At Amidon Jewelers, we love to add new designers to our fabulous selection of jewelry.  This week, we’re proud to introduce you to Fable Designs.  Specializing in the manufacturing of high-end alternative metal jewelry, their product offerings include jewelry made from Titanium, Tungsten Carbide, Black Zirconium, Black Ceramic and Stainless Steel. Tungsten Carbide In its raw form, Tungsten is a steel-gray metal.  Often hard to work, it has the highest melting point of all metals - An astonishing 6,192 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mixed with Carbon, Tungsten Carbide is the only metal that can be permanently polished and scratch-free.  It is 10 times harder than 18K gold, 5 times harder than steel and 4 times harder than Titanium. Titanium Represented by “Ti” on the Periodic Table of Elements, Titanium is the 9^th most abundant element in the earth’s crust and the hardest natural metal in the world.  Three times stronger than steel, it is stronger than gold, silver and platinum, and 100% hypo-allergenic.  Surprisingly light-weight, it is also shockingly strong, and more scratch, dent and bend-resistant than both gold and silver.  When oxidized, Titanium offers a range of color selections ranging from blue to purple to black. Black Zirconium Initially discovered in 1789 by German chemist, Martin Heinrich Klaproth, Zirconium wasn’t prepared in its pure form until 1914.  Represented on the Periodic Table of Elements by “Zr”, it is very difficult to obtain in pure form, and is used widely and mostly in nuclear reactors for fuel rod protection, due to its corrosion resistance. Black Zirconium is one of the world’s foremost scratch resistant metallic substances.  Black due to elaborate processing, it has a Moh’s rating of 8.2 – 9.2.  In comparison, steel has a rating of 6, and it is second only to diamonds which have a rating of 10.  Interestingly, Zirconium is found in S-type stars and has been identified in the sun and meteorites. Black Ceramic Created by combining ceramic with exotic alternative materials like Zirconium as well as specialized bonding agents, Black Ceramic is a superior material which remains polished indefinitely.  Often compared to Tungsten Carbide due to its extreme hardness, it doesn’t scratch, discolor or fade.  Lighter in weight than Tungsten, Black Ceramic is hypo-allergenic and contains no Cobalt.  Unlike Black Tungsten which is black due to a coating, Black Ceramic is black all the way through.  In the event that a Black Ceramic ring did scratch, the scratch would only expose more of the black color underneath. Offering all of the finishes mentioned above and more, Amidon Jewelers is thrilled to present Fable Designs as one of our esteemed jewelry designers.  As always, our incredible customer service team is available to help you during any stage of your jewelry buying process.