEVEN pieces! Amazing, just amazing. These individual pieces of machined cobalt and 18K red gold are actually put together by hand. This in itself is a lost art as most wedding bands today are generic mass produced rings that lack individuality or good craftsmanship.

Can't go wrong with any of the Heavy Stone cobalt rings!

AWARD WINNING MEN'S COBALT RING

Congratulations to the designers over at Heavy Stone Rings for creating this very cool mens cobalt ring! The WILLIAMS Cobalt Ring by Heavy Stone Rings won the prestigious 2011 JCK JEWLERS CHOICE AWARD WINNER for Best Men's Jewelry Piece!

The ring is made of Cobalt Chrome. Cobalt Chrome is a rather new player in the contemporary metals market for mens wedding bands. More and more men are beginning to chose a cobalt wedding band for their wedding ring.

The WILLIAMS ring is a big bold industrial themed ring. It measures a whopping 10mm wide and is constructed of Cobalt Chrome plates which encircle the ring. The plates are secured using 18K Red Gold. Just an ingenious design - no wonder they won the award!

Currently you can only find the WILLIAMS Cobalt Chrome Ring for sale online at Titanium-Jewelry.com. (Link: http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/cobalt-ring-28.html)

To see more mens cobalt wedding bands please visit Titanium-Jewelry.com.

Cobalt Rings - What's Hot Now

Chad Anderson, the founder and owner of Heavy Stone Rings (http://www.heavystonerings.com), a family run modern metals jewelry manufacturer who actually manufactures their jewelry right here in the U.S., and I were discussing the latest trends for men's rings and wedding bands recently. When asked what was the "hot seller" for Heavy Stone Rings during the past few months, Chad said that Cobalt Rings now account for roughly half 50% of their wedding band sales. (Cobalt Rings are also called Cobalt Chrome Rings.) Heavy Stone Rings manufactures tungsten rings, titanium rings, cobalt rings and damascus steel rings in Utah. Their rings are found in close to 200 fine jewelry stores across America, and some abroad.

When asked why jewelers are now purchasing more cobalt rings Chad said, “We have seen a continuing increase demand for our cobalt rings. People love the color and durability that cobalt offers them. The unique properties of the metal allow us to have some creativity and flexibility in designing new styles. Some of our newest designs have won industry awards. With the rising cost of precious metals the future of our American made cobalt line is bright.”

I think Heavy Stone Rings is a great example of a successful small family run business. Heavy Stone actually started as a jewelry trade shop doing some of the intricate precious metals inlay work for larger wedding band companies. They are truly skilled artisans, something seldom seen nowadays. And their rings are actually made here in the U.S. – something most other wedding band manufacturers can’t say anymore with all the outsourcing being done overseas.

Cobalt rings and Cobalt wedding bands by Heavy Stone Rings can be found at fine jewelry stores. Or you can shop online at www.Titanium-Jewelry.com/heavy-stone-rings.html

theKnot.com 2011 Engagement & Jewelry Survey

I just ran across the results from theKnot.com's 2011 Engagement & Jewelry Survey. There are some interesting insights in the survey results regarding current engagement and wedding ring trends.

Below are some highlights of the survey results:

Average engagement ring cost: $5,200
Average diamond carat size for center stone: 1.40ct
Most popular diamond shape: round brilliant (53%)
Most popular engagement ring metal: white gold (73%)
Brides wedding band cost: $1,126
Grooms wedding band cost: $491
Percent of grooms who choose tungsten wedding rings: 27%
Percent of grooms who choose titanium wedding rings: 16%
About 12% of couples spend more than $8,000 on the engagement ring

Regarding the men's portion of the survey, a couple things stand out. Men are increasingly choosing contemporary metals for their wedding bands. Survey says...Tungsten rings accounted for 27% of mens wedding bands in 2011. This is up from 19% in 2008; a whopping 42% increase! Survey said that Titanium rings accounted for 16% in 2011, up from 13% in 2008.

So there you go. Tungsten rings and titanium rings are continuing to emerge as important choices for men's wedding bands.

Tungsten Wedding Bands - Still Hot!

Last week I was speaking with Scott Mackey, COO of Titanium-Jewelry.com which is the webs leading retailer of modern men's jewelry, and we were discussing which metals are most popular for men's wedding bands. Titanium-Jewelry.com offers a variety:

Tungsten, Titanium, Black Titanium, Sterling Silver (Argentium), 14K and 18K ROSE Gold, Seranite, Timoku (a really cool type of mokume gane titanium) and Palladium. With such a large selection of materials, which one is the most popular?

It turns out that tungsten wedding bands are the most popular seller for men's wedding bands.

There are some great benefits that guys like about tungsten wedding bands. They are nearly scratch proof (not quite - but pretty darn close) thus ensuring your ring also looks like it did when you purchased it. And they have a heavy feel to them since the material is so dense. They feel masculine, and they do not wear out like a ring of gold, platinum, or other precious metals. On the downside, they can be brittle. A tungsten wedding band could chip or possibly exhibit a crack if dropped on a hard surface and it hit just right. But if you did the same thing to a gold ring it could be damaged as well. So what I'm saying is that there are advantages and disadvantages to any material you choose for your wedding band.

So at least right now tungsten wedding bands are what most men are choosing when shopping for their wedding band. There ya have it!


- J.R. Yates

Cool new DOG TAGS for men!

It seems more and more men are wearing dog tag necklaces as part of their fashion wardrobe. Everytime I flip through a style or celebrity magazine I'll usually see at least one guy rocking a dog tag.

The last couple years dog tags have exploded on the men's fashion and jewelry scene. One of my personal favorites is the new TIMOKU and BLACK TITANIUM dog tags

by Edward Mirell. (For those of you that don't know Edward Mirell is THE guru of titanium jewelry design and manufacturing. And all their pieces are made here in the U.S. - no outsourcing for those guys!)

Anyhow, take a look at the pic. The timoku part, which is a black titanium mixed with grey titanium mokume gane (now I really confused you) metal looks slick paired with the rich black titanium dog tag.
For more information on what exactly TIMOKU is please visit: http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/about-edward-mirell-timoku.html

These titanium dog tag necklaces are very cool, unique and edgy. Unlike any other dog tag necklace out there.