Could I have a wedding ring made from meteoric iron?

[CynicalGabe]

We are all star-stuff.

/puff

Whoa.

[racinchikki]

@Bill H.

First, I was thinking that since meteorites are rare, that they would be valuable. Wrong! I bought a handful (enough for 10 rings) for $20. Many people say money has nothing to do with love, but if my wife-to-be found out I’d spent only a bit more than I could’ve paid for one from a Cracker Jack box, well, I’m not sure she would’ve been impressed.

I should think that the fact that you went out of your way to find something meaningful and special to make a ring out of would mean more than the amount of money you spent.
Says the girl who’s wearing a ring they bought on ebay for $10.

[picunurse]

@Ranchoth

No one congratulate me, I haven’t gotten engaged or anything.

But, if that should ever happen, I’d want be able to give something more special than gold or diamonds. And what could be better than making a ring out of metal that fell to Earth, flaming, from the heavens?

My question is; how hard would it be to get enough meteoric iron to make a ring out of? How much might the metal cost, and how hard would it be to have it made into a ring?

I have a ring with moldavite as the central stone. It too, is meteoric.

[BrotherCadfael]

@silenus

We are all star-stuff.

[Carl Sagan]We are star-stuff that has taken control of our destiny.[/Carl Sagan]

Not a billions to be found.

[Squink]

[Zappa]Technically, any element heavier than helium should be called ‘star excrement’.[/Zappa]

[Colibri]

@Weeks

Yeah, but if the meteorite were melted down and cast into a ring those markings would not reappear, would they?

If that’s the way you made the ring, yes. However, the pendant linked to by astro is simply carved out of the meteorite. I suppose in theory you could make a ring the same way, though I don’t know how practical that would be.

[Ranchoth]

Thanks for the info, all! It’s a facinating topic.

@Bill H.

First, I was thinking that since meteorites are rare, that they would be valuable. Wrong! I bought a handful (enough for 10 rings) for $20. Many people say money has nothing to do with love, but if my wife-to-be found out I’d spent only a bit more than I could’ve paid for one from a Cracker Jack box, well, I’m not sure she would’ve been impressed.

Second, meteorites are primarily iron. Which means that it’s an ugly metal and will easily rust.

Well, some people still like them, even with rust problems.

Rust would still be a problem, though. But not insolulable. Couldn’t I have the ring galvanized, or even laminated? Maybe even have the meteorite(s) melted down, and used to make a batch of (stainless) steel to make the ring out of?

[emmaliminal]

@Gaius.Cornelius

For an unusual ring, how about Tungsten: denser than gold, very hard and certainly not cheap.

See: http://titaniumera.com/tungsten.html

If you go for an extra-hard metal, be sure your beloved promises to take it off before any hazardous activities… if the EMTs ever have to get it off your injured hand, tungsten and titanium can’t be sawed off safely with the tools they’ve got in the ER, as gold or silver can.

[racinchikki]

@emilyforce

If you go for an extra-hard metal, be sure your beloved promises to take it off before any hazardous activities… if the EMTs ever have to get it off your injured hand, tungsten and titanium can’t be sawed off safely with the tools they’ve got in the ER, as gold or silver can.

Any well-equipped ER can easily and safely remove a titanium ring. I’m not sure about tungsten. It’s more difficult than cutting through gold or silver, but a dremel, a ring cutter, or a pair of metal snips can all shear through a standard 5mm aircraft-grade titanium ring within seconds. Note that I speak not from personal experience but from the advice of a half dozen professionals found on google.