The wedding ring, as most people see it, is the symbol of marriage. It is therefore not surprising for people to get so mad when their spouses take them off 😄. Then there’s the advantage of ‘flex’. Wives just love to flaunt that rock around, especially right after the wedding. But the question is; is it about the bling or it’s a matter of the message it sends? If you ask us, we’d say both 🙂

A ring is something you’d be wearing for life, well hopefully. So you have to get the perfect one which not only epitomizes your union, but can also stand the test of time. In this article, we’d be touching on a few things to look out for, when choosing a wedding ring. And we feature the lovely Samiel & Millicent…

Samuel and Millicent looking gorgeous in their matching fits. Photography by @jema_photography

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WEDDING RING

Usually, choosing a good ring is done with the help of an expert. However, not all of us can have access to an expert when we need it. So here are a few things you can have at the back of your mind, before making that big purchase.

• Select the setting style of the ring

It’s hard to narrow down your choice of ring…there’s Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Gemstone and even wood. But for every wedding ring, there is a particular setting style. So before you start thinking of karats, find out which style will fit with it. Now there are numerous styles; Prong, Bezel, Vintage, Halo, Solitaire and so on. Each style somehow matches with personalities. For instance, if the couple likes to stick to the usual traditional way of doing things, a vintage styled ring would work. Your lifestyle/career also counts. If you work with your hands, you may want to search for a simple, solid metal ring and avoid gemstones that can come loose or carvings, which can trap dirt. In such cases, Solitaire rings come in handy. Check out this simplified chart of some ring style settings.

Ring Setting Styles by Borsheims

• Choose the type of metal

The metal is the foundation of every ring. For any diamonds or gemstones you decide on, they’d eventually be set in the metal you select. And for every metal comes its advantages, both cost bearing and durability. Diamonds are usually set in gold or platinum. So if you chose to go with a trendy, pavé style, for example, you’d need to pick between these two metals.

Gold: Gold is one of the most precious metals in the world. Often, full 24K gold is too soft for a wedding ring, so 18K gold is recommended (75% gold, 25% other alloys). Then there’s 14K gold, which is the most suitable, durable–and affordable. With these karats, you can get an array of colours depending on the mix of alloys, of course. Pure yellow, white gold and rose gold are the most common picks.

Platinum: Platinum is the strongest jewellery metal ever and it is so uncommon to find. Due to its rareness, platinum rings are luxurious and cost an arm and a leg! Yet it has the best of quality. It is almost 95% pure, naturally white, resistant to scratch, does not corrode and is hypoallergenic (does not cause allergic reactions). It can also be repolished to new, along the line.

Cobalt, Palladium, and Tungsten are other metals that fit into the plain ring choices. You know, for the men lol. Both Cobalt and Palladium are hypoallergenic and very durable, even though the former is harder and more common than the latter. Tungsten, on the other hand, is the heaviest of the lot, highly scratch-resistant and comes in grey, white, and black.

• Pick your stones

Now, this is the interesting part. Aside from plain rings, there are two types of stones you can fix on your ring — Diamonds and Gemstones. Gemstones range from sapphire, rubies, pearls, emeralds, topaz and others, typically mixed again with diamonds. Other technical details come to play when diamonds are involved, but we wouldn’t bore you with those. Just remember the 4C’s: Cut ( the shape of the diamond), Color (colourless, yellow, faint yellow), Clarity ( level of impurities in the diamond) and the Carats ( ranging from 0.50 to 4).

• Prepare your budget

Now that you know of the basics involved when picking the right ring, you now have to think of the costs. Again as we always say, breaking your bank isn’t worth it. Stay within your means and buy something affordable — the ring is not the most important thing, the union is. Make sure to spend not more than 3% of your total wedding budget on the rings. And always choose something that can last a lifetime. Remember not to stress too much. You’re not married to the ring and can always make changes to it (add diamonds or go from white gold to platinum) later on.

• Do not mismatch

This is a common blunder people make. Mismatching rings is a fashion crime, to say the least! Perfect matches are when style and metal of the engagement and wedding rings are visually the same. But if you’re not too sure, the best thing to do is to buy complementary rings; where the engagement ring is more like a ‘beauty enhancement’, to the wedding ring. They don’t match perfectly but the design of one is subtle enough to make the other stand out.

Perfect, complementary and mismatches by Blue Nile

• Size your rings before buying: It’s a must

Wedding rings should be wearable in all conditions. When you get fat, lose weight, become pregnant, fingers swell up in the cold etc, your ring should not be affected. “To find the right size that will best weather all of those changes, schedule your final ring fitting at a time when you’re calm and your body temperature is normal,” theknot.com advises. So take that trip to the jeweller’s, at the RIGHT time, to ensure you and your partner are ring fitted right before the D-day.

And there you have it! The correct guide to finding a suitable wedding ring for your happily ever afters. Thank us later 😉

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