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Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life, that's why The Wedding...
With this ring: Our ultimate wedding ring buyer's guide
The custom of exchanging wedding rings dates back 5,000 years to ancient Egypt, and is still a custom today's couples rarely, if ever, compromise on. The circular shape of the band, representing eternity, is thought to symbolise everlasting love. As we do now, the ancient Egyptians wore their wedding rings on the third finger of the left hand, the one believed to hold the vena amoris, or vein of love, connecting directly to the heart.
With yet another important buying decision ahead of you, we've put togetther our ultimate guide to shopping for your wedding rings ensuring your own symbol of eternal love the two of you share will be something that brings joy to your hearts.
AN INVESTMENT FOR LIFE
As with any element of your wedding day, decide first how much of your budget you want to invest in your wedding rings, or indeed if this will even be part of your big-day funds – perhaps you have a separate pot? After all, unlike many features of your big day, which will come and go, these will be with you for life.
The average cost of wedding rings in the UK is around £950 but ultimately what you end up spending depends on a number of factors including materials and whether you decide to go bespoke or ready made, which we'll address shortly. But, what you're really investing in is the metal your rings are crafted from, everything else is down to your preferences. It's the metal though that will decide whether your rings last a lifetime or barely make it to your first anniversary!
TEST YOUR METAL
While the ancient Egyptians wore rings fashioned of woven reeds or leather, with other early examples being crafted from iron, the best advice we can ofer you today is to opt for the best quality metal you can afford at the time. Most people never take their wedding rings off, so consider the amount of wear and tear they'll be enduring. Do you have a manual job that involves working with your hands? If so, we recommend looking at the hardest metals out there for your wedding ring – titanium, platinum and tungsten carbide (known for being highly resistant to scratching) are your go-tos.
The metal your engagement ring is crafted from will also be a deciding factor, as your wedding ring will need to be made from the same to avoid uneven wear.
Yellow gold has traditionally been the most popular choice for wedding bands with its history dating back to Ancient Greece and Rome. It's not for everyone though, so if you're not typically a yellow gold wearer, look into beautiful alternatives such as white gold, rose gold or our hard-wearing friend, platinum. You may even decide to go off piste and explore other materials such as wood.
READY MADE
When you start shopping for your wedding rings, you'll find you have a choice of two main options to take: buying from a jeweller's ready made collections or going bespoke. The main high-street brands might be your first port of call when it comes to shopping ready-made, although your local, independent, family-favourite will likely have a core range for you to look at too. Here, there'll be a wide range of styles to suit most preferences. You may decide on a plain, classic band to keep your engagement ring centre stage, or perhaps you'd prefer to create similarities between the two by choosing a diamond-set wedding band.
You'll want to find something that complements your engagement ring, rather than competes with it, so bear in mind band width, profile, materials and colour. Most importantly, look for a ring to suit your style. Some trending themes to look out for are eternity rings featuring a continuous circle of gemstones, channel set rings, shaped designs and oh-so modern textured or patterned metals.
GO BESPOKE
To achieve a perfectly matched set of engagement and wedding rings, or if you fail to discover your vision in ready-made collections, you may decide to go down the bespoke route. Costs are often comparable, and you'll be able to ensure the same profile and perfect shape fitted around your engagement ring, allowing the two to sit together in perfect harmony. You'll need a skilled local goldsmith, so be on the lookout for privately-owned jewellers, particularly those who come highly recommended.
The price of gold right now is sky high, so you can save yourself a pretty penny by presenting your jeweller with gold family heirloom pieces that you're happy to have melted down and refashioned into your new wedding rings. This also brings a world of sentimentality and meaning. What about combining gold from both sides of your family symbolising the joining of the two in marriage?
The bespoke process allows you to be involved every step of the way, working with your jeweller to design and bring to life exactly what's in your head. Remember, you're making a significant investment in these pieces, so they should be absolutely perfect for you – no compromises. You can even find some artisan makers who host wedding ring making workshops, allowing you to craft your very own bands. What could be more personal?
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
You can also opt for elements of personalisation, perhaps with precious stones that mean something to you both like your birth stones. Even if you decide against going fully bespoke there are still special twists you can add such as engraving your wedding date, your names or a meaningful phrase.
There are some wonderfully creative options out there. Some of our favourites include engraving a sound wave, including hand-panned gold from a meaningful location, incorporating a custom inlay from crushed shell sourced from a beloved beach, and casting your fingerprints into the metal.
You can also opt for elements of personalisation, perhaps with precious stones that mean something to you both like your birth stones. Even if you decide against going fully bespoke there are still special twists you can add such as engraving your wedding date, your names or a meaningful phrase.
There are some wonderfully creative options out there. Some of our favourites include engraving a sound wave, including hand-panned gold from a meaningful location, incorporating a custom inlay from crushed shell sourced from a beloved beach, and casting your fingerprints into the metal.
COMFORT IS KEY
You'll be wearing your wedding ring all day, every day so comfort is a key factor to bear in mind. Aside from the obvious correct sizing, you'll be thinking about ring profiles here. So, we suggest trying a few on to see what you're happiest with. One of the most popular profiles is Court, rounded on both the inside and outside it's designed to be the most comfy. If this isn't for you, we recommend trying the popular D-Shape next. While still rounded on the outside this profile is flat on the inside, creating a D if it were sliced to expose the cross section – hence its name.
The easiest solution, as well as the most aesthetically pleasing is to opt for a wedding band with the same profile as your engagement ring. You'll have been wearing this for a while and will likely have a sound idea of whether it's comfortable for you.
You'll be wearing your wedding ring all day, every day so comfort is a key factor to bear in mind. Aside from the obvious correct sizing, you'll be thinking about ring profiles here. So, we suggest trying a few on to see what you're happiest with. One of the most popular profiles is Court, rounded on both the inside and outside it's designed to be the most comfy. If this isn't for you, we recommend trying the popular D-Shape next. While still rounded on the outside this profile is flat on the inside, creating a D if it were sliced to expose the cross section – hence its name.
The easiest solution, as well as the most aesthetically pleasing is to opt for a wedding band with the same profile as your engagement ring. You'll have been wearing this for a while and will likely have a sound idea of whether it's comfortable for you.
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Not all diamonds are created equal, so if you're concerned about the origins of those in your wedding ring, ask your jeweller for more information. Ethically sourced diamonds ensure the stones are mined, processed and sold in a manner that respects human rights, the environment, and the communities they come from. Crucially, they'll be conflict-free meaning they haven't been used to fund conflict or violence. The Kimberley Process is the official certification process to look out for, allowing you to make sure your diamonds are conflict-free. Ethically sourced diamonds are also the result of fair labour practices ensuring everyone involved in the supply chain is paid and treated fairly, and able to work in safe conditions. Remember, the origin and journey of your diamonds should be known and traceable.
Brown & Newirth guarantee all its diamonds conform to the Kimberley Process, and is committed to using 100 per cent recycled gold in all jewellery as well as recycled platinum where possible. Brilliant Earth too is known for its ethical sourcing practices and in fact goes beyond the Kimberley Process to source its Beyond Conflict Free Diamonds, which fewer than one per cent of the world's natural diamonds are able to meet. What's more, every one of the brand's natural diamond suppliers has been audited for safe working conditions.
An alternative to natural stones is lab-grown diamonds, which are often considered innately ethical due to the lower environmental impact involved in their creation as opposed to traditional diamond mining. And the good news is, they're generally more affordable. As a result, there's a common misconception that lab-grown diamonds are fake or poor relations to natural diamonds, but this isn't the case. They are, in fact, identical in every way.
YOUR SHOPPING ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST
Find a reputable jeweller you can trust
Check out reviews and recommendations and look out for qualifications and accreditations such as the National Associationof Jewellers crest.
Make sure the jeweller’s wedding rings bear a hallmark
Hallmarking is a legal requirement in the UK ensuring gold, silver, palladium or platinum items are of the required purity to be declared as such.
Allow time
There are no hard and fast rules surrounding timelines for your wedding rings. Just bear in mind that if you’ve opted for bespoke rings rather than something from a ready-made collection, you’ll need to allow plenty more time for them to be designed and made. At least six months ahead of the big day should allow time for the design and creation of your perfect rings, so the earlier you can make enquiries the better. For off-the-shelf options, three to four months should suffice allowing for potential resizing.
Ask about your jeweller’s after-sales care
Including guarantees, warranty, alterations, cleaning and repairs. The more they’re prepared to look after you once they’ve made their sale, the more trustworthy they likely are.
CHECK OUT LOCAL LOVELY HENRY D JOHNSTONE
Design is our Passion, The Difference is in the detail. Many Aspects of your wedding day are arranged to reflect you and your partner, tailored, hand-picked and personalised just for you. At Henry D Johnstone Jewellers, we believe in bespoke. We have found through years of experience that nothing compares to the quality and attention to detail we can provide through our bespoke manufacturing service. Using a finely tuned blend of traditional skills and experience coupled with cutting edge techniques in both design and manufacture, we can take any design from concept to a beautiful hand-crafted piece of jewellery just for you.
Our team of highly skilled goldsmiths, each chosen for their own strengths and disciplines to ensure we always achieve the best results. One common myth we hear time and time again is that bespoke means expensive, at Henry D Johnstone Jewellers, we take great pride in not just telling you, but showing you that this simply isn't the case. Bespoke design can be anything from a simple alteration of an existing design to a completely original one-off commission and all points in-between. The costs involved don't carry premiums by being bespoke but simply reflect the work you request of us.
We pride ourselves on being able to offer our customers top quality and real value for money whether it's a stock piece or a bespoke design. Whatever your budget, we can work with you to make your dream ring a reality.
Alderley Edge - 51a London Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7DY
Tel : 01625 583565
Email : alderley@henryjohnstone.co.uk
Poynton - 59 Park Lane, Poynton, Cheshire, SK12 1RD
Tel : 01625 872470
Email : poynton@henryjohnstone.co.uk
