How to Choose a Wedding Ring

Wedding Ring - history

The tradition of the Wedding Ring is said to have originated with the Egyptians, who knotted hemp into a ring to express their love throughout eternity, even after death. It is then said that either the Greeks or Romans formed the first metallic wedding rings, and that either the Greeks or the Romans believed that the third finger of the left hand contained a vein that led directly to the heart.

Although there might be dispute over this, the Greeks must be favored since they came first and were the first true anatomists! In any case it is unimportant. You exchange rings to demonstrate your everlasting love for one another, a ring having no beginning and no end. The first choice you have to make is whether or not both of you are having rings. There is no legal obligation to wear a Wedding Ring, though women generally do. Wedding rings were rarely worn by men prior to the Second World War, but became popular then as a symbol of the girl left at home, and that popularity has endured to this day.

Wedding Ring - tradition

It is now traditional for both members of the partnership to have a Wedding Ring and there are many choices available of style and metal. Your choice is generally between yellow or white gold and platinum. Platinum is the most expensive, but it is harder wearing than gold and will scratch and wear less. Many choose platinum because it symbolizes endurance – enduring love, that is, not endurance needed in marriage!

Yellow gold is the most popular, and comes in anything from 9 carat to 24 carat, the latter being pure gold. Pure gold is very soft, and will not wear well, so a good compromise for a Wedding Ring is 18 carat gold. The rest incidentally is usually palladium, nickel, copper or silver.

Wedding Ring - choices

Wedding rings are normally bands unadorned with stones, though some brides prefer a band of small diamonds running round it, much like the traditional eternity ring. A plain gold band can be decorated with engraved patterns, and the style and decoration of your Wedding Ring is only one of the choices you will have to make.

Since a Wedding Ring is not a legal obligation, there is no convention that you must follow. The most important choice is that of size. Your ring should fit comfortably, and not be so loose that it can fall off, nor so tight that it constricts your circulation. Your jeweler will advise you on this. The width of the ring is also important. A wide band looks out of place on a small finger, and vice versa for narrow rings.

Wedding Ring - budget

The best approach is first to decide on a budget since wedding bands are available from less than $100 to many thousands of dollars. Once you have decided on a budget, the jeweler will be able to show you a Wedding Ring selection within your budget. If you already have an engagement ring you will know the procedure.

It is important to choose a ring that you like, since you will likely be wearing it for the rest of your life. Make sure it looks good on you, and an important factor is your engagement ring. Most married women wear their engagement ring and Wedding Ring on the same finger. You don’t want the two clashing in color, and it is always best to choose a wedding ring in the same shade of metal as your engagement ring: unless you like the contrast.

Wedding Ring - sizing

There is no hard and fast rule. However, make sure that you try both on together. Two rings together look different than just the one, and it could even affect the best ring size for you. Not all fingers are exactly the same diameter from knuckle to knuckle and your Wedding Ring size could depend upon whether it is worn above or below your engagement ring.

Your Wedding Ring will be an important part of your jewelry and must not only look good, but must be durable and comfortable. While rings in the middle ages indicated a transfer of wealth from the man to the woman in return for the woman’s dowry, keep in mind that in Ancient Roman times it was also a symbol of ownership of the woman by the man. Both wives and slaves wore rings!










Wedding Ring

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