Titanium is a lustrous, silver-gray, metallic element. It has the strength of steel and yet weight comparable to aluminum. It responds very little to electricity, heat and magnets. In addition, titanium forms protective surface layers, which gives it excellent resistance to corrosive attacks by saltwater, sea air and certain acids. It is even capable of being submerged in water for long periods of time without sustaining damage.

Where is it being used?

The physiological inertness of titanium makes it very compatible with the human body. It has been used by physicians in bone and cartilage replacement surgeries. It has even been used to make artificial hips, dental implants, and valves for the heart.

Titanium is one of the favorite metals in the aerospace industry. After World War II, the U.S. military was developing advanced missile systems and aircraft that could fly faster than the speed of sound. It needed a stronger metal, one that could handle the high temperature and the stresses produced by air friction when traveling at high speed. It chose titanium. The Black Bird (AKA Habu) is made of titanium alloy. It can fly more than 2,200 mph (more than three times the speed of sound). NASA has also realized the benefits of titanium, using it to make many of its space shuttles.

The History of Titanium

Titanium was discovered by a British mineralogist, Gregor Williams, in 1791. In 1795, a German chemist and mineralogist, Martin H. Klaproth, named it Titanium. This was derived from the Titans of Greek mythology, characters owning extreme power and superior strength. Titanium wasn't widely used until the early 20th century because the technology wasn't available to separate it from its compounded material. William Kroll, a refugee from Luxembourg, invented a process that allowed production of metallic titanium to be available. The United States Bureau of Mines used the Kroll process to produce metallic titanium and received financial aid for its production. Annual production has rapidly increased from 3 tons in 1948 to 20,000 plus tons in the early ’80s.

From a newly discovered element, titanium soon became a popular material that has been used in various industries. In recent years, we see it being widely used in aerospace, medical, construction or even sports industry. It has also joined platinum, gold, and silver to be one of the Noble Metals. Because of its compatibility to the human body and its hardness, it has been introduced to the jewelry industry in the mid-80s by a few individual companies. Today people are still enjoying the benefits that titanium offers and discovering new uses for it.

Benefits of Our Titanium Products

Titanium is a very lightweight metal with great strength. Because it has great resistance to acidity, it doesn’t change its appearance over time like many other metals. Gold and silver are highly susceptible to seawater and sea air. Wearing a titanium ring, you don’t have to worry about damaging your jewelry while participating in outdoor activities. You can wear your favorite titanium ring to the hot tub or swimming pool and not have to worry about it getting damaged by chlorine. For someone with sensitive skin that usually cannot wear jewelry, titanium might be the only choice. For years titanium has been known for its compatibility with the human body and has been widely used as a surgical replacement for bones and hips.

Our in-house products are made of CP (commercially pure) grade titanium, which is commonly used in the medical field and is the most biocompatible titanium grade of all. CP titanium (grade 2) is roughly twice as strong as gold and platinum (tensile strength). Many of our featured designers use 6-4 or 6-6-2 aircraft grade titanium alloys, which have even greater strength. However, they may not be quite as biocompatible as CP grade titanium because of their alloy contents. People who have sensitive skin might want to avoid wearing the aircraft grade titanium because they may react to the alloy contents.