Do not forget the wedding ring a saying famously drummed into the best man before the wedding, well that goes for the future bride/groom as well. With all wedding preparations it is quite easy to slip your mind to buy the most important item that makes the wedding ceremony a memorable one.

The wedding ring is so important because it bonds two people together and it is the exchange of wedding rings that finalize the vow (I do). Do a check list of all your wedding plans and be sure that choosing a perfect wedding ring is one of your top priorities besides turning up on the day?

Choosing a wedding ring is not as simple as you think, much thought is needed behind your chosen design. What you have to remember the wedding band binds the happy couple together forever. This ornate piece of Jewelry with so much meaning will be worn every day so we need to choose something pretty special. Back to your budget which will play an important role when making your choice, because of the penny shortage does not mean that you can not have that piece of warm gold or cool silver, if precious stones were to be embedded or mounted in your actual design then don’t expect to many diamonds with just a fist full of dollars. Jewelry materials like what is used in wedding rings have evolved over the years. Popular is the 14K/18 yellow gold which you will find more of a favourable option worldwide. Close on its heels is the white gold gaining more popularity by the day.

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Traditionally men preferred simple gold wedding & engagement bands
to symbolize their love and devotion. Though over the last 15 years men have increasingly been moving away from the traditional gold wedding ring towards something
a little different. There are many ring designs to choose from. You will need to take into
account the factors above. Then it’s a matter of personal preference.

Types of ring styles include simple bands made in all yellow gold, all white gold, all platinum, or all titanium; rings with inlay stripes or ribbed edges; rings with diamonds or gemstones; rings with unique patterns; two-tone rings with a combination of metal types, and woven or wave ring styles.

When considering lifestyle factors and ring designs you should note that a woven, puzzle or heavily patterned ring could be damaged whilst playing sport or working with your hands. A ring with diamonds or gemstones may be at greater risk of having the gem settings damaged and potentially loosing a gemstone.

It can be acceptable for a men’s wedding ring to include diamonds and gemstones.  The decision to include diamonds or gemstones in your ring will depend on your personal choice.

You should keep in mind the type of work that you do and the sports you play when considering gemstones. Gemstone settings can be affected and the risk of a gemstone being lost will be increased if the ring is knocked around through manual labour and some sporting activities.

 You should also consider the type of gemstones that are proper to be worn in wedding&engagement rings. Some gemstones are more fragile than others and are not suited to be worn everyday. The gemstones that are suitable to be worn in wedding rings are diamonds, sapphires (all colors of sapphires including blue, black, pink, orange, green and yellow) and rubies. We do not recommend that opal rings be worn as wedding rings, as opals are a more fragile gemstone.

Are you hoping to wear a matching wedding ring with your future spouse?

Couples sometimes want to choose to wear matching wedding rings. This can be a romantic touch, though it will limit the options that you can choose from. You would then need to take into account all of the factors we mentioned up to now and your fiancé and importantly you will need to consider the types of rings that your fiancé can wear with her engagement ring. Some ladies engagement rings need to have curved fitted rings specially made to match their wedding ring, so if that is the case for your fiancé’s ring, it would generally be best to not have matching rings.

In summary, therefore couples sometimes prefer to choose a ring with some similar features, such as the same metal type, a similar pattern or another feature in common.

Below is info for choosing the metal to use for your wedding ring.
• Gold
• Titanium
• Platinum
• Silver

Gold

Gold is definitely the most popular choice for men’s wedding rings. There are two things to consider when choosing a gold men’s wedding ring. Which gold carat to choose and gold color or what combination of gold colors you would like. The gold carats normally used in men’s wedding rings are 9kt, 14kt and 18kt. The higher the proportion of gold used in the final metal, the more valuable and expensive the metal will be. So all other things being the same, an 18kt ring will be more expensive than a 14kt ring and a 14kt ring will be more expensive than a 9kt ring.

Many people see the hardness and durability of gold when choosing a men’s wedding ring.

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Many men are concerned that a wedding ring will not be comfortable to wear. This concern normally stems from the fact that many men have not worn a ring before. Men’s wedding rings can be comfortable to wear if you know what to look for. Consider these two factors, the shape of the ring and the ring width.

Now first, look for a ring design that has softly rounded edges, rather than sharp angular edges. That doesn’t mean that a flat band style cannot be comfortable. A flat band can still have a very good construction which the edge of the band is made with a very gentle rounded inside edge. Next, consider the inside curve the of ring. The inside of a ring should have a gentle curve on the inside edges of the ring. This soft internal curve will make the ring feel more comfortable on your finger. Another option might be a soft fit ring, which has softly curved edges on the ring, though not a completely curved inside surface in the ring.

Something that is also a popular choice for men’s rings is a ring made with a comfort curve. A comfort curve refers to the inside of a ring, not the outside. So it is possible to have a comfort curve with a ring that is flat on the outside surface.
A comfort curve is a ring that is curved on the inside of the band, rather than having a more flat surface on the inside of the ring. When considering ring width, factors to consider include the size and length of your fingers and your personal preference. Often men with larger hands or longer fingers choose an average width band or a slightly wider band. Men with smaller hands or more slender fingers often choose a 5mm ring or a slightly narrower ring.

Men’s wedding&engagement rings are usually wider than a ladies wedding ring and most men choose a ring width of between 5mm and 7mm with 6mm and 7mm being the more popular widths. If you are interested in a band wider than 7mm you will need to note that very wide bands can be a little more uncomfortable to wear than a narrower ring. If you choose a wider ring style you will also need to consider the finger size that you will need. Wider rings can be tighter on the finger than a narrower ring would be.

For a ring width of 8mm or wider you may need to choose a slightly larger finger size (perhaps a 1/4 US size or a 1/2 a British or Australian size larger). Most finger size measurements are made on quite narrow sizing rings, so when you have your finger size measured by a jeweler you should let them know the width of the ring that you are interested in, so that they can factor in the width of your ring when determining the best finger size for you.