Like most things when it comes to getting married, when you start to think about what your wedding ring you realise how many things there are to consider! As a bespoke jeweller, we can safely say that no two wedding bands that we create are the same. With plenty of experience in crafting rings to suit different personalities, styles and engagement rings, we’re ready to help you decide on the perfect symbolism of your marriage.
Choosing the perfect ladies wedding band
What should I consider when choosing my wedding ring?
Wedding rings vary so greatly. Whether you come to the drawing board with a blank canvas, an idea of what would compliment your engagement ring, or simply an idea of the budget you’ve got in mind, there are many different design aspects to consider.
All the while, remember, the wedding ring is the slow and steady, long-enduring member of your jewellery collection – be sure to choose a design you will love forever.
1. Should my wedding ring be straight or shaped?
Always complimenting, never clashing, a ladies wedding ring needs to sit alongside her engagement ring harmoniously. This can be through both a straight band design or shaped wedding ring design. Depending on the engagement ring, straight designs can either delicately slip under the edge of the engagement ring stone or sit directly next to it. Depending on the stone size this can leave a bit of a gap between the engagement and wedding rings. An advantage is the straight band can be worn alone, perfect for people who cannot wear their engagement rings to work. Alternatively, and increasingly so with the rise of bespoke fine jewellery, wedding rings can be shaped to fit perfectly against your engagement ring.
2. Do you want a matching set of ‘His and hers’ wedding bands?
Wedding rings are a special chance for both fiancé and fiancée to have a say in their wedding jewellery. Let’s not forget one of you probably had more input into the engagement ring! You’ll need to decide whether you’re happy to each have your own unique styles, or if you’d prefer a matching set of wedding bands. There’s no wrong or right answer here, whatever feels right to you. Whichever you choose, most wedding rings will look good together anyway, and how often are they placed directly next to each other aside from ‘that’ photo from your photographer!?
To the left is are truly unique ‘his and hers’ matching set of wedding bands. The couple wanted to use the analogy of intertwined tree branches to symbolise their marriage, and we created these rings to convey that message.
3. Should wedding rings be unadorned or sparkling?
Having a diamond set wedding band is a lovely way to add additional sparkle around your engagement ring. Of course this increases the cost of the ring so it depends on the budget you’ve set aside. Setting diamonds just over half way down the sides of the ring is likely to increase the price of the wedding ring by approximately £700. If your preference is to have a fully set diamond wedding ring, we recommend careful consideration of the size as these rings are harder to resize at a later date if needed. Equally, a traditional unadorned platinum or 18-carat gold wedding ring with plenty of shine is timeless, classic and striking, and a perfect accompaniment to let the engagement ring take centre stage. There is also always the option to add diamonds at a later date.
4. I’m not sure which metal to have in my wedding ring?
Most ladies wedding rings are made in platinum or 18-carat or 9-carat gold. Matching the metal of your wedding ring to your engagement ring would be our recommendation as some metals wear differently to others. Gold is a softer metal to platinum so sitting this alongside a platinum engagement ring may cause more wear on your wedding ring. However if you would like a mixed metal design, we can work with you on a design where the two metals within the ring compliment each other, as well as working in harmony with your engagement ring metal(s).
5. How can I personalise my wedding ring?
There are many ways that you can personalise your wedding rings to add an extra element of emotional connection to them. Laser engravings on the inside of your wedding ring could capture the date of your wedding (no excuse for forgetting anniversaries!). Or yours and your partner’s initials or a special phrase you hold between you could be engraved instead. Small gemstones can also be embedded inside your wedding rings, for example, to represent how many years you’ve been together and/or to act as the bride’s ‘something blue’ when blue sapphires are embedded. Hand engraving on the outside of a wedding ring can also add to the design. This works particularly well with leaf or scroll patterns, and works well on both mens’ and ladies’ wedding rings.
For all wedding bands created at Veale Fine Jewellery, during the bespoke design phase we will show you a photo realistic image of how your wedding ring will look alongside your engagement ring. If your engagement ring was not brought from us we’ll just need to take its measurements and ensure we have your correct ring finger size. Please see here for more information on ring sizing.
10. Buying your engagement ring
Getting married is one of the biggest moments of your life! And the ring you choose today will last a lifetime so it’s so important to get it right. We have guided many prospective ‘proposers’ through this process…
A Guide To Buying Fine Jewellery
We understand there’s a lot to think about when buying jewellery. As well as taking care of the design, our expert team is here to guide you through the everything else you might need to bear in mind, from getting the ring size right, to making the best choices for your budget and insurance.
