Guide
Titanium, ceramic or resin: what a smart ring is made of.
A smart ring is a tiny electronic device wrapped in a band you wear day and night. The material decides how it feels, how it ages, and whether its radios can get a signal out.
In short. Titanium is light and tough but blocks radio, so metal rings hide their antennas behind a non-metal window. Ceramic resists scratches and lets radio through, but it is heavier and can crack. Resin is the lightest and lets radio and light through, but it scratches more easily. Lychnos Ring is resin because it needs the signal and the light.
The common choices
| Material | Weight | Scratches | Radio signals | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium | Light for a metal | Shows fine marks over time | Blocked: the antenna needs a non-metal window | Strong and does not corrode; the most common choice |
| Ceramic (zirconia) | Heavier than titanium | Very resistant | Pass through | Keeps its shine; can crack if it hits stone hard |
| Resin or polymer | The lightest | Marks more easily | Pass through | Can be clear or tinted, so light and screens show through |
| Steel or gold | Heavy | Varies | Blocked | Rare in smart rings |
Why radio matters
A smart ring talks to the world by radio: Bluetooth to your phone, and in some rings a mobile connection of its own or a payment antenna. Metal reflects radio waves, so a metal band works like a small shield. Rings with titanium shells solve it with a window of resin or epoxy, often on the inside of the band against the finger. That works for a short Bluetooth link; a ring with more radios, or radios that must reach further, has an easier time without metal at all.
Why Lychnos Ring is resin
- Three radios’ worth of work. A mobile connection of its own, so it works without your phone; Bluetooth for set-up and earbuds; and a payment antenna, planned.
- A screen and a light inside. Its 72 × 40 see-through screen and its light line sit under clear resin and show through it.
- About 6 g in the current concept, in graphite, stone or midnight.
The trade-off is scratches: resin marks more easily than ceramic. We are choosing the surface finish with that in mind, and will say how it ages once we have worn the prototypes.
What to ask any maker
- What touches the skin, and is there a coating?
- How does it look after a year of daily wear?
- Can it be resized? Smart rings usually cannot: choose the size carefully (ring size calculator).
- Is damage from knocks or water covered, and for how long?
The whole buying checklist: how to choose a smart ring.
Questions
Why do so many smart rings use titanium?
It is light for a metal, strong and does not corrode, and it is familiar from jewellery. Metal stops radio signals, though, so a metal ring needs a window of non-metal material for its antenna, often on the inside of the band.
Why does Lychnos Ring have no metal?
It carries more radio than most rings: a mobile connection of its own as well as Bluetooth, with a payment antenna planned. A resin band lets those signals through all the way round, and lets its light and its see-through screen shine through.