Comment by agg23 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by agg23 | Hacker News Reader

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I custom designed a ring for my then girlfriend and sent it to Shapeways to have a mold 3D printed, then cast in silver. It turned out quite well (other than us having sizing issues). You can see my progress pictures here: https://old.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/6292xd/i_design...

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Now, 8 years later, I'm really wishing I had designed my own ring. I would prefer to avoid the cliche metals (silver, gold, platinum), and I can't wear silver anyway (allergic). I would really like to find an interesting or unusual metal (scientifically or just in general) that isn't going to cause issues due to its hardness if my finger swells (titanium or tungsten are very difficult to cut off in those situations).

Does anyone have any material suggestions?

Niobium a.k.a. columbium is very safe for allergies (like titanium, its surface is automatically protected by an invisible but very resistant oxide layer). It has an interesting history, being one of the few metals (except the rare-earth metals) that have been discovered only after the beginning of the 19th century, in a mineral first found in USA.

However, it is not much softer than titanium or tungsten. Even so, it is quite frequently used for rings, piercings or medical implants with minimum health risks.

No metal suitable for contact with skin is as soft as silver and gold. For any ring made of another metal than these 2 you may need to go to a professional to cut it, if the ring cannot be taken out even with the help of some lubricant.

>isn't going to cause issues due to its hardness if my finger swells (titanium or tungsten are very difficult to cut off in those situations).

You're overlooking a huge benefit to a titanium ring: if you're trapped in an undersea mining rig that's flooding and the automatic door in front of you is closing, you can stop the door using your ring.

Rhodium?

It’s used to plate white-gold to make it extra bright (unplated white gold tends to have a yellow tinge).

It would be super expensive though.

edit: on second look, seems it’s too brittle

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