8 Tips to Finding Your Perfect Wedding Band - Article

  -  by Hanna   |   20 Jul 2016   |   Culture & News

It is said a wedding band has no beginning or end, which represents the boundless love and devotion that a marriage provides. Your perfect wedding band is the emblem of love you show to the world and something you will wear for the rest of your love. With such massive responsibility tasked to a tiny ring, it is no wonder shopping for the perfect ring can be stressful for bride and groom.

However, the right guidance makes this tradition not only hassle-free, but save you cash in the process. Below you will find eight tips that will help your search for the perfect wedding band.

1.) Know your size

This will not only save a lot of back and forth sizing and resizing but it can help cut those costs. Knowing your correct size is the first piece of information needed when buying your perfect wedding band. WeddingBands.com offers a free ring sizing kit to anyone who wants to size their finger from home.

A proper fit for a ring is for the ring to go on with ease, and come off with some resistance. The ring should be comfortable on your finger, but if you've never worn a ring before, it may take a couple of days to get used to the ring.

2.) Comfort fit vs. Non-Comfort Fit.

The differences between comfort fit and non-comfort fit rings are minuscule in features but massive in characteristics. Comfort fit wedding rings could be slightly thicker all around the ring and have a curved edge to them so slides on your finger easily.

3.) Find the metal that fits your style and feel.

Everything that sparkles in jewelry is not gold. While the vast majority of wedding bands still sold are made of precious metals like gold wedding bands, palladium and platinum wedding bands. Gold wedding bands stamped as 14K, 18K or 585 and 750 to show the purity of the gold. Platinum and palladium wedding bands stamped as 900, 950 "Palladium" or "Plat". WeddingBands.com carries only 950-palladium and 950-platinum. Make sure the manufacturer’s trade mark and metal content is stamped inside the ring. Not only will your gold, platinum and palladium wedding band be priceless to you, it will also be priceless to your children.

Recently alternative metals such as titanium, tungsten carbide, and cobalt chrome are being used in wedding bands.

Both traditional and alternative metals have their benefits and detriments. Gold, palladium, and platinum will last longer and can be sized if needed; while titanium, tungsten, and cobalt chrome are budget friendly alternatives and the rings cannot be sized.

The material of your ring can determine not only the cost, but also the weight, color, and overall style. Whether you want a shiny, brilliant or a dull, matte look your metal choice will play a large part in this. Another piece to this is the finish of the metal.

4.) Know the metal finish that best fits your style.

Every ring style can have an infinite number of looks just by changing the finish of the metal. The finish can range from a basic high polish to a hammered finish and everything in between.

A wedding ring's style can be customized through the metal's finish. A matte, sandblasted finish can make a plain ring more dramatic. A Florentine or brushed finish can ensure small scratches will not be noticeable. Look through all the possible finishes and talk to your jeweler to ensure they understand the look you want.

5.) Narrow or wide band?

6.) What message do you want to engrave in your wedding bands?

The inside of your band is a perfect place to engrave a secret message or simply the date of your wedding.

7.) Take your time.

A wedding band that will become the most important piece of jewelry you own is not something to compromise on. While most purchases for the wedding last a day or a month; the wedding band will be worn for the rest of your life.

It is recommended to shop for your wedding bands well before the wedding. This will give you time to explore your options to find the perfect wedding bands for you and your partner to wear forever.

8.) Know your diamonds and the 4Cs.

Usually you would see this tip for engagement rings. However, diamonds in wedding rings are seeing a resurgent in the last 5 years so it is important to know what kind of diamonds you are buying.

The 4Cs of diamond buying are simple enough in concept; cut, color, clarity, and carat; but details of each get confusing due to fact that we assign massive value difference to tiny differences in rocks. To keep it simple for your sanity follow this simple guide. Everything VS in clarity or better looks the same to the naked eye. Some jewelers use lower clarity and charge the same as though they are higher clarity. Make sure you know what you are buying.

Color of the diamonds is graded using letters between D-Z. Where D-J are colorless and near colorless and K-Z color show some tint of yellow and are less desirable. It is difficult tell the difference between colors D to H when set in a ring. The better cut diamonds sparkles more where poor cut diamonds sparkle less. Carat is the weight of a diamond and total carat weight is the total weight of all the diamonds in the ring