When proposing to the one you love, the focus tends to be on the engagement ring. But what about the wedding band? Is the wedding band just as important?
The simple act of wearing a wedding ring sends a message to the watching world that you value your spouse. It’s a daily reminder of your commitment to one another, and it represents your vows, the things you do for one another, and the importance of your love.
Your wedding band therefore should be equally as special as your engagement ring, if not more so.
Ideally, a wedding band should be considered when buying an engagement ring. You might even consider a “bridal set”, which has been designed to go together. A bridal set on the finger looks thoughtful, finished and elegant, and takes the hard work out of pairing.
But what if you haven’t already considered the wedding band?
If you’ve already got the engagement ring or you’ve been gifted a family heirloom, you’ll need to think carefully about what you pair with it. You’ll need to try on a variety of styles, and talk to Australian Diamond Brokers about your needs.
Finding the right wedding band
While bridal sets make wearing two rings easy, they are by no means the only way in which to wear the perfect set. Wedding bands don’t have to match exactly and share identical features, and for many, their differences is what makes a set special and unique.
A wedding band should show your individuality, whilst still maintaining visual consistency with your engagement ring. Pick a design with similar textural or colour variants and allow a personal and mutual connection to shine. Balance is important.
If you dread a gap between your engagement ring and wedding band, you can raise the centre stone of your engagement ring or bend the band to mimic the shape of the engagement ring. Just bear in mind that this is only an option if you plan to wear both rings at all times – a curved band won’t look the same when worn on its own.
Factors to consider
When shopping for a wedding band, there are eight important things to remember.
1. Budget
Just as it would have mattered when choosing your engagement ring, your budget will be a determining factor in choosing your wedding band. Wedding bands can range from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, so make sure you give budget plenty of thought. Once you’ve got your budget you can narrow down your choices.
2. Lead time
Having time to save up for the ring of your dreams or create a ring that perfectly balances out your engagement ring is important. The more time you give yourself, the more chance you have of getting your purchase right. Give yourself enough time and you can even get your ring engraved, a popular process for many couples wanting to connect their bands in a symbolic way.
3. Metal
Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to match your wedding band metal to your engagement ring metal, be it yellow gold, white gold, platinum, silver, palladium, titanium, cobalt or recycled metal. There’s no rule saying that your partner’s metal must match yours, so feel free to mix it up. There’s no reason why you can’t have a rose gold diamond wedding band to match your engagement ring while he wears a white gold and titanium band. Alternatively you could bring an element of your metal in. Our Classico men’s ring, for example, combines rose gold with yellow and white gold.
4. Era
If you’re wearing a vintage-inspired engagement ring, matching your wedding band to the era is a good idea. Vintage rings might be notoriously difficult to match with wedding bands, but you shouldn’t let this discourage you. A feminine, textural band with a diamond Edwardian ring can look spectacular.
5. Quality
Good workmanship is the ultimate compliment to your engagement ring, so make sure you talk to a quality broker such as Australian Diamond Brokers. Knowledge is crucial when pairing a wedding band with an engagement ring, and Australian Diamond Brokers’ knowledge of cut, clarity and colour is second to none. Australian Diamond Brokers are one of Australia’s leading providers of diamonds, therefore there’s no one better to trust in terms of value for money and quality craftsmanship.
6. Recommendations
While the team at Australian Diamond Brokers can help you to pair your engagement ring, it won’t do any harm to do some research yourself. Simply Googling “what kind of wedding ring will match my engagement ring?’ will bring up all kinds of advice on ideal pairings. A bit of research will tell you that traditional bands go best with solitaire rings and that a shoulder set ring should be paired with a channel set wedding band.
7. Width
When pairing rings together, it helps if your bands are a similar width. A wide wedding band could overwhelm a smaller engagement ring and vice versa. Think about the rings in terms of proportion and don’t forget that later down the track you might add an eternity ring.
8. Personal preference
Ultimately, the wedding band you choose should come down to personal preference. It’s you wearing it, after all. If you want diamonds, go diamonds. If you want a plain band, go plain. If you want chunky, go chunky. If you want multicolour, go multicolour. It’s completely your call.
The basic principle when wedding band shopping after an engagement ring has been purchased is that the wedding band should compliment without being too ‘matchy matchy’. Be unique and be the envy of all.
by Australian Diamond Brokers : October 20th 2017 Come visit our store or browse our website to find out more.