For new collectors
Putting the Heavy
in Heavy Metal
Every collector remembers their first time holding tungsten.
Choose your cube
The physics.
Three reasons tungsten catches you off guard the moment you pick it up.
Nearly twice as dense as lead.
Tungsten clocks in at 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter, denser than gold and roughly double lead. The 25.4 mm cube weighs 313 grams. That is the number your hand is not expecting.
Highest melting point of any pure metal.
3,422 degrees Celsius. Every incandescent light bulb ever made ran on a tungsten filament for this exact reason. Torches do not concern it.
Effectively indestructible.
Acid ignores it. Sharp metals slide off. The cube on your shelf will outlast the shelf, the room, and whoever inherits it next.
The 25.4 mm cube
313g
One cubic inch. The moment tungsten stops being an abstract idea.
Choose your cube.
Three sizes. All 99.95 percent pure tungsten. All heavier than they look.
The pocket introduction. Small enough to carry, heavy enough to catch anyone off guard.
The one every collector remembers picking up first. Substantial in the palm, unmistakable on the shelf.
Mirror-polished. Five pounds of tungsten. The desktop centerpiece nobody expects to see.
Why new collectors start with tungsten.
Three reasons this cube keeps showing up as the piece that started someone's collection.
The classic collector's first move.
Every element collection has to start somewhere. Tungsten is the one experienced collectors keep pointing to as the piece that got them hooked in the first place.
You will not outgrow it.
Tungsten does not oxidize, tarnish, chip, or fade. Ten years on the shelf and the cube looks exactly the way it did the day it arrived.
All three sizes are correct answers.
Ten millimeters is a paperweight for the curious. Twenty five is the collection centerpiece. Fifty is the piece your guests come to see. Pick the one that matches the shelf you already own.
What collectors say.
Real reviews from the Luciteria storefront.
I heard that tungsten cubes could be a good gift for people who like to think and solve puzzles. I found Luciteria from an internet search and I'm happy I found them. I ended up purchasing 4 different cubes to have comparisons from just the tungsten. The order and delivery process was simple and easy. Now I just hope my FIL enjoys them!
If your aim is to collect only some element samples, I would get the 50mm tungsten and the 50mm magnesium cubes for density comparison. LS offers quality element samples at good prices and I would recommend them to anyone looking to explore or collect the elements.
Blok o' Tungsten. Can't go wrong with that. Came in exactly 10mm and around 19 grams (dense!) My friend was super stoked with the gift, and it even came in a nice 14mm case. IDEK if that was extra, or if I didn't read the description correctly. Amazing as always, I'd absolutely recommend Luciteria for anyone looking at getting elements for display, science, or collecting. Thank you for your service to these communities.
Common questions.
Answers to the five things most new collectors ask before their first tungsten cube.
What is tungsten?
Tungsten is element 74 on the periodic table. Its chemical symbol W comes from wolframite, the ore it is commonly found in. It is one of the hardest, densest, and least reactive pure metals known, and its extreme melting point is why it has been the filament inside every incandescent light bulb ever made. It is also chemically inert, non-radioactive, and non-toxic, which makes it perfectly safe to handle bare-handed. Pick it up, pass it around, hand it to a child. Wash your hands after if you like, but the metal itself carries no risk.
What size should I get first?
The honest answer is it depends. If you are building a full element collection, pick the size you plan to keep the rest of your collection in. If tungsten is more of a novelty, or one of only a handful of elements you plan to own, the 25.4 millimeter is the sweet spot. It has real weight without being awkward to hold, and reads clearly as a cube on the shelf. The 50 millimeter is the piece you commit to when you already know tungsten lives in your future.
Why is my cube slightly lighter than the theoretical weight?
Tungsten cubes are sintered rather than cast. The process leaves microscopic voids that keep the cube from hitting pure theoretical density. Expect roughly 90 to 95 percent of the on-paper number. It is still the densest object of its size sitting on your shelf.
How should I display it?
Any flat surface it will not compress will do. A wood shelf, a desk, a bookend gap. Some collectors add a small acrylic display box, but tungsten is hard enough and heavy enough that it does not really need one.
Will it scratch or damage what it sits on?
Only if you slide it. Tungsten is harder than steel and will scratch softer surfaces when dragged. Set it down gently on a wood desk and it will do no harm. Drag it across the same desk and you will see a mark.
Fact vs. Fiction
Two grams of
pure disbelief.
Science and history in the palm of your hand.
