Comparison
Sterling silver or Titanium?
Choose sterling silver if you want a hallmarked precious ring on a small budget. Choose titanium if you want the lightest ring we make, or a wide band that would be heavy in anything else.
- Heavier: Sterling silver, about 2.3 times the weight
- Harder surface: Titanium (Mohs 6 against 2.75)
- From: titanium £165
- Resizing: sterling silver, yes, by a jeweller; titanium, slightly larger
Checked .
| Side by side | Sterling silver | Titanium |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Silver alloy | Solid metal, no plating |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 2.75 | 6 |
| Density | 10.4 g/cm³ reference | 4.5 g/cm³ reference |
| 6mm band, size N | about 5.1g | about 2.2g |
| Resizing | Yes, by a jeweller | Slightly larger |
| Hallmarked | Yes, by law above the exemption weight | No, not a precious metal |
| Our rings from | See the range | £165 |
Which is heavier, sterling silver or titanium?
Sterling silver is heavier, about 2.3 times the weight of titanium for the same ring. A 6mm band in size N comes to about 5.1g in sterling silver and 2.2g in titanium.
| Width | Sterling silver | Titanium |
|---|---|---|
| 2mm | 1.7g | 0.7g |
| 4mm | 3.4g | 1.5g |
| 6mm | 5.1g | 2.2g |
| 8mm | 6.7g | 2.9g |
Worked out from the reference densities (10.4 and 4.5 g/cm³) with the same model as our ring weight calculator, where you can set your own size, width and thickness. A bigger size adds a little more metal: the size N page and the other size pages give the weights at each size.
Is sterling silver more expensive than titanium?
Titanium rings start at £165 in our range. Plain sterling silver bands are not in the range at the moment, and the sterling silver material page shows what is. Sterling silver carries the cost of the precious metal itself, which is why it starts higher; titanium is priced on the making, not on bullion.
Every ring is made to order in your size, and engraving is free on every ring whose page offers it.
Which is harder wearing?
Titanium has the harder surface: Mohs 6 against 2.75 for sterling silver, so it picks up fewer everyday marks. Sterling silver marks sooner, and any jeweller can polish it back.
Sterling silver. Sterling tarnishes as well as scratches, and those are two different jobs: a silver cloth lifts tarnish, polishing takes out marks. Both are quick and we do the polishing free.
Titanium. About 4.5 g/cm³, the lightest metal we make rings in, and solid all the way through, so there is no plating to wear and a mark is only ever a mark in the same metal. It picks up fine surface lines with daily wear. Most of our maker’s rings are Grade 2 titanium; the stronger Grade 5 is kept for tension-set designs, where its extra strength holds the stone, and it is no more scratch resistant.
Can sterling silver and titanium rings be resized?
Sterling silver: Yes. A plain sterling silver band can be made larger or smaller by a jeweller, the way wedding rings have always been resized. The exception is a band set with stones all the way round, where there is nowhere to cut without disturbing a stone, so on those the size is settled when you order.
Titanium: A little, and only larger. Titanium is not cut and rejoined like gold, but the inside of the band can often be machined to make it slightly bigger. Because it cannot go smaller, the size is settled when you order and the ring is made to that measurement.
Either way, getting the size right first is the easy part: the free ring size finder measures it at home in a couple of minutes, and the resizing guide explains the differences between metals.
Sensitive skin and hallmarks
Sterling silver is hypoallergenic and a common choice for sensitive skin. Titanium is hypoallergenic and a common choice for sensitive skin. The metal allergy guide explains what causes a rash under a ring.
Gold, silver, platinum and palladium are hallmarked by law above the exemption weights. The marks go inside the band, where you can read the fineness for yourself. Titanium and zirconium are not precious metals, so there is no hallmark and none is required. Where a ring carries a solid gold inlay, that gold is hallmarked at Birmingham. The UK hallmarking guide explains each mark.
Our verdict
Sterling silver if you want a hallmarked precious ring on a small budget. Titanium if you want the lightest ring we make, or a wide band that would be heavy in anything else.
Not sure on width? The band width guide shows what each width looks like and weighs, and the metal chooser weighs the metals up against how you will wear the ring.
In these materials
Rings to look at
Rings made in, or available in, the two materials above, each with its current price, widths and finishes on its own page.
Plain titanium
The lightest ring we make, and the simplest.
Gold line, titanium
Solid gold inlaid down the centre of brushed titanium.
Rose line, titanium
Solid 9ct rose gold down the centre of brushed titanium.
Explore the fit and weight
Common questions
- Is sterling silver or titanium harder wearing?
- Titanium has the harder surface: Mohs 6 against 2.75 for sterling silver, so it picks up fewer everyday marks. Sterling silver marks sooner, and any jeweller can polish it back.
- Is sterling silver heavier than titanium?
- Sterling silver is heavier, about 2.3 times the weight of titanium for the same ring. A 6mm band in size N comes to about 5.1g in sterling silver and 2.2g in titanium.
- Is sterling silver more expensive than titanium?
- Titanium rings start at £165 in our range. Plain sterling silver bands are not in the range at the moment, and the sterling silver material page shows what is. Sterling silver carries the cost of the precious metal itself, which is why it starts higher; titanium is priced on the making, not on bullion.
- Can both be resized?
- Yes. A plain sterling silver band can be made larger or smaller by a jeweller, the way wedding rings have always been resized. The exception is a band set with stones all the way round, where there is nowhere to cut without disturbing a stone, so on those the size is settled when you order. A little, and only larger. Titanium is not cut and rejoined like gold, but the inside of the band can often be machined to make it slightly bigger. Because it cannot go smaller, the size is settled when you order and the ring is made to that measurement.
- Are both hallmarked?
- Gold, silver, platinum and palladium are hallmarked by law above the exemption weights. The marks go inside the band, where you can read the fineness for yourself. Titanium and zirconium are not precious metals, so there is no hallmark and none is required. Where a ring carries a solid gold inlay, that gold is hallmarked at Birmingham.