Comparison
Black zirconium or Titanium?
Black zirconium is meaningfully harder, so if your hands take a beating the choice is largely made for you.
| Black zirconium | Titanium | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface hardness | Mohs 8.5 | Mohs 6 |
| Density | 6.5 g/cm³ | 4.5 g/cm³ |
| Resizable | Replaced free | Replaced free |
| Hallmarked | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Hypoallergenic | Yes | Yes |
| Price from | £245 | £225 |
What the difference actually feels like
Black zirconium is 1.4 times the weight of titanium for the same ring. On paper that is a number; on the hand it is the difference between a ring you forget about and one you are aware of every time you move. Neither is better. It is worth knowing which you want before you spend anything.
Black zirconium sits at Mohs 8.5 against 6. Ordinary household dust carries quartz at Mohs 7, which is the line that matters: below it a ring collects fine scratches from nothing more than daily life. That is not a marginal difference between these two, it is the main one.
The straight answer
Choose black zirconium if anyone who has had a plated black ring wear through, or if manual work.
Choose titanium if first time ring wearers, or if anyone who dislikes the weight of gold.
Still torn? The metal chooser asks six questions and picks one, and it will tell you if neither of these is right.
In both materials
Rings to look at
Relieved black
Black cut back to bright metal along both edges.
Twin groove
Two tones divided by a V cut around the centre.
Hammered black
Struck by hand, so the facets never land twice the same way.
Common questions
- Is black zirconium or titanium harder wearing?
- Black zirconium, at Mohs 8.5 against 6. Airborne dust contains quartz at Mohs 7, so anything below that scratches from ordinary wear alone.
- Which is heavier?
- Black zirconium, at 6.5 g/cm³ against 4.5. That is 1.4 times the weight, which is very obvious on the hand rather than a technicality.
- Can both be resized?
- Neither. Both are replaced free for life rather than resized, because neither metal can be worked once it is finished.
- Which costs more?
- Black zirconium, starting at £245 against £225. That is about 9% more before any stone or inlay.
- Are both hallmarked?
- Neither, and neither needs to be. The Hallmarking Act covers gold, silver, platinum and palladium only.