Here’s a very interesting question that I found on a blog today – “do tungsten carbide wedding bands from Kay Jewelers contain cobalt?” It turns out that a consumer thinks that they may have an allergic reaction to cobalt, and is trying to avoid it if they can.
And here’s part of the answer – “Just call and ask the store. As far as I know they are. Cobalt is the binder for tungsten-carbide regardless of where you buy them.”
That’s actually a very good answer, although it might also depend on the individual manufacturer of the desired tungsten wedding band. In theory, someone out there may have developed another binding agent, but it's not like they can openly sell their tungsten formula. Since there is at least at this time an exclusive limited source due to several US Patents that restrict the availability of tungsten for wedding bands (and therefore has literally a tungsten stranglehold on the jewelry industry), if they use cobalt as a binder, then most brands will have had to follow suit since many purchase from this same company and pay a distribution royalty. Yes Virginia, there is a tungsten monopoly!!!!
My advice - if you have a possible allergy, stick with a precious metal like platinum or palladium.
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