Do you want his ring to match yours? It’s romantic to wear matching wedding rings, but if you and he have different tastes, different size hands, and completely different personalities, matching rings can represent a problem. Also, if you want your wedding ring to match — and possibly connect to — your engagement ring, that will make it more complicated to have his ring match yours. On the other hand, you can choose rings with similar features — perhaps the same pattern or combination of metals. Does he have strong feelings about design? Men’s wedding rings are usually simpler than women’s, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a wide variety of designs and styles to choose among. You can have palladium rings for men personalized in many ways: with a special symbol, engraving, texture, a Celtic knot, or a geometric shape. Men’s rings can be any width you like; can be made of a combination of metals; and can be simple or ornate.
Will it be right for his body size and shape? If he is a big guy, his hands are large, or he has long fingers, he can handle a wider ring that someone smaller. Choose an average-width or slightly wider band. If his hands are small or his fingers are slender, stick with a narrower band. In terms of width, men’s palladium rings are usually wider than their brides’ bands. The most popular men’s widths are 6 and 7 mm. If you are considering one wider than 7mm, bear in mind that very wide bands may not be as comfortable and usually fit tighter. So, when you have his finger sized for a wider ring, experts generally recommend going up by 1/4 – 1/2 size. Does he want gemstones or not? For some men, this is a big decision. Some men feel it is a little “too much,” but, like all other choices involving a ring, this is a matter of personal preference. If he likes to live a little outside the box, it is perfectly acceptable for a men’s wedding ring to include gemstones. Again, it is a question of style, taste, personality, and the kind of work and play he does. If there is a chance he is going to dislodge or damage a stone, he may not want to do it.
Every element changes the cost – metals, materials, width, gemstones, style, design, and labor, to name just a few. When choosing a man’s wedding band, you really should shop around and do your homework. You know what you or he can afford. Don’t allow yourself to be talked into something you will regret later. Which metal and style does he prefer? Many men like plain men’s palladium bands, with or without a design element, such as a braid, an inlay of a second metal, or engraving. But that is often because they don’t know how many choices there are in metals. Gold comes in yellow, white, and rose. Platinum is white, more expensive than gold, and sometimes easier to bend out of shape. Titanium is high tech and strong. Tungsten carbide — black or steel grey in color — is another strong, high-tech metal used in men’s wedding bands. For men who like the latest in technology, that can also be found in how the ring is made, including wave styles or fusion rings that bring together different colors of gold in unusual patterns. Combining metals creates exquisite designs and different shapes, such as jigsaw or puzzle rings, Celtic knots, Claddagh rings, and other uniquely cultural styles.
When does a ring stop being a man’s ring? There seems to be a cross-fertilisation of style when it comes to jewellery. Unisex styles in clothing seem to have given licence for jewellery to go unisex too. Now you can buy anything from gemstone, diamond set in gold and titanium rings for men. Before you would only see men’s rings limited to classic wedding bands. Now mens’ rings come in all shapes, sizes and different styles. Needless to say, men’s rings vary from the ostentatious bling of the MTV generation to the more subtle, sophisticated silver titanium rings. Pop stars like P Diddy have put diamond-encrusted jewellery on the map. Celebrities and actors have become walking billboards for jewellery retailers falling over themselves in the race to get any exposure for any of their precious jewellery items. Mens’ watches, mens’ rings in fact anything a man can put on show is the key to nifty accessorising. According to new research out by Verdict, British men and women now spend £2.1billion a year on accessories, one fifth of that is spent on jewellery and watches.
