However, the one enduring item that will outlive all of the day’s excitement and be with you for the duration of your marriage is your wedding band. It’s important to pick the perfect one, classic enough to be cherished for a life time, yet individual enough to represent your own particular style.

Symbolising the bond and unity of the newlywed couple, the wedding ring is a statement of commitment to a future together, and potentially the most significant piece of jewellery that you will both wear.

It’s important to carefully consider the cut, metal and any stones you may choose to adorn that all-important wedding band.

Embellishment: a do or don’t?

Many choose a fairly simple wedding band, in the hope it will stay classic and won’t date too quickly. If modest isn’t your style however and you like a little sparkle in your jewellery, diamonds are a great choice, as are other hard-wearing stones like rubies, sapphires, emeralds and topaz. When designed tastefully rings like these can make a real impact.

Shape:

If you want to keep the rings free of embellishment yet individual in their own right your choice of shape could be the answer.

This may be a factor you have never before considered, but the main options include; a round-edged style, which is the most traditional, high-domed, for a more noticeable, pronounced curve, or a flat wedding ring, with square edges for a modern look.

Complementing your engagement ring….

Another important consideration for the wife-to-be is how the chosen wedding band will fit with her engagement ring. If the shape of the engagement ring’s stone means a straight band won’t fit comfortably next to it, a shaped wedding ring could be just the answer.

Metal Choices

Choosing your metal can be another confusing decision for the bride and groom to be. Most brides will opt for the same metal as their engagement ring, but it’s good to know the benefits and draw-backs of each one.

Yellow gold is the traditional and classic choice, with a history dating back to Ancient Egyptian times. It’s strong and hard-wearing, perfect for standing the test of time. The lower carats are more hard-wearing, but less precious and duller in colour.

White gold is currently the most fashionable choice, but also requires more maintenance than yellow gold to keep it looking at its shiny, bright best.

Platinum wedding rings are a slightly more pricey option, yet only have 5% other metals added to them, making them far more pure than even 18ct gold.

Platinum is more durable than traditional gold and rarer. It is a tough, dense metal, twice the weight of 18ct gold. It doesn’t have to be rhodium plated with wear as white gold does, instead always retaining its naturally beautiful silvery colour.

Finally, make sure you love it!

With so many styles and options available it’s important you and your partner pick the one that’s right for you – whatever anyone else may say, you will be the ones wearing your chosen ring for the rest of your happy lives together. Good luck!

Antique Rings

Those interested in bringing a classic elegance to their wedding ring should consider purchasing an antique. There are many available, so it should be relatively easy to find one that suits a particular style or taste. Depending on the theme of the wedding, it can be relatively easy to find a ring in keeping with the style. In the UK you can find many beautiful wedding rings from the Victorian era, which prove popular among women interested in this period of history, its literature and fashion styles.

Shaped Wedding & Engagement Rings

Engagement and wedding rings both sit on the same ring finger, and some people complain that their rings strike each other or become uncomfortable. Shaped rings fit together perfectly like a ying-yang, which means that rings don’t rub against each other. You can have a wedding ring designed to fit together with engagement ring or vice versa. You can even consider getting an anniversary ring shaped to fit the wedding ring.

Impression Rings

Many people like to have engravings on their wedding rings. It can be names, dates, messages, symbols, lyrics, quotations or virtually anything you can think of. Custom messages are a great way of adding a personal touch to a ring.

Impression rings are rings that have engravings on in the inside of the ring. While they might not be visible from the outside, the person wearing the ring knows they are there. As long as the ring is a good fit, the engraving will leave an impression on the finger. If the engraving is done back-to-front, then when the ring is removed the message will be revealed imprinted on the finger.

Impression rings are popular for people who have secret, private messages they want inscribed on the ring.

Titanium Rings

Titanium rings are growing in popularity for a number of reasons. Titanium is an incredibly light and hard-wearing metal. Many men don’t like to wear expensive wedding rings because they fear that they will become lost or damaged during manual work. Many of these men select titanium rings for their hard-wearing qualities. They are strong and hold their shape better than most metals, and can have gems set within them, engravings or different types of finishes on the inside or outside of the ring.

Hand Fasting

In traditional Celtic and Pagan marriages, the ring-giving ceremony is replaced by hand-fasting, which involves the couple having their hands bound together. Once they are fully joined their hands are unbound on the condition that they remain together forever of their own free will.

Bespoke Jewellery

The best way to get a unique ring to your taste is to have one made by a jeweler. They can be made from a range of different precious metals and gemstones, and can be tailored to your specific requirements. After finding out the type of jewellery you like the jeweler should be able to suggest a few different types of designs, incorporating all or none of the elements discussed in this article.

Ouroboros

Ouroboros are less a type of ring, and more a style. The Ouroboros is a symbol which depicts a snake or dragon in a circular shape eating its own tail. It means different things to different people, but historically it’s been associated with the concept of infinity, eternity. Immortality and rebirth. For some people there’s nothing better to signify their unending love.

Other Gems and Stones

Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but there are other types of jewels and gem stones that can make really nice wedding rings. Pearls are often overlooked, but what could be more romantic than wearing something plucked from the deep blue ocean? The value of pearls depends on their size, shape and colour, the most valuable are bright white, although black pearls are considered very unusual and valuable.

Corals are marine animals that live in huge colonies. These strange creatures secrete calcium carbonate, and form a hard skeleton-type substance known as coral reef. It comes in many different colours, and red coral in particular is becoming a popular choice for rings. It’s relatively high in price due to overharvesting of red coral, and it’s a favourite among diving, surfing and sea enthusiasts.

Wedding rings when compared to other body additives or jewelry are classic by nature. May be this is because they are intended to be worn forever, at least till death do you part, or so they say. Making a decision of what to buy in this case is not easy. This article gives you some insights into the most essential things to look out for when purchasing a wedding ring.

When you are tasked with the responsibility of getting a wedding ring for your bride or groom, there are a few essential things you need to look for in one. Here are some of the most important ones.

The metal from which wedding ring is made

There is nothing that you have to look for in wedding ring than its metal. According to experts drawn from wedding planners, people who’ve been married for decades, and such, you have to ensure that the metal the ring is made of covers all the areas like symbolizing your love, and given its an accessory, God willing , you look forward to wearing it to the day you die.

You have to ensure that your wedding ring is from a great metal, and is durable. Some of the most popular metals you can choose from when looking for a wedding ring include white gold, yellow gold, and platinum and more recently, titanium has also come to fit the bill. One thing to note with gold, which is apparently, top of the list for most couples, consider getting one that is less than 20K because, the 24 carat rings are a bit too soft to last a lifetime.

Shape of the wedding ring

Normally, when you propose, you tend to give one ring. However, after the wedding, a second ring will have to be added. According to experts, when choosing the ultimate shape of the wedding, keep in mind how the wedding ring will sit on her finger together with the engagement ring.

Moreover, given that most engagement rings are curved by nature for prominence, you might want to consider getting a curved wedding ring, fitting wedding ring and so forth. Alternatively, you can jut get whatever shape you desire and make your bride wear a ring on separate hands, for convenience. Getting the assistance of a good wedding ring jeweler can help you get a wedding ring that sits perfect with the engagement ring.

Band type

You have probably looked at a ring side ways.  If you have, you probably have seen different shapes on this exterior expose.  This is one thing you might also want to consider when you want to buy a wedding ring. There are different shapes and styles that can be used to design the band. Some of the popular ones include one that is wavy, striated, flat and sometimes, domed, etc. As a couple, you might want to customize this with some personal symbolism to make your wedding rings special. However, you are free to choose whatever style you want to choose.

Her tastes

Finally, though not least important, you also have to consider what her fashion tastes are. This is certainly challenging, but for some women, how they look and wear matter. Some of the one you may choose to customize into a jewel set- wedding ring include rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and  topaz, all of which are harder and play this role perfect. In general, a wedding ring should last a lifetime; take your time to get one that never fades and is totally symbolic.