Niobium

metal · periodic table · jewelry

Strong and flexible. Niobium is nearly as hard as titanium and stretches like iron, making it ideal for building tough things that need to bend without breaking.

The allergy-free metal. Unlike nickel, niobium barely reacts with air or your skin, so it's used in earrings and piercings for people with sensitive skin.

Found in rare minerals. Niobium hides inside rocks called pyrochlore and columbite, which miners have to process to extract this precious metal.

Named after mythology. It's named after Niobe, a princess from Greek myths, because this metal is so similar to another element called tantalum that they're super hard to tell apart.

Won't rust away. Niobium oxidizes incredibly slowly in Earth's atmosphere, which is why it stays shiny and strong even after years of use.