On Aug. 23, the Federal Trade Commission announced it is ending an investigation into Scott Kay’s claims about the metal tungsten carbide.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) referred the issue to the FTC following a complaint by Frederick Goldman.

In a letter posted on Sept. 21, the FTC wrote that Scott Kay agreed that the company will not claim that tungsten carbide wedding bands are fragile unless the company possesses adequate substantiation for such claims. In addition, Scott Kay will refrain from making unsubstantiated claims about the environmental impact of the manufacturing process for cobalt rings.

Both sides claimed victory after the ruling.

The Scott Kay company said in a statement that “nothing in this agreement precludes Scott Kay, Inc. from using the word ‘brittle’ as associated with the hardness factor of tungsten carbide.”

“I will continue to demonstrate my strong conviction to the jewelry industry in disclosing the confusion and clarity of the performance of tungsten carbide for use in wedding bands,” stated CEO Scott Kay in a statement.

Fredrick Goldman issued a statement noting the restraints on Scott Kay’s claims, and said that “we are pleased that the FTC took this action, and the matter is now considered closed.”

“Tungsten Carbide has become one of the most popular contemporary metals used in wedding bands,” it added. “As one of the hardest materials used in the manufacture of rings, behind a diamond on the Mohs Scale of mineral hardness, Tungsten Carbide is also the most scratch-resistant metal on the jewelry ring market.”

JCK