Titanium gets its name from the Greek gods - The Titans. The name was given by the Austrian chemist Martin Hienrich Klaproth who identified it as an element and assigned the number 22 in the periodic table. Although it was discovered by clergyman in (William Gregor) 1791, Titanium remained unknown due to his ignorance of the material.
Although, it was thought that Titanium could be used to make jewelry, the concept died down due to lack of technology to forge such a hard substance. After lying low for more than 200 years, molding of Titanium for jewelry applications began in 1997. The first trials produced by precision engineering companies have shown a lot of encouragement and thus the jewelry line of Titanium started evolving into a market. Since then a lot of companies have come up with various technologies to manufacture Titanium rings and Titanium bracelets in plain and inset designs.
Since Titanium occurs naturally in the earth's crust, its availability is abundant. Some research says that Titanium is the sixth most abundant element while some research differs. However, despite these contentions, Titanium can be assumed to be available in abundant quantities waiting to be mined. The process of mining is quite complicated and is difficult to discuss without a lot technical jargon, however, Titanium is mined and separated from other elements that occur along with it naturally to leave it like a sponge. This ore is then forged into bars or castings before being used as a raw material to produce jewelry.
Titanium as most of us are aware is used for aerospace and space research applications. This is due to its very high tensile strength and a fantastic strength to weight ratio. When alloyed with aluminum or vanadium, Titanium becomes a Grade 5 metal or Aircraft grade, essentially enhancing its tensile strength further. This grade of metal is also used for designs with inset diamonds or gemstones. This is because of the fact that the strength is required to hold the stones or diamonds in place, since they are held by the tensile strength. Although combining with aluminum or vanadium makes Titanium lose purity to some extent, this combination does not in anyway change the scratch resistance or the look.
Titanium rings and Titanium bracelets forged form grade 5 metal cannot be re-sized, although many companies do say that it is possible, resizing this call of metal is highly impossible and difficult. Titanium, when forged, scratched or machined has a tendency to form a layer of oxidation almost instantly, unlike gold or aluminum. This property makes it corrosion resistant and durable.
Applications for such a strong, corrosion resistant metal are many. Apart from Titanium rings and Titanium bracelets, Titanium has also come to be used in surgical implants, golf clubs and spectacle frames in the consumer industry. Industrial applications of Titanium are many. Titanium is extensively used in aerospace, motor, paint and marine industries.
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