How to choose wedding rings

When it comes to choosing wedding rings there are so many options out there that it can feel a bit of a mine field. Here is our handy guide to help you pick your perfect rings.

BUDGET & LIFESTYLE

The first things to consider are budget & your lifestyle. It is important to match the metal type / gold carat weight of the engagement ring should you be wearing two rings together. This is because of how metal wears against each other. Platinum is a popular choice for engagement rings because of its durability but it is the most expensive of all the metals. The next 18ct and then 9ct. (You can read more about gold choices in one of our other blogs here.) If you are planning to wear your wedding ring alone you are open to any metal choice. This is where you need to consider what sort of lifestyle you lead. If you are fairly active and practical you would be better to go for a harder wearing metal such as platinum. Although 9ct is technically harder than 18ct our 18ct white gold is alloyed with palladium which is part of the platinum family giving it extra strength.

You may also have your heart on one set with diamonds. Diamonds will add extra to the price of the ring. If diamonds are not an option for the budget right now then look at rings where they can be added at a later date. We have several diamond setting options where you can choose how many, the size, colour and style of setting. This can be done when you purchase the ring or at a later date. Individual stones can be set at a time to mark special events or occasions and is a really lovely way to build up an eternity style ring. You can see more about our diamond setting options here.

One thing that is really important to think about when it comes to budget it may seem a big outlay to begin with but this is a ring you will wear for the rest of your life. If you choose to buy your ring from an independent gallery such as Erin Cox Jewellery (our flagship store) you have the option of using Own Art. This is a scheme run by the Arts council in order for people to buy artisan work. It is a 10 month interest free payment plan which allows you to take your rings as soon as your application has been agreed. It is very easy to do in store and all you need is proof of address and id such as a driving licence. You can find out more on the Own Art web page.

Photo by Grace Elizabeth Photography

QUALITY

It is important to think about how your ring has been made. What is the quality of the metals used. When gold is stamped 9ct or 18ct it is only looking for the gold content - not the metals it has been alloyed with. We often hear people saying white gold isn’t white - this isn’t true. It is down to the alloy. Many white gold’s are plated with rhodium because of how the metal is alloyed. This plating can wear quite quickly once the ring is worn daily leaving you with a sandy yellow colour metal that needs replating. By choosing rings made with a good quality alloy you will not need to have them replated as they will remain white gold.

Also is the ring you are looking at hollow or solid? Over time your hands will change size and shape and your rings will need adjusting. By choosing a solid ring you will be more likely to have the ring sized successfully as there is more metal in order to work.

DEPTH

The depth of the ring will determine how the ring feels between your fingers. We recommend going for a similar depth as your engagement ring if wearing two together so there is no ridge as you run your finger over them. If wearing a ring on it’s own then you want to make sure that the ring feels comfortable between your fingers. We often find gents who are not used to wearing a ring the Sid which is approx 1.7mm deep is a good feel.

WIDTH

This is down to personal preference really and if you are looking to wear a stack of rings together. If you are planning on wearing your engagement ring and wedding ring together and maybe down the line add an eternity ring then you may be better to go for slightly thinner bands that can stack up. People sometimes like to keep the wedding band a similar width to the engagement ring but others prefer to have the wedding ring more prominent and so go for a wider wedding ring to their engagement ring. If only wearing one ring you may wish to go go for a wider ring - this is also a good choice if you are looking to maybe add diamonds at a later date. Really the best thing to do is to try on a few to give you a feel for how the ring looks on your hand. The length of your fingers and size of your hands will mean one ring will look very different on one person to another. Our try at home samples means you can order a few rings in different sizes to try at home and then once they are returned to us we offer the price of your samples as a discount off your gold or platinum rings.

SHAPING

Will you need a shaped wedding ring to fit around an engagement ring? This is often the case if you have a large stone set ring you want to wear your wedding ring with. Our Molten bands have natural undulations that many stone set rings snuggle into but it may be that the two do not sit flush if the stone is large or an unusual shape. There are two options - a) have a band shaped to go around your stone set ring or b) have a slightly wider ring and have a section cut away for the stone to sit down into.

Photo Gem Hicks Photography

FIT

Your wedding ring should not come off easily - you should not be able to take another person’s ring off. If you can - it’s too big! We recommend that the ring will need a little ‘walk’ over the knuckle to come off. When hands are lubricated with hand cream or water (or often with hand sanitiser at this time!) the ring can slip off easier and you do not want that to happen when you are not expecting it. Fingers also go up and down in size a lot depending on how warm or cool you are. If you are measuring your hands at home then try a couple of times at different times of the day to get an average size. Our rings are cast as a complete circle with no solder seams within them. To make a ring smaller the ring has to be cut and metal removed before soldering back together again. A solder seam will always be a weaker point within the ring. To go bigger we can often gently stretch it rather than need to cut and solder and so we say to air on the side of slightly smaller rather than bigger.

We would recommend being sized by a professional jeweller (such as ourselves) who can give you advice on the fit of the ring. Wider rings will feel tighter than narrow rings and so it may be the size needs to be adjusted according to the ring style you have chosen. Also if you are wearing a stack of rings the sizes may need to differ as the rings go up the finger.

If you have any questions about choosing your wedding ring please do get in touch