Once you accept his proposal, your thoughts will turn to your wedding day. There is lots of planning ahead to make sure everything runs smoothly. It’s a lot of fun, despite being hard work and stressful at the same time. Friends and family will help you with some of the decisions to make, but the decision about your wedding ring will be yours and his alone.
Your wedding ring lasts a lifetime, so you want it to look good, feel good, and last a lifetime. Whether you have a solid idea of what kind of wedding ring you want, there are a number of points you need to consider before making a final decision.
metal type
Wedding rings lead a pretty tough life. They can be scratched and will always fade away. For this reason the metal used in wedding rings is hard and durable. Yellow and white gold are common metals – usually used in the 9 to 22 carat (impure) range, because pure gold is too soft. Platinum is a white metal that is becoming more common. Usually around 95% pure and very strong.Palladium it is also gaining popularity as a white metal with similar characteristics to platinum but with a much smaller price tag.
Profile
The traditional profile for wedding rings is the court profile, which is basically an ellipse that is very comfortable to wear, as it has no sharp edges. Most profiles are the plate variety with edges that may be flat, outer surfaces flat or with ellipses that tend to be circular, for example. The flat profile makes the ring appear larger but still fits snugly.
Finish
The finishing of a wedding ring has a considerable influence on its appearance. The ultra-smooth finish is highly reflective and is probably the most traditional of finishes, especially for ordinary field tape. For a more textured finish, you might consider a matt or satin look or a hammered finish. Sandblasted rings look great too – they look similar to a matt finish but are more reflective. You can of course combine different finishes on the same ring. Also, for a dramatic effect, you can have a diamond cut pattern on your ring.
Gemstones
The modern trend in wedding rings is setting gemstones on the band. Many women like to match the stones to those in their engagement ring, albeit on a smaller scale, so that the rings complement each other when worn together. Often a single stone is used or smaller stones may be used arranged around the band.
It matches the ring
If your other half is going to wear a wedding ring, you might want to consider buying one matching ring. The rings don’t have to be identical but can be a perfect match in other ways that your jeweler will be more than happy to assist you with.
Sarah Heeley is currently planning her dream wedding for summer 2014!
