Wedding & Engagement Rings Tips
Read these 24 Wedding & Engagement Rings Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Wedding tips and hundreds of other topics.
His & Hers Rings
In American culture, married women often receive two rings in their wedding ring set. One is an engagement ring and the other is the wedding ring, they often match and complement each other and can be worn together on the ring finger after marriage. Traditionally wedding rings are worn closest to the hand with the engagement rings after it.
Wedding Rings & Commitments
Wedding rings are worn as a symbol of the love between bride and groom, and their commitment and fidelity. These are all a part of their wedding vows. Many couples elect to have the name of their spouse and the wedding date inscribed on their wedding rings.
Wedding Rings & Commitments
Wedding rings are worn on the ring finger of the left hand in most Western countries, though it may be worn on the right hand's ring finger in other Eastern European and Asian countries including Poland, India and Russia. Wedding rings symbolize the European marriage commitment to fidelity.
In many cultures, wedding rings are the last in a series of pre-wedding gifts given to the bride by the groom. These gifts begin with the engagement ring and end with the wedding rings. The variety of different wedding rings and anniversary rings are part of the modern jewelry trade's efforts to expand their sales.
For example, when a man asks a woman to marry him, he may present her with an engagement ring or purchase one shortly thereafter. Wedding rings are purchased for both the bride and the groom. They can be bought individually or in matched sets. Other rings associated with wedding rings include promise rings that are given when a couple's dating becomes serious and eternity rings that are usually offered to wives after the birth of their first child.
Consider Customizing Your Engagement Ring
Custom engagement rings may feature other colored gems, including rubies, saphires, and emeralds. The custom engagement ring will reflect the likes, interests and values of the person giving and the person receiving the engagement ring.
Types of Wedding Ring Sets
When you start shopping for a wedding ring set, you'll see a lot of options from the plain design to the more elaborate. The plain gold band is the most popular pattern for male and female alike. You will often see physicians and other medical personnel wearing these types of wedding ring sets because they are easy to keep clean.
In French-speaking countries, popular wedding ring sets include three interwoven rings representing faith, hope and love. In Italian, Anatolian and Greek countries, men receive puzzle rings that contain several interlocking bands that must be set in the correct pattern to form one ring. These wedding ring sets were given as a test of fidelity and commitment, because mastering the puzzle takes time and it takes longer to remove the ring from the ring finger.
Claddagh Wedding Rings
Claddagh is a fishing village in Ireland and is one of the oldest fishing villages in the Irish country. The village is famous for many things, but chief among these is the Claddagh ring. Celtic wedding rings often employ the use of the Claddagh symmetry because it is has a very romantic history. Claddagh rings have a wide variety of decorative patterns and styles such as:
- Knotwork
- Spirals
- Geometric shapes
- Designs
How you wear the Claddagh ring is also symbolic of the romantic availability of the person wearing it. It should also be noted that the Claddagh is neither masculine nor feminine and can be worn by both. So what is the symbology of wearing the Celtic wedding ring?
If the Claddagh is:
- Worn on the right hand with the heart facing towards the hand indicates the bearer is in a serious romantic relationship
- Worn on the right hand with the heart facing out indicates their heart is open to romantic possibilities
- Worn on the left hand with the heart inwards indicates the bearer is married
- Worn on the left hand with the heart outwards indicates engagement
Consider Customizing Your Engagement Ring
A custom engagement ring is one that is either created from a personal design or taking gems from one setting and putting them into another. Most women want a unique piece of jewelry and a custom engagement ring is very unique. For example, when shopping for an engagement you may look at antique shops to find an antique ring with a setting that you enjoy. You can purchase new gems to have put into the settings or you can take gems from another ring and have them reset into this new setting.
In most western societies, the cost of an engagement ring was usually measured against two weeks salary. In the 21st century, however, it is usually measured by two to three months' wages and thus offers a lot more room for creating a unique design, setting or customization. You can find engagement rings that are designed to fit into the wedding ring, creating a different ring from the engagement and wedding ring separately.
Sizing Rings
If you're ordering narrow wedding bands, be sure to use a sizer that is narrow; if you're ordering wide bands, use a wide sizer. It can make a difference, and you want to make sure your rings are a perfect fit.
Rings, Time of Day and the Weather
When you go to get sized for rings, try to do it near the end of the day and try to make sure your hands aren't excessively warm or cold. Your hands tend to be slightly swollen in the mornings, and warm weather can make your fingers larger and cold weather smaller.
Engagement Ring Traditions
In modern, Western countries, engagement rings are worn by women on the ring finger of their left hands and it is a display to the world that she is engaged. The engagement ring is often presented to the prospective bride as a part of his marriage proposal. The ring sliding onto her finger is an indication of her acceptance of his proposal.
Some couples wait until after the woman has said yes before seeking out an engagement ring. Engagement rings are worn on the left-hand ring finger because traditions dating back to classical time refer to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or vein of love. This vein was said to travel directly to the heart, thus when women wear their engagement rings there, they are binding their promise and oath to their heart.
While not common in the United States, there are male engagement rings. In fact, in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden, engagement rings are worn by both men and women. In these countries, the engagement rings are typically plain gold or platinum bands. The bands are worn on the right hand until the day of marriage when they are then transferred to the left. Although men wear engagement rings in these countries, it is very rare for them to wear two rings following the wedding. A wife may wear her engagement and wedding rings following the ceremony, but that is a far more typical American-English tradition that has spread to the European continent.
Diamonds Are Forever
Why chose a diamond engagement ring? It's believed that the diamond holds a stronger and far more binding promise than even a wedding vow. The diamond is the hardest gemstone and most versatile. The value of it has been recognized for centuries.
In Roman times, men were required to barter for their brides and they would offer the engagement as a security for their promise to wed. If the man failed to make good on his betrothal, the ring was the scorned bride's to keep. This protected the woman, especially since diamond engagement rings were quite valuable, the sale of the ring could provide her with financial security.
This is why, even in modern times, if the woman breaks off the engagement she should return the diamond engagement ring to the man who gave it to her, but she does not have to if he is the one to break it off. In medieval times, Italians proposed and used diamond engagement rings because the diamond was associated with the flames of love.
A History of Diamonds
Getting engaged is a very emotional event. When a man shops for the engagement ring he plans to present to his prospect bride, he will often look at diamond engagement rings first. Diamond engagement rings can be dressed up with other stones like sapphires, rubies and emeralds, but the diamonds are still important. Conventional pricing suggests a man should invest at least two months salary in purchasing his diamond engagement ring.
But why should men spend so much on diamond engagement rings? What makes the diamond so culturally significant?
Symbolically, the extraordinary physical properties of diamonds is what makes them so powerful in both image and use. In Hinduism, Indra is said to use the thunderbolt for his primary weapon. One of the names for his weapon translates to diamond in Sanskrit. Diamonds were also considered to be gifts of the gods and as such must be cherished.
The Greeks believed that diamonds were the tears of the gods. The Romans believed that diamonds were splinters from a fallen star. In Tibetan Buddhism, diamonds are an important symbol and their Diamond Sutra is one of the most popular texts.
In our Western culture, the diamond symbolizes virtue, strength, power, wealth, fearlessness and fortune. Diamond engagement rings thus symbolize love and eternity, which explains their popularity with men and women alike.
Men who present their brides to be with diamond engagement rings are offering a strong promise of commitment to love them for all eternity. So while they may not be the most inexpensive investment, they are one of the most cherished. It also doesn't hurt that diamond engagement rings are also as beautiful as they are symbolic.
Engagement Ring Traditions
Probably the biggest engagement ring tradition is the engagement proposal. Before proposing to your spouse-to-be, go shopping for engagement rings. Consult your loved ones about styles and specific, then disucss the engagement ring design with your jeweler.
His & Hers Rings
Some couples match their wedding band styles, but you don't have to. If you and your beloved have different tastes, feel free to choose rings that don't come from a matched set.
Order In Time
Be sure to order your wedding bands in plenty of time for the wedding ceremony. Some rings are custom sized, and manufacturers can require a month or more to deliver this type of ring.
Signs of a Good Jeweler
A good jeweler should be able to explain the following:
- your options for what kinds of metals the rings are made of
- various methods of manufacturing wedding bands
- types of finishes that are put on the rings and the durability of these finishes
Ring Engravings
A sentimental idea: engraved inside one ring: the day you met (or the day one of you proposed), and inside the other, the wedding date.
Titanium Wedding Rings
The properties of titanium make it a great choice for a wedding ring. While gold and platinum are the more traditional choices, titanium wedding rings are much lighter in weight. A titanium wedding band weighs only a 1/3 of the weight of a gold wedding band. The lighter feel is often preferred by some. Also, the color is unique and reminiscent of stainless steel.
While titanium wedding rings are often marketed as scratch-resistant, don't be fooled – they do show scratches. The metal is very hard and durable. It can be scratched by abrasive elements like sandpaper, steel tools and rocks. However, titanium wedding rings can be polished up very quickly and have a beautiful shine after being cleaned.
The difficulty with titanium wedding rings is the valued durability of the ring also makes it harder to shape and resize. You must choose the right size of wedding ring and many women don't care for the titanium wedding band because if pregnancy or weight gain reshapes the size of their finger, they cannot just resize their wedding ring. The cost of titanium wedding rings is due to the labor intensive nature of shaping it and not the rarity of the metal.
Showers for Two
More and more couples are taking part in the trend of having a bridal shower for both the bride and the groom. It's a great idea, since gifts are typically for the couple anyway (lingerie can be given at the bachelorette party), and friends of both the bride and groom will get to mingle before the wedding.
Easy-On Rings
Sometimes your fingers can swell up, either out of nervousness or because of the weather. To be sure that your wedding bands will slide on well during the ceremony, rub a little petroleum jelly on the inside of each ring beforehand.
Good as Gold
There are various kinds of golds, including 14K Gold and 18K Gold. Both types include gold as well as other metals; the higher the number, the more higher the percentage of gold. Keep in mind, however, that gold is a very soft metal, so 14K gold will be more durable than 18K gold.
Wedding Rings on the Net
We were able to find my wedding rings online on EBAY from an auction house that purchased all of a jewelry store's inventory that went bankrupt. Got the ring appraised at 2x as much as we paid for it.
Diamonds Are Forever
When deciding amongn diamond engagement rings, keep in mind that the ring is composed of two parts. The first part is the diamond and the second is the setting. When you are picking out the ring, focus first on the setting and second on the diamond itself.
Matching Your Rings
If you have an elaborate engagement ring that doesn't look good with the wedding band you like, consider wearing your wedding band on your left hand and moving your engagement ring to your right hand.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Shirley Tan |
