Usually, men don’t pay much attention to their wedding ring. They just buy and wear something that their fiancee chooses. But a wedding band is something that you’ll wear for years – or if you’re lucky, even for the rest of your life. Just think about it. It’s something that you’ll have to look at every single day. Of course, if you like the ring, you’ll stop really noticing it soon, but what if you consider your band ugly or impractical or not in your style? Here’s what you should know to choose the best possible wedding ring just for you and avoid mistakes.
Until recently, no one really talked about men’s wedding rings. But why not? Most men agonize over the engagement ring and want it to be perfect for their bride-to-be. But once that is out of the way, they don't really think about rings too much. Sure, they'll wear a wedding band – probably something close to what their bride’s wearing – but they pay very little attention to something that they’re going to be wearing every single day. The truth is, more men are starting to care about their wedding band nowadays.
So here are 6 things you need to know before you go wedding band shopping:
#1 Respect tradition but do your own thing
Many couples these days are researching wedding traditions and stuff and then adapting them to suit their own ceremony. So when you’re shopping for your wedding ring, it's good to know about what the traditions are but, ultimately, you and your bride are going to choose what works for you.
The ring finger?
In the US, most people wear their wedding band on the “ring finger” of their left hand. Though, in Europe, for instance, couples traditionally put their wedding band on their right hand ring finger.
Who buys the wedding rings?
While the tradition about who buys the engagement ring is a little more clear, wedding bands are a different story. According to the modern tradition, the couple would either buy both rings together as a couple or the bride could buy the groom’s ring and the groom could buy the bride's ring. Either way, it's a decision that you want to make with your bride-to-be.
Do the rings have to match?
Well, contemporary tradition suggests that the rings should coordinate somehow, but that doesn't mean they need to match by any means. In fact, a lot of couples will simply just choose to have some sort of shared element in between the two rings. Maybe both rings are made from the same metal or, perhaps, both rings share a similar design feature or shape or maybe they just include a shared engraving.
And unlike the engagement ring, which, let's be honest, is all about your bride-to-be, you do have a say in this – you're the one who will be wearing this ring after all.
#2 Know your metals
Once you've started your search, one of the most basic questions you need to ask yourself is, “What do I want my ring to be made of?” Here are some of the most common metals for wedding bands.
Platinum. It's a great choice for a wedding band. Surprisingly, it's more expensive than gold because it's rarer. It's also extremely durable and rings made with platinum are typically about 95% platinum with only 5% other metals mixed in.
White gold. White gold is an alloy made of pure gold mixed with white metals like nickel, silver, or palladium, with rhodium plating. This plating gives it a look similar to platinum and it's often used as a coating on jewelry. But over time, that coating actually may fade and the metal can become more yellow in appearance. Though, it can always be re-coated later. White gold is also less expensive than platinum.
Yellow gold. Most people are familiar with yellow gold but it's important to note that gold rings are never pure gold, there's always another metal mixed in for stability.
Rose gold. A mix of gold and copper and sometimes a little bit of silver. Obviously, the amount of copper vs gold is going to affect whether that rose gold appears more reddish or more of lighter pink.
Palladium. It's a soft, silver, white metal that looks like platinum. Technically, it belongs to the platinum family and it tends to be a little cheaper and a tiny bit softer. It’s kind of the poor man's platinum.
Sterling silver. Again, silver you're probably familiar with and, while it is a precious metal, it's actually much cheaper than the others we've mentioned because it's easier to find. The sterling silver is mixed with copper or other metals to make it more durable and the appearance ranges from bright white to grayish-white.
All these precious metals are pretty common for wedding bands but there's also been a recent trend of going with much less expensive and more unique materials like titanium or tungsten carbide or even silicone or wood.
#3 Know your basic jewelry vocab
Beyond understanding the basic metals, it's helpful to understand a few key terms that you might hear.
Comfort fit vs standard fit. Standard rings are simply flat on the inside, whereas comfort fit rings are a little bit rounded on the inside to conform to your finger.
Carats vs Karats. Well, carats is a unit of measure used for diamonds and other gemstones. So a carat is equal to 200 mg or 0.2 g. Now, the only catch is that, since diamonds and gemstones have different densities, 1 carat of one stone may not necessarily be the same size as another stone.
Karats refer to the purity of gold and, for whatever reason, gold is measured in 24 parts. So 24 karat gold would be pure gold but because gold is such a soft material, you pretty much never going to see that with jewelry. Typically, you'll see 14 an 18 karat gold. And 14 karat gold is 14/24 gold and 10 parts other metals – it’s 58% gold; 18 karat gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals – it's 75% gold.
Clarity-enhanced vs natural diamonds. More and more men are actually starting to put gemstones and diamonds in their wedding bands. As you probably know, natural mined diamonds have natural impurities. The clarity-enhanced diamonds are technically natural diamonds, but the jeweler will use various techniques to either laser drill or fill in some of the impurities. Clarity-enhanced diamonds are generally considered lower quality and are usually about half the price of natural unaltered diamonds.
#4 Find a ring you connect with personally
Well, it's more common for women's rings. Often, people will use family heirlooms for the wedding rings – that personal connection is obviously going to be well beyond the value of the material of the ring. If you're not wearing a family piece, you got to find a ring design that speaks to you, one that represents you as a person.
If you want something more understated, there's really no shortage of classic, simple designs for men's wedding bands. But a lot more guys don't want just a boring wedding band anymore. Men are starting to wear more interesting-looking bands that have more personality. And today, there’s a huge variety of such rings at the market.
#5 Don't take any chances with sizing
A lot of guys don't pay enough attention to this step. But it’s a huge mistake. If your wedding ring is even a little too big, you can easily lose it, and also, you’ll need to take it off whenever you’re swimming, and you can’t just relax and forget that your band is on your finger. Of course, with most materials, you can resize the ring if you mess up with sizing, but come on! It's much easier and much less of a hassle if you just get it right the first time.
Some companies will send you a free sizing kit that you can use yourself, if you ask for it. But it's better to have a jeweler do it for you in person. Even if you plan to buy a ring online, you should still go to 2-3 jewelry stores in person to get sized by different jewelers. It helps to have multiple opinions because sometimes measurements can vary. Also, it's generally better to go to a smaller jewelry shop and deal directly with a professional jeweler, rather than just deal with the sales clerk at the jewelry counter at a larger store.
The other thing to remember is that your fingers change size and shape depending on how warm it is. During the summer, your fingers may actually be a little bit bigger and puffier, and during the winter, if you come inside into a warm environment, your fingers may also swell up because of the change in temperature. With that in mind, it is better if you can try to get sized when your body temperature is fairly neutral. And obviously, if you can give yourself some time to adjust to the environment before trying the ring on, that helps too. And the last thing, it's much better if you can try the ring on once, leave the store, and then come back again for another sizing.
#6 Take care of your ring
While many of these rings are made with materials that are really designed to last a lifetime, you still have to exercise common sense so that you don't put your ring through any unnecessary wear. You may just want to take your ring off if you're handling harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaners – things like that. Same goes with rough outdoor work where your ring might come in contact with hard surfaces and rocks and stuff like that.
Beyond that, it's also good to get your ring regular cleaning now and then. Get a bowl of warm water and soap and soak your ring for 10 minutes or so, and then use a soft cotton cloth to dry it and wipe away any dirt or oil. You can also use a soft toothbrush to clean any nooks and crannies.
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