Free UK Delivery   |   30 Days Return Policy     |     Free Exchange
Free UK Delivery   |   30 Days Return Policy

Cobalt Rings Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the frequently asked questions about our cobalt wedding rings & bands.




Cobalt is a hard metal similar to colour to white gold. It is durable in wear and hypoallergenic. It is a great material for men as it is harder wearing than most other metals.





Cobalt is a hypoallergenic metal that is used within the human body for implants and hip replacements. It is unlikely that you would experience any allergies from wearing a cobalt ring that was the correct finger size. Most issues arise with rings that are too tight and trap water when washing hands and not drying properly.





Cobalt rings are scratch resistant, but not scratch proof.

This means that you may pick up the odd scratch, or more if you are heavy handed, but this will be at a much slower rate than most other materials. If you are careful and look after jewellery you may not have any scratches at all. If you are doing something like working on a car, or bricklaying we would still recommend taking the ring off to try and limit any scratches.





Cobalt rings are very durable in wear and a great choice for men’s wedding rings. They will not break or bend in normal wear, although they may still pick up the odd scratch, they will retain their finish better than other materials. Cobalt is one of our favourite materials.





We have never seen a broken or shattered cobalt ring and think it is near impossible to damage them in this way. If we were to see a cobalt ring broken or squashed, we would be more concerned on the condition of the wearer.

We recently tried to balance a Nissan Qashqai on a cobalt ring to show its strength for marketing. Although we were not successful this was because the weight kept catapulting the ring out under the pressure. The cobalt ring was not damaged or squashed in any way.





Unfortunately, cobalt rings cannot be resized. We do however offer a 30 day returns policy to exchange the size should your ring not fit on arrival.

If you required a different size in years to come, then cobalt rings are inexpensive, and it is likely to be cheaper to purchase a new ring from us than if you had a precious metal ring sized.





Cobalt rings can be cut off in an emergency, although they are the most difficult of the metals that we currently sell.

Normal steel cutting blades on a traditional ring cutter will remove a cobalt ring but will be very slow, and if using a hand cutter, it will take its toll on the person cutting the ring off. An automated electrical ring cutter with a steel blade would cut a cobalt ring off but would still be slow.

We would advise the use of a diamond impregnated cutting disc to remove a cobalt ring in an emergency which should have a ring off in about 5 minutes. Diamond cutting discs can be purchased on eBay for a few pounds and used at home in a Dremel. A jeweller or fire brigade can also remove with the use of a diamond impregnated ring cutter.

We do have a video of cutting a cobalt ring off in an emergency on our information pages.





Cobalt rings are heavier than most of the other materials that we have on the website. In addition, most of our men’s range tend to be the chunkiest with a depth of 2.3mm, 15% deeper than most of our other ranges.





Difficult to say as it depends on what you are after. Our preference is cobalt as we prefer the colour and the feel. However, our customers purchase far more tungsten rings than cobalt rings. Maybe you can purchase one of each and decide yourself.





Pros and Cons of Cobalt Rings

Pros of cobalt rings
Good lustre and colour
Strong
Scratch resistant
Hypoallergenic
Inexpensive
Durable, will not break or bend
Heavy

Cons of cobalt rings
Cannot be resized
Cannot be repaired if cut off
More difficult to cut off in an emergency than other metals





Cobalt rings do not tarnish in wear and will retain their natural white colour. The polished finish will dull a little over time like any jewellery, but you will not experience the change of colour that you can experience with precious metals.





Cobalt rings have no plating. The white colour that you see is the natural colour and will not wear off like plated jewellery. Over the years as with any jewellery the shine will dull a little in wear, but the ring will retain its white colour.





There is no difference between the term’s cobalt and cobalt chrome, they are essentially the same material.

In the UK we tend to just use the term cobalt, whereas in America they use the name cobalt chrome.

We may refer to both terms on the website, but they are both mean the same thing.





You can care for a cobalt ring by washing in soapy water to remove any accumulated dirt, and maybe a jewellery polishing cloth to add a little shine. For brushed finishes than a pencil eraser is a good way to clean the bottom of the brushed finish to improve the look.

Scratches can be removed by a jeweller by refinishing the ring with either a polished or brushed finish. Due to the hardness of the cobalt ring this can be time consuming so refinishing will cost more than you would typically pay for a gold ring to be refinished.