USA Today Feature: e- Wedding Bands

This article originally appeared in the Life section of the April 12, 2002 edition of USA Today

New Metal:  Titanium wedding bands are the latest
Copyright USA Today Information Network Apr 12, 2002

TRENDS & PHENOMENA
More are saying 'I do' to titanium.
Titanium has been molded into airplane parts, bicycle frames and artificial hips. Now it's being wrapped around fingers.

The shiny white metal is challenging the dominance of another shiny white metal -- platinum -- in the wedding band department. Titanium rings for both men and women have been selling "dramatically well," says Brian Patch, who owns e-weddingbands .com, one of dozens of online jewelers offering the high-tech tokens of love.

Why are couples saying "I do" with something typically associated with landing gears and golf clubs? It's inexpensive, costing a fraction of platinum's price. And despite its aluminumlike weight, titanium's durability gives new meaning to "till death do us part."

Grooms in particular are drawn to the metal's strength. "Men are a little more, shall I say, heavy-handed," explains Tania Riddell, accessories editor at Modern Bride.

-- Olivia Barker

Note:  The photo in this article featured a 14K white gold and titanium Newport wedding band from e- Wedding Bands.