1. The Material Science and Industrial Genesis of Tungsten Carbide Wedding Bands The remarkable properties of a tungsten wedding band originate not from a precious metal but from a sophisticated ceramic-metallic compound known as tungsten wedding carbide (WC), a material forged from the elemental tungsten and carbon atoms. Tungsten itself, which is also called wolfram, is a rare chemical element with the highest melting point of any pure element on the periodic table, a property that immediately suggests immense strength and heat resistance. However, pure tungsten is too brittle for jewelry, necessitating its fusion with carbon in a process that yields the composite alloy. This alloy is then mixed with a binder metal, custom typically corrosion-resistant nickel, which acts as a molecular "glue" to hold the super-hard carbide particles together, enabling the final product to be shaped and worn.