You’ve heard the “4 Cs” of smart diamond buying. But what about the marriage band? Wedding bands aren’t 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 many people find yourself wearing their wedding band more often and on each day to day basis in comparison to their engagement ring.
Make an informed decision when purchasing your strap.
Do you prefer a normal plain wedding band or 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 fundamentally the same ring without the “name”, thereby significantly reducing costs?
Pricing Your Wedding Band.
Plain Wedding Bands
You might want to consider a plain band if you prefer a simple design or are not 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 “will not like jewelry”. I recommend a narrower plain wedding band, for instance a white gold or gold 4mm wide band. Although a wider 6mm, 7mm, or 8mm band is standard for most men, someone who will not wear a lot of jewelry may feel more comfortable in a narrow band. (Wedding bands are often measured in millimeters. A 4mm band is approx. �” wide).
If someone wants something with a little more of a design, but still wants an easier band, I might even steer them towards a more subtle design, such as a hammered strap. Hammered bands remain understated, but a little more exciting than a traditional plain band.
Design Band
There are many types of design wedding bands from which to choose, such as braided wedding bands, hammered design bands, paisley bands, along with other unique designs, such as a Celtic wedding band.
The sort of design band wedding you choose is a personal choice. There is nothing scientific or practical in choosing the design wedding band other than primarily deciding which kind of design you merely like.
The only real practical considerations that you might desire to make in selecting a strap with designs is in knowing that trends come and go and you’ll be wearing and looking at the look hopefully forever. The other consideration is in deciding whether you’ll wear your ring on a daily basis and what type of wear and tear your ring can safely sustain. This usually depends upon the sort of work or career or regular hobbies.
Do you work with your hands a lot? Do 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 a job that is challenging you might like to look at a hammered design band or a similarly rugged design that can withstand wear and tear. You may want to avoid a braided strap, for example, if you are a officer and desire to wear your ring face to face! For anyone who is “outdoorsy” and rugged, you might want a more solid band with less design which could get damaged.
Keep in mind these are extreme cases. Most braided wedding bands are tougher than they appear and will be fine under most conditions.
Design Band or Designer Name Brand
Most wedding bands that are on the market today are in fact not designer name brand rings, yet they’re, in my opinion, the same quality because so many designer name brand rings. The difference with a designer name brand and a generic version is mainly the purchase price. Most design bands range between $300-$350 vs. $600-$800 for the exact ring made by a known designer name.
However, if paying 2-3 times more is not a significant difference to you, you may want to consider a name brand exclusively for the security or status that the name you get can provide you. In searching for a wedding band, whether it’s a designer name or not, be sure to 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 really a personal choice, but there are several things to consider in selecting your wedding bands’ color or metal type.
White gold is often more suitable for individuals who aren’t normally big jewelry wearers. White gold can be somewhat more contemporary, although trends suggest that yellow gold could be returning strong into fashion. Wedding Band Scotland Ultimately, whether you choose yellow or white gold should be determined by your personal preference, instead of following any trend, since trends come and go and you also intend to wear your ring forever!
You may also want to consider two-tone gold. Two-tone wedding rings are an excellent compromise between subtle and rich tones plus they serve one additional purpose that folks tend to overlook.
Two-tone wedding bands give you the flexibility of both yellow and white gold colors to help you match many different other jewelry together with your wedding jewelry. If you purchase a white gold wedding band, all your future jewelry purchases will tend to be white gold. Wearing gold or two-tone together with your white gold ring may clash. The same can be said of pure yellow gold. But with a two-tone wedding band, it is possible to wear an all gold bracelet or watch, for instance, and interchange jewelry and colors. This adds great versatility to your jewelry line-up.