The wedding ring is more than just an item of jewelry. While a diamond engagement ring is the symbol of promise, the wedding ring signifies the actual fulfillment of that promise, the marriage itself. “With this ring, I thee wed.” With these words, the wedding ring pledges to your partner a promise to love and honor.
There are several basic strategies on what type of wedding ring to buy.
Metal Wedding Band
The most traditional wedding ring is the wedding band. The classic metal band of gold or platinum is the unbroken circle symbolizing eternal love. This universal symbol has been an important part of the wedding ceremony for more than five centuries.
There are a lot of choices for the classic wedding band. You can choose a wedding ring in 14 karat white or yellow gold, 18 karat white or yellow gold or platinum. Do you like the more modern look of a band with a flatter surface and squared off edges? Do you like the look of textured gold? How wide should the band be? Should the band be the same style for both husband and wife?
A bit of texture highlighting different colors adds even more detail and richness to some designs. For example, an 18 karat yellow gold wedding ring with a narrow band of platinum provides a wining combination for those who like both colors of metal. For those who do not want two colors but want something a little different, a wedding ring with sections of textured finish, mill-grained work or diamond-cut metal work can be the right way to go.
The Celtic wedding ring is a popular style of wedding band for couples who are looking for something more symbolic and meaningful than a plain band. The Celtic tribes were once spread throughout Europe but ended up settling in parts of Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Ireland, and nowhere have Celtic traditions been better preserved than in Ireland. Celtic designs are very strong and distinctive, and are popular for tattoos and jewelry. Celtic wedding rings are very wide (approx 5-9mm wide), flat bands with bold, strong designs in relief on the ring.
Diamond Wedding Ring
The diamond wedding ring has become increasingly popular as brides decide they like the beauty of diamonds on the wedding ring too. Many wedding rings are made to match the engagement ring so that when they are worn together, the diamonds match and the ring looks like a matched set.
Chooses for diamond wedding rings include pave set wedding rings, prong set wedding rings, channel set wedding rings and invisible set wedding rings. Typically the metal for the wedding ring is the same as the engagement ring and the diamond setting style is similar to that used in the diamond engagement ring.
If both engagement ring and wedding ring have diamonds, great care must be taken in the design and in the wearing of the rings to ensure the diamonds to not touch each other. Remember the only thing that can scratch a diamond, is a diamond.
Separate Wedding Ring
Traditional wedding photos often show the brides hand with engagement ring and wedding ring together. With more three-stone engagement rings and the difficulty of fitting a wedding band next to it, there is an increasing trend for gals to get a wedding ring with a completely different style than the engagement ring. These wedding rings are worn when the gal does not want to wear the diamond engagement ring (i.e., the nurse who is constantly putting on gloves, at the exercise class, grocery shopping, and a day at the beach).
Some wedding rings that are made to match engagement rings have notches or strange designs to accommodate the contour of the engagement ring. As a result, many of these wedding rings do not look right when worn by themselves.
If the gal is likely to wear only the wedding ring a significant amount of the time, picking a wedding ring that is not designed to go with the engagement ring is the better way to go.
When two rings are worn together, they will scratch each other. Metal rubbing against metal will scratch regardless if it is gold or platinum. When the engagement ring has protruding prongs or baskets to hold the diamond or side stones, wedding bands often do not fit flush together. These sharp points of contact accelerate the scratching. If the engagement ring has diamonds on the side of the setting, these diamonds produce a real scratching danger for the wedding ring.
Personal Choice
We recommend that the choice of the wedding ring be left to the one who will be wearing it. She should do some shopping and try a variety of rings on with her diamond engagement ring to see which wedding rings look best on her finger and with her engagement ring. She needs to consider her life style and follow her heart as to what rings she would like.
As beautiful as the wedding gown is, no matter how delicious the wedding cake turns out to be, even if all the relatives behave at the reception, it is the wedding ring that will be close to her every day as a reminder of the day you shared your pledge for a lifetime of love and devotion.
If you have questions about what type of wedding rings will work best with your engagement ring, please give us a call and we would be happy to share the experience we have gained in helping thousands of clients find their wedding rings.