You’ve heard the “4 Cs” of smart diamond buying. But think about the marriage band? Wedding bands are not probably the most expensive wedding purchase you’ll make, not like spending between $1,000-$10,000 on that beautiful sparkling diamond rock. You may not spend lots of time researching the wedding band purchase, but lots of people end up wearing their wedding band more regularly and on each day to day basis compared to their engagement ring.
Make an informed decision when purchasing your wedding band.
Do you prefer a traditional plain wedding band or perhaps a design wedding band?
Do you wish to budget set for a designer brand name or do you would rather forgo the brand name and opt out for basically the same ring without the “name”, thereby significantly reducing costs?
Pricing Your Wedding Band.
Plain Wedding Bands
You really should look at a plain band if you need a simple design or aren’t a large “jewelry person”. As a jeweler, I often get women searching for their husbands wedding bands who are considering a plain band because their husband “does not like jewelry”. I usually recommend a narrower plain wedding band, like a white gold or gold 4mm wide band. Although a wider 6mm, 7mm, or 8mm band is standard for some men, someone who does not wear a lot of jewelry may feel convenient in a narrow band. Wedding Bands Scotland (Wedding bands are often measured in millimeters. A 4mm band is approx. �” wide).
If someone is looking for something with a bit more of a design, but still wants a simpler band, I might even steer them towards a far more subtle design, like a hammered wedding band. Hammered bands are still understated, but a bit more exciting when compared to a traditional plain band.
Design Band
There are many forms of design wedding bands available, such as braided wedding bands, hammered design bands, paisley bands, along with other unique designs, such as a Celtic wedding band.
The type of design band wedding you select is a personal choice. There is nothing scientific or practical in selecting a design wedding band other than primarily deciding which kind of design you simply like.
The only practical considerations that you might want to make in selecting a wedding band with designs is in knowing that trends come and go and you’ll be wearing and looking at the design hopefully forever. Another consideration is in deciding whether you’ll wear your ring on a regular basis and what kind of wear and tear your ring can safely sustain. This usually depends on the type of work or career or regular hobbies.
Do you work with your hands a lot? Can you do construction work or are you experiencing an office job that is not taxing on your hands? In purchasing a design band, if you’re likely to wear your ring to employment that is physically demanding you really should consider a hammered design band or perhaps a similarly rugged design that may withstand deterioration. You really should avoid a braided strap, for example, if you’re a police officer and desire to wear your ring face to face! In case you are “outdoorsy” and rugged, you may want a far more solid band with less design that could get damaged.
Keep in mind they are acute cases. Most braided wedding bands are tougher than they appear and you will be fine under most conditions.
Design Band or Designer BRAND NAME
Most wedding bands which are available today are actually not designer brand name rings, yet they are, in my opinion, the same quality as most designer name brand rings. The difference with a designer name brand and a generic version is mainly the price. Most design bands range between $300-$350 vs. $600-$800 for the exact ring created by a known designer name.
However, if paying 2-3 times more is not a significant difference for you, you might like to consider a brand name simply for the security or status that the name you purchase can provide you. In shopping for a wedding band, whether it is a designer name or not, ensure you understand your wedding or jewelry store’s policies, warranties, and guarantees. Often, the generic brand will offer you the same security, quality, and warranties. So why spend the extra?
GOLD, White Gold, or Two-Tone
This too is mostly a personal choice, but there are many points to consider in selecting your wedding bands’ color or metal type.
White gold is frequently more suitable for individuals who aren’t normally big jewelry wearers. White gold is also somewhat more contemporary, although trends suggest that yellow gold may be returning strong into fashion. Ultimately, whether you select yellow or white gold should depend on your personal preference, instead of following any trend, since trends come and go and you plan to wear your ring forever!
You may also want to consider two-tone gold. Two-tone marriage rings are a fantastic compromise between subtle and rich tones plus they serve one additional purpose that folks tend to overlook.
Two-tone wedding bands provide you with the flexibility of both yellow and white gold colors to enable you to match a variety of other jewelry with your wedding jewelry. In the event that you purchase a white gold wedding band, all your future jewelry purchases will tend to be white gold. Wearing yellow gold or two-tone together with your white gold ring may clash. Exactly the same could be said of pure yellow gold. But with a two-tone wedding band, it is possible to wear an all yellow gold bracelet or watch, for instance, and interchange jewelry and colors. This adds great versatility to your jewelry line-up.