Thinking about getting married comes with a lot of decisions. Where will the wedding be, who to invite, what time should it be, which venue is the best, and many other considerations.
Choosing which type of ring is right for you as a couple is also an important decision, and one that is sometimes overlooked. After all, your wedding is only a day, but your wedding ring will be with you throughout your marriage. We understand this can be a bit overwhelming, so we’ve prepared this guide to make the process a little bit easier.
1. Start browsing early
As soon as you’re engaged, start browsing and speak with a qualified jewellery designer as soon as you can. Even if you have no idea yet what you want or what you’re looking for, this will help a lot in giving you ideas and what your options could be. Once you have received a few different suggested wedding ring styles, your decision period should be at least a few weeks as this will allow enough time for you to form a solid picture in your head of what you’d like.
2. Set a budget
As with all wedding related decisions, setting a budget for the wedding rings is crucial. You’ll need money for the celebration and the honeymoon, so keep this in mind when buying the wedding bands as well. Some metals are more expensive than others, and if you add diamonds to one or even both of the wedding bands this can also alter the final price. After you’ve spoken with a jewellery designer setting the budget will be fairly easy, as you will already have an idea of the prices.
3. Choose the metal
There are quite a few options out there when it comes to choosing the metal for your wedding bands that are different from the typical yellow gold, which was the favourite for many years. Every metal has different properties, pros, cons and, of course, prices.
As a general rule for the brides, try to always choose a ring that is the same metal as your engagement ring, so they look like a match and don’t give an uneven look. Bear in mind that even though platinum and white gold do look much the same when they are brand new in the jewellery shop, the metals are far from alike and wear completely differently overtime.
Try asking this question when choosing a metal: How tough am I going to be on the ring? If you have a job that doesn’t require you to be using your hands for hard manual tasks, then you don’t need to spend the extra dollars that come with more resistant materials such as platinum. If your work is more along the lines of an office worker or a retail employee, and you like the white look, consider going with white gold instead. However, if you job requires you to be more hands-on, such as a cleaning or manual labour role, consider a stronger material that will increase your ring’s durability.
When going for gold, whether it is yellow, rose or white, go for a 18ct, 14ct or 9ct, as they are combined with stronger metals better suited for the day-to-day life. It’s recommended to not opt for 22ct gold, was this can be too soft to stand up to daily wear and tear.
Platinum is the strongest of the traditional metals, however, the price tag is also higher. Modern metals, such as titanium or zirconium have also become quite popular recently, especially for men’s rings, as the price is convenient and they are also lightweight and very durable. However, bear in mind that modern metals cannot be resized, and if you lose or gain weight you’ll have to buy a brand new ring as opposed to the easily re-sizable platinum or gold metals.
4. Choose the same style as the engagement ring
As we mentioned before, when it comes to the metal, try to match the wedding band metal to the engagement ring. This point can also be made for the style of the ring. While the rings don’t have to be matching, make sure they do have a common element, such as the same type of diamond cut, same colour gemstone or a similar engraving.
In addition, don’t pick a wedding ring that is bigger or that will overpower your engagement rings, as the engagement ring is usually the one you want people to focus on. The wedding band should complement the engagement ring without taking attention off it.
5. Know that eternity bands can be risky
If you’re a fan of eternity bands (rings that have diamonds or gemstones all the way through the ring) have in mind these type of rings are almost impossible to resize if needed. Now it may not sound like a big deal, however if in the future you gain or lose weight you will most likely need your ring to be resized. So, plan ahead!
6. Be practical and think long-term
You’re going to be wearing this band for the duration of your marriage, so be practical and plan ahead. It’s OK to go with the trends, but maybe what’s trendy now won’t be in 20 years. There’s no wrong or right as you need to choose what makes you feel comfortable, however it’s recommended to choose a style that you’ve liked for a long time as opposed to something that you’ve only liked for a month or two.
Working with your jewellery designer can be a huge help with this, as they’ll be able to give you a good idea of the style of ring even before it’s designed, so you can spend some time thinking about if it’s right for you.
7. Choose the right size
You may not know this, but you finger size fluctuates a lot in a period of just one day. When you wake up from a night’s sleep your finger increases its size, due to the salt retained from the night before. After a workout, your fingers swell, and this also happens when it’s extremely cold, extremely hot or if you’re pregnant. To choose the correct size of the ring, go for a final fitting on a day that you’re calm, with normal body temperature.
8. Choose the right width
While for brides it’s easier to know the wedding band’s width because it needs to match their engagement rings, for men this can be a bit tricky as they have nothing to compare it to, and some have never even worn a ring before. While most men usually choose a slightly wider ring than women, it is important to know that the wider the ring, the more uncomfortable it gets – not just in terms of mobility but also heat-wise, as wide rings tend to make the finger sweat. To avoid choosing a ring that you’re not going to end up wearing, try several widths on to determine what suits you best.
Now it’s your turn
While choosing the perfect ring can seem an easy task at first, there are lots of things that need to be considered in order to find something that will tick all the boxes, including durability, design, metal etc. We hope that this guide has helped raise awareness on some of some of the most common challenges you’ll face when discovering the perfect ring, and will hopefully make the process go smoother.
If you’re in need of a consultation to design the perfect wedding ring to symbolise your marriage, contact the experts at Australian Diamond Brokers today.
by Australian Diamond Brokers : November 15th 2016 Come visit our store or browse our website to find out more.