The following article was written by Wayne Skews, one of the top titanium ring manufacturers in South Africa:

“A common misconception is that titanium cannot be cut off of your finger if you are in an accident. This is absolute nonsense! A customer of mine says he tried to buy a titanium ring from Browns Jewellers – they told him that they do not sell titanium rings because they cannot be cut off! Granted – titanium is much harder than gold and silver – but that does not mean it is indestructible.

In fact like every other metal it can be cut, filed, hand worked and polished. The question “can titanium be cut off my finger?” comes up fairly regularly.

I am unsure how the question ever got asked in the first place. There is no documented case anywhere, of anyone ever having this problem. Perhaps if the question was “can every retail jeweller cut a titanium ring off of my finger?” was asked the answer maybe no.

Due to the hardness of titanium, normal ring cutters will struggle with titanium rings. In saying that – any jeweller with a jewellers saw, and a bit off patience, will have no problem at all.

Will the hospital or emergency services be able to remove a titanium ring? – The answer is “of course” – they manage to remove people from wrecked cars without a hassle.  Do you really think a titanium wedding band will give them a problem?

The ring will probably not be able to be cut off in one clip (wider rings must be cut with a jewellers saw) – but then again neither can a thick, wide gold wedding ring. The other down side of titanium is that once it has been cut off it cannot be repaired – whilst a gold or silver wedding band can usually be repaired.

I have a theory about how this rumour has spread. If you go into a store and ask for a titanium ring – and the store or jeweller does not carry titanium – they will look for a reason why you should not buy one. Remember that the store needs to sell wedding rings – and preferably expensive gold or platinum rings. A nice easy way to put you off is to scare you into thinking that titanium rings cannot be cut.

Whether it is true or not – very few people are willing to take that chance – aside from the fact that it is unlikely that you will ever need your wedding ring cut from your finger in any case. So…. as a guy who makes titanium wedding bands, I am telling you it is not true that you cannot cut titanium.

Titanium rings can be removed from the finger and it can be done by any hospital or by emergency services team. It can also be done by any manufacturing jeweller with a normal fret saw and normal blades will remove a titanium ring with no problem – it may take them a while (especially if it is very wide) but they will get it off.

So – to all those retailers who do not stock titanium rings….and are using a lie to persuade you to buy a platinum or gold ring, I say “you’re lying or you are conning your customer.”