When buying wedding bands, most of the attention is placed on the woman’s ring. People want to see the engagement ring, and they want to see how the wedding band goes with the engagement ring. The mens ring is often an afterthought. Almost more of a formality than anything else. The guy needs a ring, and so one needs to be selected. Many men may not even wear jewelry (or at the least rings), so they’ve never spent much time thinking about it.However, this doesn’t mean buying mens wedding bands should just be a pick out any old ring kind of process. A man will be wearing this day in and day out as a sign of his love and devotion to his spouse. Many couples look forward to selecting rings and getting to wear them for the rest of their lives. Due to this, it is important to know how to find the right ring, not only for the man but for the couple.
There are plenty of options when selecting a mens wedding band. There are different shades of gold, different kinds of metal, standard rings with little detail on them and others with diamonds. Typically, the wedding bands are picked out by both parties so that the rings can be fitted properly ahead of time and selected for each individual. When looking for the right mens wedding bands here is what someone needs to know.
Materials and Costs
There is no shortage of materials used for mens wedding bands. For starters, there is classic gold. The karat level of gold will vary, with the higher number representing a purer gold. No ring will be one-hundred percent gold as the metal is soft. Due to this, it does need other stronger metals melted into the gold while it is cast to help give it a sturdy construction.
There are also different types of gold to choose from. Traditional yellow gold is a common choice that has always been and is likely to remain a classic option. For some men, it may be a bit brighter than they’d like while others will like the look of actual gold on their hands. White gold is similar to silver in appearance although it is usually a bit lighter in tone and has a brighter quality. Another popular option is rose gold. This has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Rose gold splits the difference between copper and pink for an almost antique appearance.
It is important to remember that the tone of gold you choose will not have much impact on the cost of the ring. The percentage of real gold in the melt will affect the cost more than your color selection.
Silver is an option for those who like the white gold appearance but want something that doesn’t cost as much. Silver will cost a fraction of what gold costs. It is important to invest in a quality silver though as less pure silvers may tarnish. Much like all other precious metals, the cost of silver will change over time. Typically when the economy is doing well, the price of precious metals goes down, which is good when it comes to buying rings. However, in recessions precious metals are seen as safe investments, which shoots the cost right up, making it more expensive to buy the rings.
Above, both silver and gold in quality is platinum. Platinum shares a similar appearance to white gold and silver. To the naked eye, it might look like white gold although it is sturdier and more valuable. Platinum will cost far more than any of the other materials. A good way to identify how much a ring might cost is to look at the value per ounce for the metal. Rings do not weigh a full ounce, but it will give you an idea what prices to expect when shopping.
For those who do not want these higher cost metals, there are other options. Stainless steel and Tungsten do not look like any of the other materials and don’t have the same shimmer. For men who want a less flashy look at a reasonable price, these may be great options to explore.
For the active individuals, there are even rubber-based rings. There have been men who have injured themselves by catching their ring on the edge of a table or sturdy surface, causing them to break their fingers. Men who work with their hands may be interested in looking into this option for their primary ring, or even for a second ring for work or hobbies. They are less expensive and are made strong enough to not break, yet provide some stretch to prevent injuries to the finger. These are also fine rings for those who go on vacation and don’t want to wear precious metals while traveling.
The vast majority of mens wedding bands are plain. They are often a simple material with no additions. Some do, however, have diamonds or, at the very least, diamond chips. The diamond chip is the most common look. Basically, these are chips broken off from diamonds when shaped (or they were too small to be used in the creation of other diamond jewelry). The chips or small diamonds are placed into the ring to offer some sparkle, but it will increase the price of the ring. It is important to remember that the diamond chips are unlikely to hold value in the event the ring may be sold later.
In terms of cost, mens wedding bands will see a heightened cost when using platinum. The next highest up is gold, followed by silver, stainless steel, tungsten and the rubber composite materials. Mens wedding bands will also range from a few hundred dollars to potentially a few thousand dollars, although in order to reach this amount there needs to be other specifics incorporated into the band.
More expensive mens wedding bands come up usually because of the brand attached to it. If shopping at the mall jewelry stores or the standard brand stores, most mens wedding bands, even those made out of platinum, will cost around $1,000 or less. However, if the ring is purchased from a company such as Tiffany’s or Harry Winston the ring will shoot up in cost simply because of the name. The material might be purer, and there are likely to be a few other variations to the ring, but mostly, the name brand for a mens wedding band doubles the price.
While a women’s engagement ring might come with some added prestige with the name attached to it, most people will not ask a man the brand of their ring, so for those who want a ring but don’t want to overspend, it is best to go with something other than a name brand jeweler.
Mens Wedding Bands Options and Finding Your Style
With the number of different materials available there is no limit to the styles and options of a mens wedding band. You need to determine what works best for you. First, you need to decide on whether you want the wedding band to match that of your spouse. Many spouses will want the colors of their wedding bands to match. So, if you don’t have an immediate interest in the color, talk with your spouse to see what they like and if they want it to match. If neither of you mind, go with the color you like.
The colors for most precious materials come down to a silver appearance, a gold, and a rose-antique color. If you are on a budget, go with the stainless steel or consider even the rubber composite material. That is up to you. If you want a precious metal ring but still don’t want to spend a ton, you might want to go with the silver option. Either way, when picking out your mens wedding band you’ll want to know what you can spend and what color is right for you.
Now, the next question you need to answer is, do you want the ring to have any kind of sparkle to it? If so, do you want to include the diamond chips on the ring? Some rings may even have smaller diamonds instead of the chips. Do you want that or would you rather go with the more traditional appearance? Mens wedding rings with larger diamonds will have a wider, flatter top, similar to a class ring or a ring given out for an award.
If you want a larger diamond in the ring, you will be limited to a few different options. Where a woman’s ring will have a selection of different cuts and styles, the man’s ring will not use as large of a diamond and, chances are, the diamond will be set into the material, so it runs flush. Basically, you must decide if you want this added flash or if you’d rather have a uniformed, traditional looking ring.
Not all bands are created the same. You’d be surprised as to the number of variations you can have when it comes to the band itself. The bevel, or curve, of the band, can change. You may want a flat ring that has a smooth, flat curve. It may also have a flat edge to it, so while it is still a circle, there is a flat edge and flat top to it (if you were to look at it closely it would have 90-degree angles to it, outside of the physical curve of the ring).
The bevel will elongate the ring. You will feel the curve of the ring. If you were to hold it up and look at the ring, there would be a crown to the ring where the middle point of the band is wider than the points around the ring. Likewise, if you don’t want a harder edge along the sides, this area can be curved as well. This way, if you were to cut the ring in half and look at the bands, it would look like an elongated oval instead of a rectangle.
There are some basic design options to the classic rings. You can go with the clean look that doesn’t have any ornamentation to the ring. You can also go with one that has a slight indentation around the edges. This gives the appearance of a border around the edges of the ring. Some will have a file appearance with small lines around the edges. This gives it some texture to the ring. Others may have larger cuts and designs on the ring if you don’t want it to just be a clean, circular ring that comes and goes without any distinction to where it ends and where it begins.
Lastly, you can have the ring engraved on the interior of the ring. You may want to have the name of your spouse here or the date of your wedding. You can even have a small saying. If you buy a name brand ring, the brand name will likely be placed here as well. That way when you take it off, and someone looks at it the ring will say “Tiffany’s” on it. Some jewelers will offer this option for free, so it is something to keep in mind if you want it engraved.
Things to Keep in Mind
When picking out mens wedding bands, there are a few specifics to keep in mind. First, when buying a material, consider the purity of it. While the purity will impact the cost of the ring when buying gold, the purity level has an even bigger impact on whether it stands the test of time when considering silver or platinum.
Some materials are “silver-plated” or “platinum plated.” This means the ring itself is made of a tin, nickel or steel and then dipped into silver or platinum. This gives the appearance of silver or platinum but, over time, the precious metal will fade, and you’ll be left with a ring that had dark spots on it. The only way to have this fixed is to have it dipped again although this changes the thickness of the ring and you might need to have it resized as well.
For people who are allergic to nickel, some plated materials can cause their skin to break out in hives and turn red. You really don’t want to purchase a plated ring only to have it break out in hives. If you have worn little in a way of jewelry, you probably won’t even know you have this allergy until it happens to you, so always keep the purity of the material and whether For not it’s plated in mind.
When selecting a jeweler, pay close attention to the added services the company gives you. Some will provide you with free cleanings for the life of the ring. Others will replace diamonds or diamond chips that fall out for free. Inferior quality jewelers will not provide you with the free replacement option. Rings should be made to last and never have a problem with diamonds falling out. Jewelers who stand by their rings will give you this replacement guarantee. Those that do not stand by the quality of their rings will not. So if you want a band that has diamonds on it, consider only going with a company that provides you with this service.
You’ll need to have the band sized to your finger. There should never be any charge to this. Some perform this on site while others need to send away for this. High-end retailers such as Tiffany’s will send the ring out to be resized. They send the rings back to be worked on by the best gemologists and jewelers in the business although a local jeweler will probably do a fine job resizing it (just make sure to inspect completely it upon receiving it back).
After buying the mens wedding band, take out insurance on it. You likely have heard stories of people losing their rings when going camping when swimming on their honeymoon or doing just about anything else. The last thing you’ll want to do is to need to buy a new one and lose the money you invested. You may have this added onto your home insurance. If not, specific coverage for the item is available from your insurance provider. It only costs a few dollars a month and is well worth it. While you’re at it, it’s best to get proper insurance for your spouse’s wedding and engagement bands as well. This provides you with peace of mind knowing if anything happens to it you’ll be covered.
Conclusion
No matter, if you have experience with mens jewelry or if this your first time shopping for jewelry, you don’t need to feel overwhelmed finding the right mens wedding bands. By taking this information into account, you’ll be able to find a quality ring that fits not only your budget but your personal style.
Your article about buying a men engagement ring is beneficial for finding the perfect piece of an engagement ring for your men. Always choose a ring which reflects your personality and pocket-friendly.