Wedding Ring Buying Guide

Of all the elements that go into the big day, the wedding rings are the only things that you’ll carry into the rest of your life together.

The guests will go home, the cake will be eaten, and the dress will be packed away - but the rings that you've exchanged will stay forever, a lasting reminder of your love and commitment to each other.

It’s a common belief that choosing wedding rings is easy compared to picking the perfect engagement ring. While this is partly true - there aren't quite as many options to consider - it doesn't mean your choice of wedding ring should be an afterthought. The wedding ring is just as important as the engagement ring, if not more, and needs as much care and thought to be put into it.

The days are gone of buying a plain gold wedding band because that’s your only choice. Now there’s much broader acceptance of what a wedding ring can be, meaning you can pick a ring that expresses your unique personality. Perfect, really, for something that you’re planning to wear for the rest of your life.

CHOOSING THE METAL

Choosing the metal for your wedding rings boils down to one basic question: do you want gold or silver-coloured?

If you've got a silver-coloured engagement ring, you’ll probably want a silver-coloured wedding ring to complement it. On the other hand, it can make quite a striking statement to wear a yellow gold wedding ring next to a platinum engagement ring. Even if you do want your rings to match, they don’t have to be made from exactly the same metal. Your engagement ring might be 18K white gold while your wedding ring is platinum, for example.

What about the bride’s and groom’s rings being made from the same metal? It might seem like the obvious choice but don’t assume you have to do this. If one of you prefers yellow gold and the other platinum, there’s no reason why you can’t both have what you want. There are plenty of other ways you can make the rings feel like a matching pair, such as having them both engraved.

Finally, there's the price to consider. Whilst it may not be the deciding factor, it's good to keep your budget in mind when choosing the metal for your wedding rings. Platinum is the most expensive and palladium, the least, with gold hovering somewhere in the middle. Click here for more information about metal prices.

At Quality Diamonds, you can choose to have your wedding ring made from five different metal types: 

Platinum 950 Hard, durable metal with a polished white sheen

Palladium 950 Hard, durable metal that's lustrous white in colour.

ALL ABOUT PROFILES

The profile of a wedding ring is its shape - whether it has a curved or flat appearance on the inner and outer surfaces and flat or rounded edges. The shape can most easily be illustrated by cutting an imaginary line through the band.

If an inner or outer surface is curved, then it’s known as a ‘court’. Flat surfaces are simply called - ‘flat’ - as are the edges when they have a straight appearance.

Choosing a profile is mainly an aesthetic decision. Courts ‘soften’ the look of the ring and a ring with a slightly rounded inner surface or edges is usually more comfortable to wear. Flat surfaces give a ring a more modern feel and are popular with men because they look more ‘masculine’ - for example, a wide, heavy ring with flat edges has an industrial look.

Traditional D Shape Domed outer surface, flat inner surface, flat edges.

Traditional Court Curved inner and outer surfaces.

Traditional Court Flat Edge Curved inner and outer surfaces, flat edges.

Slight Court Slightly curved inner and outer surfaces, rounded edges.

Slight Court Flat Edge Slightly curved inner and outer surfaces, flat edges.

Flat Court Flat outer surface, curved inner surface.

Flat Court Flat Edge Flat outer surface, curved inner surface, flat edges.

A QUESTION OF WEIGHT AND WIDTH

The weight of a ring refers to its thickness. We supply wedding rings in three standard weights:

Light Weight - 1.4mm

Medium Weight - 1.7mm

Heavy Weight - 2.1mm

As a general rule, thinner rings are more comfortable, especially for those with small hands or narrow fingers. Thicker rings are best suited to those with broad or large hands.

We also offer wedding rings in a variety of different widths, from very narrow (2mm) to very wide (8mm). The bride’s wedding ring is often the same width as her engagement ring, although there’s no rule that says it has to be. Choosing a wider band for your wedding ring may help it to ‘stand out’ against a sparkling diamond engagement ring.

2mm

2.5mm

3mm

4mm

5mm

6mm

7mm

8mm

As with weight, remember to consider comfort when choosing the width of your ring as a wide ring will feel too bulky if your fingers are short.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING RING YOUR OWN

So far the choices you've made will result in a plain gold-or-silver-coloured wedding ring, so if that’s just what you’re looking for you can stop here. If, however, you want to tweak the design further, we offer hundreds of cutting styles, finishes and engraving combinations so you can give your rings that personal touch.

Cutting Style

When you choose to customize your wedding ring, you can also choose from over 30 different cutting styles to give your plain band an eye-catching design that will help it stand out from the crowd. The cutting style changes the look of the outer surface of the ring and there’s a style to suit all tastes - whether it’s a fine milgrain border, a sleek satin groove, or a bold geometric pattern.

Finish

All of our wedding rings come with our attractive ‘Polished’ finish as standard, which makes the most of your chosen metal’s natural sheen.

If you prefer a matte look, you can select the ‘Brushed’ finish for a small extra fee.

Engraving

For a truly personal touch, we can engrave the inner surface of your ring with up to 26 characters in one of our six beautiful fonts. You might choose the name of your betrothed, the date of your wedding, an extract from your vows or a meaningful quote. Try reading our blog on engraving ideas here.

GETTING THE SIZE RIGHT

No one wants their big day ruined by a ring that’s too loose or, worse, one that won’t go on when you say ‘I do’ (don’t worry, that won’t happen). Request a free ring sizer to make sure you get the size just right before ordering.

And in the event that the size you order isn't just right, you can send it back to us for one free resizing. See Our Promises for further details.