Designing your own ring, on the other hand, is an enjoyable way to show your love for your betrothed and capture your unique personality. But unless you are an expert in ring customisation, you may not know how to start with the design process. This guide will help you design a wedding ring that will forever remind you of your most special day.
Get Started with Precious Metals
The path to a beautifully designed ring begins by choosing the precious metal that is a great fit for your everyday lifestyle. Quite often you’ll have selected a metal for your engagement ring and a wedding ring to match is the plan. But let’s take a refresher anyway! Every precious metal features a unique collection of physical properties that will affect a ring's strength and purity. So a good way to begin the design process is to compare the most popular precious metals.
Yellow Gold
Yellow gold offers an element of warmth with its combination of pure gold, silver, and copper. It remains a top choice for women who prefer a traditional style. Yellow gold is available in four purity levels ranging from 9ct to 22ct. 14 carat yellow gold is often selected because it offers a good balance between strength and purity.
White Gold
White gold is a combination of pure gold and alloy metals. White gold rings are typically plated with rhodium to produce a beautiful white lustre and provide a hypoallergenic, protective finish for your ring. While this finish may wear off over time, you can have your ring re-plated to restore its finish.
Platinum
Platinum is the rarest and strongest precious metal. Platinum is also known for its hardness and beautiful white sheen that is resistant to fading or damage that can occur with an active lifestyle. It is a popular choice among brides with a healthy budget who are seeking a strong, hypo-allergenic metal.
Other Choices
While the four metals above represent the majority of metals selected for customised rings, there are other metals which might be a more feasible choice for a bride seeking a unique colour or budget-friendly price tag. They include the following:
Rose Gold
Commonly referred to as red gold or pink gold, rose gold is an alloy that offers a warm hint of reddish yellow colour.
Palladium
A member of the platinum family of metals, Palladium has a natural white colour and is known for its affordability and durability.
Bi-colour
Combining white gold and yellow gold (or white gold and rose gold) produces a striking bi-colour ring that everyone will notice.
Stainless Steel
A top choice for brides on a limited budget, stainless steel offers strength, durability, and scratch resistance.
Silver
Sterling Silver is known for its superb malleability and inexpensive price tag. However, it can easily scratch and tarnish.
Carbon Fibre
With its rich black colour and polished design, carbon fibre rings are eye-catching, highly durable, and growing in popularity .
Look for Inspiration for Your Ring Design and Style
Today's brides are no longer limited to a round diamond and a traditional D-shaped wedding band. They can choose from a wide variety of band styles, designs and shapes. Narrowing the wide array of combinations may seem overwhelming unless you begin the ring design process with a vision in mind.
The key to choosing the ideal ring design and style is to look for inspirations for your customised ring. The best place to start is with your engagement ring, but other good starting points include shared experiences with your fiance or images of your favourite things as a couple. If you are still struggling to find an inspiration for your design, you can browse through online guides for ideas.
Comparing Band Styles
In the world of wedding rings, band style refers to your ring's profile when it is positioned on its side. There are several types of band styles, with each conveying looks ranging from traditional to contemporary:
D-Shaped Rings
As the most traditional style, a D-shaped band is flat on the inside but has a rounded outside appearance.
Flat Rings
If you are seeking a more modern look, a flat ring is a good choice. They are flat on the outside and inside.
Court Rings
Representing a combination of the previous two styles, court ring styles are the most popular choice.
Flat Court Rings
Brides seeking to maximise comfort often prefer a flat court style, which is flat on the outside and curved on the inside.
Diamond-set Rings
If you do not like the simplicity of a plain band, then a diamond-set band can add an element of brilliance or sparkle.
Selecting Your Ideal Shape
Choosing a wedding ring that fits flush against your engagement ring will contribute to a clean, uniform appearance. The process of shape selection begins with a close look at your engagement ring to determine whether it is straight-edged, curved, or another shape. For example, if your engagement ring has a straight edge, you will achieve a more seamless look if you choose a straight-edged wedding band. If your engagement ring does not have a straight edge, a jewellery designer can craft a custom ring that will fit beautifully against the edge of your engagement ring.
If you find yourself longing to go in a different direction with your band shape and style, talk to your jeweller about your preferences. An experienced designer can consider your wish list alongside your engagement ring and craft a style and shape that reveals your unique personality while complimenting your engagement ring's beauty and band shape.
Match Your Wedding Ring Perfectly with Your Engagement Ring
Now that you found the perfect precious metal and a style that captures your uniqueness, it is time to match your wedding ring to your engagement ring. This phase of the design process is a bit more straightforward than choosing the perfect metal or ring design for your lifestyle. Here are four simple steps to help you match your wedding ring to your engagement ring.
Step One: Match your wedding band width to your engagement ring's width
If you are looking for a wedding band that is an ideal match for your engagement ring, then make sure you measure your engagement ring's band width. Then you can look for a wedding band that measures the same width. For example, if your engagement ring has a thin band, you should consider a wedding ring with a band that is equally thin. If you are unsure of the width of your engagement ring band, a local jewellery expert can help you.
Step Two: Make sure your metals are a good match
Many brides prefer for the metals on their wedding ring and engagement ring to match. For example, they will look for a platinum wedding band if their engagement ring is platinum. And while this tip definitely creates the look of a matching set, there are no steadfast rules you have to follow. That is one of the best aspects of designing your own ring - you can beat to your own drum!
Step Three: Try on some of your favourite options
Catalogue photos and online images are often not the best indicator of how a wedding ring will look on your finger. For example, a wedding band that looks great in an online catalogue may look completely different when placed on your finger. And sometimes a band may look gorgeous on a model's hand in a catalogue but may not look as good when positioned directly next to your engagement ring. By physically trying on samples of your top choices, you can see for yourself how they look alongside your engagement ring.
Step Four: Reach out to an experienced jeweller you can trust
An expert jeweller specialising in ring customisation can help you in two ways. First, they can design a ring from scratch that matches your favourite option. Or, if you have an existing ring that you love, a jeweller can apply some finishing touches to ensure that it is a great complement to your engagement ring. When you meet with your jeweller, make sure you arrived prepared with photos and your wish list of features you would like.
Your Trusted Source for a Perfectly Customised Wedding Ring
A customised wedding ring enables a bride's unique personality to shine through. But not all customised rings are created equal. The key to a perfectly customised ring is to find an experienced jeweller in Reading. An expert jeweller will listen to your ideas and design a ring that completely reflects your vision.
With over 70 years of experience designing rings, Jacobs Independent Jewellers has the cutting edge tools and expertise required to design a wedding ring that will capture your individuality and stand the test of time. We invite you to contact us to discover why brides across the UK turn to us to personalise their wedding rings. We look forward to helping you design the wedding ring of your dreams!