Choose a wedding ring in four steps. Decide on the profile, which is the shape of the band in cross-section and decides how it feels. Choose a width that suits your hand and your engagement ring. Decide between a plain band and one set with stones. Then check that it sits well beside your engagement ring, if you wear one.
Wedding Band Profiles: Flat, Court and D-Shape
The profile is the shape you would see if you cut through the band, and it decides how the ring feels on the finger.
A flat band has a flat outer face and straight sides. It looks crisp and modern, and its edges are clearly defined. A court band is gently curved on both the outside and the inside, so it slides over the knuckle easily and feels soft to wear; this rounded interior is often called a comfort fit. A D-shape band is curved on the outside and flat on the inside, like the letter D lying on its side. It has the traditional domed look of a court band, with a little more contact against the skin.
If you are unsure, try a court band first. Most people find it the most comfortable to wear every day, and it is the easiest to take on and off.
How Wide Should a Wedding Ring Be?
Width is a matter of proportion. A slim band, roughly two millimetres, is delicate and sits quietly beside an engagement ring. A medium band, around three to four millimetres, is the classic choice and suits most hands. A wide band, five millimetres or more, is a statement in its own right and is often worn alone.
Longer fingers carry a wide band well; shorter fingers often suit a slim or medium width.
Pandora's Silver Grooved Wedding Band is a slim band in 925 sterling silver, defined by three parallel grooves and finished with a comfort-fit interior. Dodo's Rose Gold Band, in 18ct rose gold, is a slim, high-polish band with a gently rounded interior. Dodo's Rose Gold Wide Band shows the other end of the scale: a broad, polished rose gold band that is made to be noticed.
Plain or Set: Eternity and Half-Eternity Rings
A plain band is the purest form of wedding ring. It goes with everything and lets the engagement ring take the light. A set band carries stones, and there are two main kinds. An eternity ring has stones all the way round, an unbroken circle that many couples choose for an anniversary or as a wedding band. A half-eternity ring has stones across the top only, which is more comfortable between the fingers and easier to resize.
The setting matters too. Prong settings hold each stone in small claws and let in plenty of light. Channel settings sit the stones in a groove between two walls of metal, which gives a smoother line. Pavé sets many small stones close together, so the surface reads as one band of sparkle.
Stroili's Sterling Silver Eternity Ring sets faceted blue gemstones in prongs around a 925 sterling silver band. Guess's Gold Eternity Ring channel-sets a continuous row of clear stones in gold-tone metal. Morellato's Gold Eternity Ring prong-sets clear stones around a band of gold-plated stainless steel.
Matching a Wedding Band to Your Engagement Ring
Most people wear the two rings together, so the wedding band has to work beside the engagement ring as well as on its own. The first question is whether the two will sit flush. A solitaire set low on the band usually lets a straight wedding ring sit right against it. A stone set high, or a cluster that spreads wide at its base, can leave a gap.
If there is a gap, a curved or contoured band is the answer. It bends around the setting of the engagement ring so the two rings meet without space between them. Take your engagement ring with you when you try bands on.
Match the metal colour, or choose a deliberate contrast, and keep the proportions related: a slim engagement ring usually suits a slim band. Pandora's Rose Gold-Tone Silver Ring has an asymmetrical shape in rose gold-tone sterling silver. Guess's Rose Gold Band is rose gold-plated and set with two pavé rows of clear stones, for a band with more presence.
Choosing a Metal
Choose a metal you are happy to wear every day, and keep your rings in the same metal or a pairing you like.Sterling silver is bright and cool, and develops a soft patina over the years that a polish will lift. Gold is warmer, and rose gold is the warmest of all. Plated and gold-tone pieces give the colour of gold at a lighter weight; treat them gently, as the surface is a finish over another metal.
Ring Size: Why Your Fingers Change
Fingers are not the same size all day. They swell in heat, after exercise and towards the evening, and shrink in the cold. Have your finger measured more than once, at different times of day, and in a comfortable room temperature rather than straight in from a cold street or a warm walk.
A ring should slide over the knuckle with a little resistance and turn on the finger without slipping off. If your knuckle is larger than the base of your finger, choose the size that clears the knuckle. Wide bands often need half a size larger than slim ones. If you are marrying in summer or somewhere warm, size for the day as well as for the rest of the year.
How to Stack Wedding Rings
Tradition places the wedding band nearest the hand, closest to the heart, with the engagement ring above it. Many people now add an eternity ring for an anniversary or the birth of a child, and build a stack over time. Keep the widths related, mix plain and set bands for rhythm, and stay with one metal colour or a clear pairing.
Guess's Gold Gemstone Band is a wide gold-tone band set with multiple pavé rows of blue, pink and white gemstones. Pandora's Sterling Silver Beaded Ring adds texture with a beaded profile and a single gemstone accent. Stroili's Silver Open Band Ring has a bright silver finish, pavé-set clear stones and one round accent. Dodo's Rose Gold Band is a smooth, plain rose gold band that grounds the rest.
Caring for Your Wedding Ring
Take your rings off for the gym, for gardening and for cleaning with household products, and put them on after hand cream and perfume. Clean them gently with warm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft brush, then dry them well. Store each ring separately, so set stones do not scratch plain bands. Have set rings checked by a jeweller from time to time, so any loose stone is found early.
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