Tungsten

More of an extreme collector material. Known for extreme density but expensive and difficult to work with. Since It has the highest melting point of any metal: 3422°C

Density: 19.25 g/cm . Tungsten carbide. 2.4x heavier than stainless steel, 4.3x heavier than titanium, and 7x heavier than aluminum by volume.

Grades:  W(Pure tungsten), WHA(Heavy tungsten alloy with nickel/iron or nickel/copper binders), WC(tungsten carbide), WC-Co(cemented tungsten carbide),

Finishes: polished, mirror polished, brushed, matte/satin, sandblasted, bead blasted, black PVD/DLC-coated, laser engraved, and sometimes faceted or grooved. Tungsten carbide can take a permanent looking polish-hence its popularity in mens rings,

Common Objects: Usually small, simple, and tactile: rings, beads, spinning tops, worry stones, haptic coins, cubes, dice, paperweights, desk weights, inserts, counterweights, and limited-edition fidget parts

Cons: The downsides are serious. Tungsten and tungsten carbide are hard to machine, expensive to fabricate, and poorly suited to complicated mechanical geometries. Tungsten carbide can be extremely hard and scratch-resistant, but it is also brittle compared with ductile metals; that is why tungsten-carbide rings can resist scratches but may crack if dropped on hard surfaces. Pure tungsten is also intrinsically difficult to work and is often formed by powder metallurgy/sintering rather than ordinary machining.

Comparisons: Compared with titanium, tungsten is almost the opposite. Titanium is premium because it is strong and light; tungsten is premium because it is dense and extreme. Compared with aluminum, tungsten feels dramatically more luxurious but is far less practical. Compared with stainless steel, tungsten is denser, harder, and more exotic, but more brittle and harder to fabricate. Compared with brass/copper, tungsten is colder, more technical, less warm, and less patina-driven. Compared with zirconium, tungsten is less color/oxidation-exotic but more impressive through raw mass.

Buyer facing labels should mention: pure tungsten, tungsten heavy alloy, tungsten carbide, polished tungsten carbide, brushed tungsten, black-coated tungsten carbide.