Comparison
Anodised zirconium or Titanium?
Anodised zirconium is meaningfully harder, so if your hands take a beating the choice is largely made for you.
| Anodised 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 | £195 | £225 |
What the difference actually feels like
Anodised 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.
Anodised 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 anodised zirconium if anyone who wants colour that will not wear off, or if hands that react to nickel.
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
Anodised channel
A band of real colour, set between natural metal edges.
Anodised bevels
Colour on the edges instead of down the middle.
Faceted, anodised
Cut into facets, then coloured, so each plane catches differently.
Common questions
- Is anodised zirconium or titanium harder wearing?
- Anodised 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?
- Anodised 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?
- Titanium, starting at £225 against £195. That is about 15% 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.