I saw a woman wearing a titanium engagement ring the other day, and it was really lovely and seemed to suit her style and sense of self very well. It had a very unique tension setting, and it conveyed a combination of strength and permanence juxtaposed next to softness, vulnerability, and pure, vibrant beauty. The way that the diamond was cradled between the “arms” of the titanium ring made a profound statement, and I was very impressed.

I struck up a conversation with the woman and asked her how she liked her titanium engagement ring, and why she chose a titanium ring rather than a gold engagement ring, or even a silver engagement ring, because her titanium ring was the same color, more or less, than a silver engagement ring. She told me that frankly, the purchase of a titanium engagement ring was not her own choice. She was surprised by her fiancé and she actually didn’t know much at all about titanium before she was presented with her titanium engagement ring. She had learned in school that it was a very hard and sturdy metal that is lightweight and used in the aerospace and automobile industries. She also said she owned a titanium tennis racket. She did mention that she had heard something about titanium being used to make jewelry, but not being a big jewelry person, she just hadn’t looked into it.

The ring that she was wearing was simple in a way, but creatively elegant and as I say it really got my attention, so much so that I was compelled to approach her about it. I asked her about the comfort of the ring when you are wearing it all the time, and she said that her ring was designed with what was called a “semi-comfort fit.” The inner edges of the titanium engagement ring that she had were rounded like the full fledged “comfort fit,” but not as extremely, so the ring fit very comfortably, but it slipped onto her finger firmly. She said that in terms of fit, her titanium engagement ring was the perfect marriage of comfort and the secure feeling that her ring would not fall off of her finger, or be easily removed by the adept hands of a surprise thief.

She also added that even though she was not very familiar with titanium engagement rings before she got hers, she was absolutely stunned when she saw it for the first time. She confided that her fiancé had been struggling with the tough economy when he was shopping for her engagement ring, and he was just blown away when the jeweler introduced him to titanium engagement rings. He was concerned that a gold engagement ring or a platinum engagement ring might set him back even further and drive him deeper into debt just when he was preparing to get married. But he honestly loved the titanium engagement ring that he would up buying and felt in the end that he really wasn’t compromising at all.

There are many engagement ring choices out there, and though the traditional gold, silver, and platinum or palladium engagement rings will never go out of style, this couple’s experience demonstrates the fact that a titanium engagement ring is a viable alternative as well.