Art Joolree: How to Choose the Best Wedding Ring

These are the top tips for choosing wedding rings:

A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe. Originally worn by wives only, wedding rings became customary for both husbands and wives during the 20th century.

Choosing a wedding ring – also known as a wedding band – might seem a more straightforward task than selecting an engagement ring, but it still involves many important and exciting decisions!

Choose wedding rings carefully - you'll be wearing them for the rest of your life. Wedding rings symbolize three things: your personality, your commitment, and your fashion style. Choose a wedding ring that will express an enduring, unequivocal love and exert a unique personality for both the groom and the bride.

Compositions and Styles

In Western countries, wedding rings are often made of gold. Common engravings on the inside of the ring include the name of the partner or the names of both parts in the relationship, and/or date of the wedding.

Choosing a Metal

Wedding rings can be made in one of (or a combination of) many different metal alloys. Whilst the majority of couples still go for the traditional options of platinum or gold, other metals such as palladium, titanium and zirconium are rising in popularity.

All of our plain rings, and most of our decorative rings, will give you a choice of alloy once you've chosen the design – simply change the metal in the drop-down on the product page, and the price of the ring will refresh. Learn in details here, which metal is best for men's wedding rings.

Antique Jewelry and Heirlooms

A good jeweler can adapt heirloom pieces to suit the tastes of you and your betrothed. If you don’t have or want to use a family heirloom but are interested in antique rings, look in pawn shops or at estate sales. Dusty or dull rings can be cleaned up, but inspect the pieces carefully for other damage.

Old or broken jewelry can be melted down or otherwise altered to create wedding bands. You’ll pay for the jeweler’s time and expertise, but you’ll save money on the materials. Plus, your rings will be unique to you.

Shape

When it comes to the shape of the bride-to-be’s wedding band, the main consideration is how it sits with her engagement ring.

If the engagement ring is straight-edged, a classic, straight-edged wedding band will sit snugly next to it. However, the gemstone setting in some engagement rings will not accommodate a straight-edged wedding band. In this case you could either wear your engagement and wedding rings on different hands, or opt for a curved wedding ring, sometimes known as a fitted wedding ring or a shaped wedding ring.

Many curved styles can be bought off the shelf. Otherwise, good wedding-ring jewelers can custom-design a wedding band to sit perfectly next to your engagement ring. You might find this a rewarding and symbolic process in itself.

Choosing Your Men's Wedding Ring Design

Traditionally men preferred simple gold wedding bands to symbolize their love. Though over the last 15 years men have increasingly been moving away from the traditional gold wedding ring towards something a little different.

Types of ring styles include simple bands made in all yellow gold, all white gold, platinum, or titanium or tungsten; rings with inlay stripes or ribbed edges; rings with diamonds or gemstones; rings with unique patterns; two-tone rings with a combination of metal types, and woven or wave ring styles.

When considering lifestyle factors and ring designs you should note that a woven, puzzle or heavily patterned ring could be damaged whilst playing sport or working with your hands. A ring with diamonds or gemstones may be at greater risk of having the gem settings damaged and potentially losing a gemstone. Hopefully this information will help you to choose the right wedding ring for you.

How-to-Choose-a-Comfortable-Wedding-Ring

Band Style

You will probably never have considered this before but if you turn a ring on its side you will notice the style – or profile – of its band. The most common band shapes for wedding rings are:

Rounded-edge wedding ring: this gently curved style is the most subtle and traditional option.

High-domed wedding ring: with its more pronounced curve, this style is slightly taller than the rounded-edge design.

Flat wedding ring: this design has quite square edges for a more modern look.

Other terms you might hear when it comes to wedding-band shapes include D-shape wedding ring, court wedding ring or concave wedding ring. Don’t be unnerved by all this terminology; find a jeweler you trust who is prepared to give you plenty of time and who will answer your questions patiently.

Other Considerations

Nowadays couples often favor jewel-set wedding rings. If you like this idea you should consider the harder stones (such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topaz) as time takes its toll on softer varieties. Diamond-set wedding rings are the most popular option.

Couples often want to have their wedding date engraved on the inside of their wedding rings and sometimes there is room for other sentiments too. If you are doing this, make sure you write down exactly what you want inside your ring – including use of capital letters etc – and ask your jeweler what font or style (e.g. italic) will be used.

Be sure to check out how long it will take for your wedding bands to be ready. Allowing at least eight weeks is a good rule of thumb. Ask your jeweler, and if the rings will not be ready in time, don't panic – ask them about a 'loaner' ring. Also be sure to get advice on sizing – a common mistake is to order a size too big.

Families often pass down wedding rings as heirlooms so this may be an option for you. If so, you probably will want to leave any original engraving inside the ring. It might also be appropriate to note in your will who you would like your rings to go to.

The trick is to choose rings that you and your partner are happy with. Don't worry about other people's choices, but do ask around and look in jewellery stores, in magazines and online for inspiration.

The main things to consider when choosing your wedding rings are: budget (of course); durability (what will the ring be exposed to every day, whether the metal withstands everyday wear and tear); color (yellow, white, grey or black) and sentimentality/tradition.

How to Choose a Comfortable Wedding Ring

Instructions:

1) Shop Together. The engagement ring was the big surprise, but you should decide on wedding rings together. Many women already know what they want on their wedding ring, so sitting down and talking can help get both spouses on the same page. Make some preliminary choices before you hit the stores. What color metal are you interested in -- yellow or white? Are you interested in something simple or over-the-top? Work out these questions to home in on what you are looking for.

2) Decide on Matching or Separate Bands. It is possible to buy wedding rings together so they coordinate, but it is not absolutely necessary. For example, if a man is concerned with a ring appearing too effeminate he can get a different style from the woman.

3) Start Your Search Early. Once you have a basic idea of what you want, head out to the jewelry stores. Give yourselves at least two months to browse, research price and revisit rings that catch your eye. Allow even more time if you’re interested in a custom piece -- extras like engraving can take up to one month.

4) Be Different. Don’t fret if you like platinum, while he likes yellow gold. There’s no rule that you have to match metals or even styles. Pick wedding bands that reflect each of your style sensibilities and tastes. However, some aspect (which can be as simple as an inscription) should match.

5) Set a Budget. A plain 14-karat gold band starts at around $330; plain platinum bands cost upwards of $600 apiece. Diamonds can add considerably more to the cost. The price of engraving on the inside of the wedding band depends on the font and whether you have it engraved by hand or machine.

6) Be Practical. Keep your lifestyle in mind at all times: What's the point of buying something pretty if it makes you uncomfortable or you have to remove it often (and increase your chances of losing it)? Remember: You will wear this band every day. The idea is to choose something that becomes a part of your life seamlessly. If you work with your hands often, look for a streamlined ring with little to no frills.

7) Think Long-term. Don't be afraid to be trendy, but make sure the style you choose is something you'll still want to wear in 20 years (not to mention at all the jobs, PTA meetings, and social functions in between).

8) Size It Right. Most people rarely take their wedding bands off; they wear them through summers, winters, exercise, pregnancies -- all times when your fingers swell and contract due to heat, cold, water retention and weight gain. To find the size that will best weather all these changes, do your “final fitting” when you are calm and your body temperature is normal. Never finalize your ring size in the morning (you retain salt from the night before), after you’ve just exercised (fingers swell), or when you’re extremely hot or cold.

9) Check for Quality. This applies to all rings, but it bears repeating here. Make sure wedding bands have two marks inside the band: the manufacturer's trademark (proves they stand behind their work) and quality mark (24K or PLAT, for example -- proves that it's what they say it is). If the ring consists of two or more metals, make sure there is a quality mark for each.

10) Clean It Often. Cleaning your wedding rings is a cinch. For a ring with no stones, simply rub it with a soft, lint-free cloth (chamois is good). If your wedding ring has stones, wash and soak it in warm sudsy water, gently brush with a soft toothbrush or eyebrow brush (too much pressure can loosen your stone from the setting), rinse, and pat dry with a soft lint-free cloth.

11) Protect Your Investment. Yes, metals -- even platinum -- are vulnerable. Avoid wearing your ring when doing rough work or sports (which can nick and scratch your rings) and when working with concentrated chlorine, which is found in bleach, chemical cleaning solutions, and swimming pool disinfectants (which can cause pitting or discoloration to your band). Nicks and scratches are most obvious on matte finishes and most easily affect platinum, which is softer than white or yellow gold on the surface but more durable overall. Luckily it's easy for your jeweler to reapply -- or change -- the finish or plating on your ring to restore its former glory.

12) Keep It Safe. You’d be surprised (and probably a bit scared) at how easy it is to lose your ring. Hopefully, you’ve chosen something that you rarely have to remove. When you absolutely have to do the deed, put it in a designated place, so you’ll always know where it is (pockets don’t count), and never near a sink. The most dangerous time to remove your wedding ring? When you’re away from home. That’s when rings are most likely to be lost or set down and forgotten

Tips & Warnings

Men's rings come in many different styles that are bold and masculine.

Consider your cultural heritage - there are styles of rings and stone settings that have traditional meaning.

Ask your parents about family heirloom rings. A family stone is a great way of passing on tradition and welcoming in-laws to the family.

Before buying anything, make sure that the jeweler has proper certification and the stone has its own "cert" from an industry recognized association.

High set rings have a tendency to snag on clothing.

Where to Shop

Choose a good jeweler. The main thing to remember here is that expensive doesn't necessarily equate with being the ideal jeweler. Look for a store that makes you feel comfortable, where the staff are pleasant and helpful, and where the advice they provide gels with you. As well, be sure to look somewhere that fits within your budget range; this avoids the inevitable disappointment at finding something that would be "just perfect if it didn't cost so much". If you can, check that the jeweler is registered with a society, association, or organization that regulates, certifies, etc., jewelers, such as the National Association of Goldsmiths in the UK.

Ask around your married friends or your family for recommendations on a good, trusted jeweler. Obviously, this will mean they'll know what you're up to, although you can just say that you want to buy a nice piece of jewelry.

An online jeweler such as James Allen or Blue Nile can be a good option if you're willing to accept a little less "hand-holding" for a better price. (You might consider this an advantage as a low-pressure sales environment, but a good retailer shouldn't pressure you, either.) Be sure to check that the jeweler has an excellent reputation because a customer could be at much greater risk of subtle fraud with diamonds and precious metal than with most other products.

If you decide to buy your rings new, you can check out mall shops, larger standalone jewelry stores, department and discount stores, local jewelers and reputable websites. As with so many other things, the Internet has changed the way people shop for engagement and wedding rings. Some Web sites allow you to search by stone shape or price. They can also help you finance your purchase (not that we recommend buying more ring than you can afford) and help you insure it.

You may think that locally owned jewelry shops can’t compete on price with the large chains. However, depending on the local store’s target clientele, some may be able to. Some small shops cater to wealthier shoppers, but many are in direct competition for the same people who shop the large chains. Because of this competition, many of these shops may be more affordable with their pricing, and they usually offer superior service, including on-site jewelry designers.

Searches related to wedding ring sets: