The wedding day.
A riot of colour that sweeps and swirls, always moving and always changing; of polite laughter that will edge steadily and unstoppably into raucousness as the hours pass; of blossom and confetti amid smiling faces. It’s a perfect day for two perfect people, the start of what you fiercely hope will be a perfect life as perfect partners.
And just as you and your partner personify the unification of a perfect match, so the rings on her finger ought to reflect that perfection, too.
If you’ve made the right choices, each ring – the engagement ring and the two wedding bands – should be individually perfect for the wearer. But do her engagement ring and wedding ring go together as perfectly as the two of you do?
You’d be surprised at how often they don’t.
Often, when I see people, the problem in the relationship between the diamond engagement ring and the wedding ring arises because I didn't make the engagement ring. Usually, the engagement ring is a plain, straight, band and the issue is that it doesn't fit nicely alongside her wedding ring.
There might be a space between the two rings. Or the top of the wedding ring is rubbing on the engagement ring. The profiles don't match. The metals are different. The finger sizes are different. There are a multitude of potential bear traps.
The fact is, the best time to make the wedding rings is at the same time as the engagement ring.
I know that’s not an expense you had in mind at the time. However, it can save you money down the line. For example, when you make an engagement ring you inevitably get some degree of waste metal – usually platinum. If I can incorporate that into the wedding rings, it saves you having to pay for a few extra grams at a later date.
That might not sound a lot, but it takes a few hundred pounds off the total you might otherwise pay at a later date.
Fit and style are going to be a really important factor for the bride-to-be and so, as the physical symbol of her relationship status, the engagement ring and wedding ring need to look their best every day.
If you've gone for a solitaire ring, make sure the jeweller understands that you want a wedding ring to fit close when it's all made and ask to try on some wedding rings to see how the fit will be when your rings are ready.
The halo design is hugely popular at the moment and as you can see in the pictures here, it's a stunning piece and a great show. Your option is to have either a ‘fitted’ wedding ring so the shape follows the outline of the ring, as in the image, or a straight band. If you go for the straight band, then from the top all you will see will be the engagement ring, which aesthetically is always my preference.
The fitted, or shaped wedding ring tends to twist around on the finger and the two rings rarely sit next to each other as you might like. A solution here might be to have the two bands soldered together at the back once the wedding is over. The drawback here, of course, is that you won't be able to wear one without the other.
I’m also often asked whether diamonds ought to be in the wedding ring. The answer is that it’s dependent on their engagement ring. If the engagement ring is a solitaire, I’d always recommend a plain ring, no wider than the engagement ring, to sit alongside it.
But If there are diamonds on the shoulders of your engagement ring, then I’d recommend having the same stones on the wedding ring, and perhaps have them going all the way round to give the same depth all over. When the ring naturally spins around during the day you won't have to stop and rearrange your rings each time you want to show them off.
Finally, a word on the metal you choose for your wedding ring. Some people think that having spent a lot of money on the showpiece engagement ring they don't need to worry about the wedding ring.
The truth is that platinum is more expensive than white gold and though they look identical, they’re not. When gold is mined it is naturally yellow and then alloyed with palladium and then rhodium plated to give the whiteness. Conversely, platinum is naturally white when it’s mined.
When they are next to each other and the rhodium wears off the white gold ring, or the high polish wears off the platinum ring, you’ll see a colour difference. The platinum is greyer, and the white gold will show a slight natural yellow tinge.
There is more on my blog White gold or platinum, can you tell the difference? Don't say you haven't been warned!
If you would like to talk about the options for your engagement and wedding rings in more detail, then please do call for a free consultation in our central London Hatton Garden office and we would be glad to help you. Our details are on the main page of the Lewis Malka London website.
Lewis Malka is a highly regarded expert in making diamond rings as well as being a famous jeweller to the stars. All his blogs are his own opinions. He is a member of the London Diamond Bourse (LDB). You can follow him daily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you would like any bespoke jewellery made, then please visit his website.
