A wedding ring is a symbol of a marriage bond, and, like the marriage, is supposed to last a long time. To the superstitious, a damaged or tarnished wedding ring is an especially bad sign. Thus traditionally, to ensure longevity of the ring as well as the marriage, the precious metals like gold or platinum have been the materials of choice for wedding bands.

These days, however, gold or platinum are not the most durable materials on the market. Tungsten carbide rings are a lot tougher and arguably just as beautiful. While gold and platinum bands get scratched easily and require frequent polishing to maintain shine, those made from tungsten carbide are completely maintenance free. In fact, tungsten carbide is so tough that diamond is the only material capable of scratching it.