Wedding Ring Buying Guide
Wedding season is upon us so here is your wedding ring buying guide with all the various aspects to consider when selecting the perfect rings. Presenting your wedding rings to one another is not only an important part of the ceremony but they are the only thing that you will carry with you and wear for the rest of your life. It’s therefore important to make an informed choice that suits you and your other half as perfectly as they fit.
Style
There are three main styles of wedding ring:
Plain – the classic wedding ring can come in a range of width, profiles and finishes.
Patterned – add a little personality with a design that suits your personality; from subtle v-cuts and bevels to floral engraving and diamond cuts.
Diamond-set – a must have for many, choose from a plethora of stone shapes, settings and design, either around the full hoop or covering thee top decorative part of the ring.
Metal
If you are pairing your wedding ring with an engagement ring you want to ensure that the metal is the same as the engagement ring. This is to ensure their colour and the way they wear over time is consistent (we advise having your engagement ring professionally refinished before the big day to get it looking brand new – this service is free for Brown & Newirth engagement rings registered with the TLC guarantee)
You may wish to mix things up and contrast colours so experiment with putting a rose wedding ring next to your white gold engagement ring for example.
We handcraft our wedding rings in either platinum or gold;
Platinum – Naturally silver-white and hypoallergenic it’s the most sought-after choice of precious metal because of its durability, corrosion resistance and appearance. It’s also the rarest of precious metals.
White Gold – gold is mixed with white alloys to produce an almost white colour. Then we add a protective rhodium coating that gives a bright silver-white finish. Rhodium coating will need reapplying from time to time but this is a good indicator to have your ring/s serviced. This service is free for Brown & Newirth engagement rings registered with the TLC guarantee.
Yellow Gold – the richest hue, traditional and timeless.
Rose Gold – the most romantic shade, it’s an alloy of gold with a blush-pink tone from copper.
A carat, when referring to gold, is a measurement indicating the proportion of gold in an alloy out of 24 parts. 18ct gold is 18/24 parts gold or 75%, 9k gold is 9/24 parts gold or 37.5%. 18ct is most durable, it has a rich colour and is perfect for making jewellery from to last a lifetime. 9ct has half the gold content so is friendlier to budgets.
Mixed-metal – Many of our rings are available two-tone or with ceramic included for a twist on the traditional plain band. Take a look here.
Shape
Some engagement rings require a shaped wedding ring to sit snug. From twisted bows to v-cuts we have a range of designs to suit most needs.
If you can’t find the perfect fit then we offer a bespoke service where we can match your engagement ring. Don’t worry though, as we handcraft all of our rings to order the cost of this service isn’t much different from choosing from our standard designs.
Profile
This is the shape of the ring you would see if you were to slice through it. Most of our profiles come with a courted or ‘curved’ internal profile for comfort. Brown and newirth bands are available in (accompanied by diagram):
- Classic Court
- Modern Court
- D Shaped
- Soften Flat Court
- Flat Court
Band width
Our plain rings are available from 1mm to 10mm wide with your choice based on personal preference and how well it fits your hand profile.
You can filter rings by width here.
Diamond-set rings and shaped rings are available in standard widths to accommodate the stones.
Sizing
You can have your ring size measured at any of our boutiques – find your closest store here or measure from home using our sizing guide here.
Timing
We believe that the first thing you should select is your wedding ring (ok maybe after the venue and date!) After all, you’re going to be wearing your wedding ring for the rest of your life!
However, simply from a planning point of view we recommend sourcing and buying your rings at least six weeks out from the big day to allow for time for them to be hand crafted, resized if required and, for any engravings to be completed.
Engraving
A wonderful personal touch only your and your other half will have tucked under your rings but close to your heart forever more.
Popular engraving choices include:
Dates – the wedding day itself or the day you met or another significant day you share.
Initials
Quotes – small quotes can be included, meaningful to you both.
I love you – simple yet everlasting, other similar choices include ‘always and forever’ or ‘for eternity’.
We use laser engraving at Brown & Newirth which is precise and sleek and the font can also be selected with script being the most popular. All our rings come with a complimentary engraving.
Insurance
Lastly and most importantly – always make sure your rings are insured from purchase for both peace of mind and when life’s accidents unfortunately do happen!
All Brown & Newirth rings come with 1 year’s free insurance from theft and accidental damage when registered with our TLC promise – register your rings here.
