2899  Wedding Rings

How to Choose Perfect Wedding Rings

Wedding rings have only been exchanged within the past two generations. This ritual, called the "double ring ceremony," slowly caught on after the Second World War to the point that now, the wedding ring ceremony is tradition.

There were two reasons why a man wouldn't wear a wedding ring: cost and custom. The economic boom of the 1950s allowed people the luxury to buy treasured items, like wedding rings. Until that time, most men were not interested in jewelry, although a gold tie clip, handsome watch, or money clip was the perfect men's gift.

Times have changed and so have customs. Jewelry designers, seizing upon the demand for metals, began crafting "his and her" wedding & anniversary rings. By the 1970s, the double-ring wedding ceremony came into vogue. It's now the norm.

Still, some grooms were resistant to change, believing wedding rings were not manly enough or just plain uncomfortable. Wedding ring designers, like Benchmark and Cartier, understood the difference between men's and women's wedding rings, creating rings that are feminine on a woman's hand, and masculine on a man's. Wedding ring designers like Harry Winston craft their rings so that when a guy tries it on, it fits and looks just right. After all, he'll be wearing it for the rest of his life!

When selecting wedding or anniversary bands, you will have a choice of the following precious metals: gold, silver, platinum and more. Usually, the metal matches the bride's engagement ring. Therefore, if you choose a platinum or yellow gold engagement ring, then the same metal should be chosen for the wedding rings. If you already own a gold watch, then a yellow gold ring would match perfectly.

Many wedding or anniversary rings contain gemstones, specifically diamonds. When choosing wedding rings the style of the bride and groom's bands can be similar, while allowing the bride to have her's embedded with diamonds, and the groom's perhaps made with alternative metals like titanium, tungsten or cobaltchrome. Also, most men's wedding bands are wider than women's wedding bands. Therefore, there is no mistaking which is the guy's ring and which is her's. Learn more about wedding rings.