Men's wedding rings advice

The top 7 tips for choosing men's wedding rings

Men often find the process of choosing a wedding ring a little daunting. The jewelry terminology can be foreign and the seemingly endless range of rings can make it hard to know where to start and what to choose.

It is important though that you know what to look for when choosing your wedding ring. After all, it's a ring that you will be wearing for a very long time, so it's important that you choose a ring that is not only appropriate for your lifestyle and your personality but one that is comfortable to wear and fits within your budget.

We'd love to be able to give you a magical mathmatical formula to determine your ideal wedding ring, though, after 30 years of providing wedding ring advice, we've found that everyone is unique and has their own tastes and preferences.

However, we can give you the 7 top tips to consider when choosing a men's wedding ring. From these top 7 tips you'll more easily be able to choose the right wedding ring for you.

We've noticed that men will often jump straight to finding the right the ring design, though considering other important factors first will make your choice a lot simpler by narrowing down the selection of rings to those that will be best for you and your lifestyle.

These 7 considerations for choosing your men's wedding ring will help you:

1. Choosing a wedding ring that is appropriate for your lifestyle
2. Choosing a wedding ring that reflects your personality
3. Comfort is important ~ how to choose a comfortable wedding ring
4. Which metal is best for you?
5. Choosing matching wedding rings
6. Should your wedding ring have gemstones?
7. Choosing your wedding ring design

Choosing a wedding ring appropriate for your lifestyle

When deciding which men's wedding ring is right for you, first you need to consider your lifestyle.

Every one is different. A ring design that appeals to one person, may not appeal to another, just as a ring design that works well with one person's lifestyle may not be appropriate for another person's lifestyle.

You need to consider what effect your lifestyle will have on your wedding ring. Consider the following questions together with any other facets of your lifestyle that will play a part in your choosing your men's wedding ring.

Can you wear your wedding ring whilst you work?

Are there special requirements for the type of ring that you can wear at work? Are you a mechanic, tradesman or working with machinery and equipment that could get caught on a ring? Do you need a ring that can be cut-off from your finger in the case of an emergency?

Do you work with your hands - will manual labour be tuff on your ring?

Are you a gardener or tradesman or does your work or hobby involve being tough on your hands, and thereby tough on your ring? If you answered yes, you may be best not to wear your ring whilst performing those activities. Though if you are planning to wear your ring at those times, you need to consider whether your ring can stand up to that harsher treatment.

Will you wear your wedding ring everyday?

When possible, most men choose to wear their wedding ring every day. Though there are some jobs where it's not possible to wear your ring to work, or some men prefer not to wear their wedding ring every day.

Some men are not able to wear a ring to work due to the harsh treatment that they expect their work may give to their ring or because they are prohibited from wearing a ring at work due to safety standards.

The men who wear their wedding ring only the weekends and special occasions often choose a ring that's a little more unusual because they like to enjoy the ring whilst they do wear it and they are not limited just to ring designs suited to their lifestyle.

Some men also choose to wear their wedding ring on a neck chain when they cannot wear it on their finger. If you plan to wear your wedding ring on a chain, you will need to make sure that the type of ring is suitable to be worn on a chain (for example woven or more intricate rings are not as suitable to be worn on a chain).

Will you play sport whilst wearing your wedding ring?

Do you rock climb, play football, basketball or surf? For sports that could be rough on your ring we recommend that you not wear your wedding ring whilst playing that sport.

If you do plan to wear your ring during sport, you will need to make sure that the ring is suitable.

If your work or hobbies will be rough on your ring and you plan to wear your ring when carrying out those activities you should look to have a ring that will better be able to handle that treatment. See the information below in the 'ring design section' to help you further with your ring design options.

Choosing a men's wedding ring that reflects your personality

A wedding ring is not only a symbol of your love, it is also a fashion accessory that will be with you for a long time. So you need to choose a ring that reflects your personality, rather than a ring style that may be a passing fashion or is picked up at a discount sale.

You will appreciate your wedding ring more if you put a little thought into it.

Are you a simple no-frills type of guy?

Then the classic gold wedding ring may appeal. Though there are many types of simple rings. The width and shape of the ring can make rings look quite different. There are also many options available to make your simple wedding ring more comfortable for you. See the comfort tip below.

Do you like the idea of having something a little different - but not too different?

There are many options available for the man who does not want a simple gold wedding band, but who doesn't want an overly flashy ring either.

Perhaps a twist on the simple wedding ring is for you. What about a ring with ribbed edges, a white gold inlay stripe, a satin finish textured ring rather than a polished texture, a two-tone ring with yellow and white gold or a woven pattern. There are many subtle yet stylish options available.

Is your fiance encouraging you to choose something a little different but you're not yet convinced?

You may be surprised to learn that many men are choosing to move beyond the traditional gold wedding band in search of something just a touch different. Why not consider a wedding ring that is still simple, but a little more than the traditional gold band. What about a ring with ribbed edges, a white gold inlay stripe, a satin finish textured ring, a two-tone ring or a woven pattern?

Are you an engineer or technically minded person who is looking for the latest technology?

Titanium, a high technology metal used in the latest scientific breakthroughs is the top choice for this group. Or, what about a tungsten ring? Tungsten carbide is a highly scratch resistant metal which is also favoured by this group of men. Or what about a ring that uses the latest laser technology in the ring's construction, such as a wave style or fusion ring that combines different gold types in unique patterns.

Are you bold and daring?

Then something different to what you normally see may appeal. Perhaps a custom designed titanium ring, a ring incorporating unusual metals such as tungsten or platinum or a two-tone ring with a combination of two metals such as white and yellow gold, or rose and white gold. What about an unusual shape such as a puzzle ring or jigsaw puzzle ring?

Does your cultural or ethnic background make a particular type of ring style appealing to you?

For example if you have Irish heritage a claddagh ring or celtic ring may appeal to you.

If you have Italian heritage a diamond wedding ring may appeal.

How to choose a comfortable wedding ring

Many men are concerned that a wedding ring will not be comfortable to wear. This concern normally stems from the fact that many men have not worn a ring before.

Men's wedding rings can be comfortable to wear if you know what to look for. Consider these two factors, the shape of the ring and the ring width.

First, look for a ring design that has softly rounded edges, rather than sharp angular edges. This does not mean that a flat band style cannot be comfortable. A flat band can still have a good construction where the edge of the band is made with a very gentle rounded inside edge.

Next, consider the inside curve the of ring. The inside of a ring should have a gentle curve on the inside edges of the ring. This soft internal curve will make the ring feel more comfortable on your finger.

Another option is a soft fit ring, which has softly curved edges on the ring, though not a completely curved inside surface in the ring.

Something that is also a popular choice for men's rings is a ring made with a comfort curve. A comfort curve refers to the inside of a ring, not the outside. So it is possible to have a comfort curve with a ring that is flat on the outside surface.

A comfort curve is a ring that is curved on the inside of the band, rather than having a more flat surface on the inside of the ring.

When considering ring width, factors to consider include the size and length of your fingers and your personal preference. Often men with larger hands or longer fingers choose an average width band or a slightly wider band. Men with smaller hands or more slender fingers often choose a 5mm ring or a slightly narrower ring.

Men's wedding rings are usually wider than a ladies wedding ring and most men choose a ring width of between 5mm and 7mm with 6mm and 7mm being the more popular widths.

If you are interested in a band wider than 7mm you will need to note that very wide bands can be a little more uncomfortable to wear than a narrower ring.

If you choose a wider ring style you will also need to consider the finger size that you will need. Wider rings can be tighter on the finger than a narrower ring would be.

For a ring width of 8mm or wider you may need to choose a slightly larger finger size (perhaps a 1/4 US size or a 1/2 a British or Australian size larger). Most finger size measurements are made on quite narrow sizing rings, so when you have your finger size measured by a jeweler you should let them know the width of the ring that you are interested in, so that they can factor in the width of your ring when determining the best finger size for you.

Which metal is best for men's wedding rings

The metals that can be used to make modern men's wedding bands include gold, titanium, platinum and silver. The information below will help you choose the metal to use for your wedding ring.

• Gold
• Titanium
• Platinum
• Tungsten
• Silver

Gold wedding rings

Gold is the most popular choice for men's wedding rings.

There are two things to consider when choosing a gold men's wedding ring. Which gold carat to choose and gold color or what combination of gold colors you would like.

The gold carats normally used in men's wedding rings are 9ct, 14ct and 18ct. The higher the proportion of gold used in the final metal, the more valuable and expensive the metal will be. So all other things being the same, an 18ct ring will be more expensive than a 14ct ring and a 14ct ring will be more expensive than a 9ct ring.

To see the differences between 9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold click here.

Many people consider the hardness and durability of gold when choosing a men's wedding ring.

Metal hardness is measured by what is called the Vickers scale where harder metals receive a higher Vickers score than less hard metals.

9ct has a Vickers hardness of 120 and 18ct has a Vickers hardness of 125. This shows 18ct as harder, though the difference is so slight that in practical terms 9ct and 18ct are much the same in terms of hardness.

9ct is more difficult to bend and is a little more springy than 18ct and therefore a fine 9ct ring may be less likely to bend out of shape than a fine 18ct ring. However, if the ring is of a good sturdy construction neither metal will be likely to bend out of shape.

9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold are each relatively hard and durable metals and are suitable for every day wear and use in men's wedding rings.

Next you need to consider the color of the gold.

Gold is available in several different colors. The most popular is yellow gold, followed by white gold and rose gold, though other gold colors are sometimes also available such as bronze, peach, red and lime gold.

To find out the differences between yellow gold, white gold and rose gold click here.

As each gold color contains the same proportion of pure gold, all gold colors that have the same carat will have the same Vickers score.

When comparing the price of the gold colors in the same carat, white gold is normally a little more expensive than yellow gold and rose gold. Yellow gold and rose gold normally have approximately the same price.

When trying to decide between the gold carat types there are three things to consider.

1. The metal's performance with every day wear
2. The difference in color between the 9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold
3. The difference in price between the gold carats.

In practical terms, 18ct generally holds up to everyday wear better than 9ct and 14ct and 18ct tends to look better than 9ct and 14ct as it ages over the years. This is one of the reasons why 18ct is normally preferred for ladies engagement rings rather than 9ct.

14ct is halfway between 9ct and 18ct in these respects.

There is a difference in the color of different gold carats. To see more information about the difference in color click here.

18ct is the superior metal for men's wedding rings provided that the ring is not a lightweight construction (Gillett's Jewellers rings are a good construction).

However, 18ct is more expensive than 14ct and 9ct, which in a large men's ring can be a noticeable difference.

For a wedding ring that you wear every day of your life it is worth the difference in price and we accordingly recommend that 18ct be selected whenever it fits within your budget.

Also regarding the need to resize your gold wedding ring, a simple gold wedding ring can normally be resized in the future by a local jeweler. A gold ring with ribbed edges, a wave or woven pattern or engraving may be more difficult to resize without affecting the ring pattern.

If you find a 9ct men's wedding ring that you would like made in 18ct, please send us an e-mail to [email protected] and we can provide a price for you.

• View yellow gold men's wedding rings
• View white gold men's wedding rings
• View two-tone men's wedding rings

Titanium wedding rings

Titanium is a natural element which has a silver-greyish-white color. Titanium is the hardest natural metal in the world.

It is very strong, three times the strength of steel and much stronger than gold, silver and platinum and yet is very light weight. Pure titanium is also 100% hypoallergenic which means that it if safe for anyone to wear as it will not react to your skin.

Titanium provides several unique factors that make it a good metal for rings. It is very strong, more dent, bend and scratch resistant than gold, silver and platinum, is lightweight and importantly offers an exotic array of colors which other metals do not.

One factor to consider with titanium is that titanium cannot be soldered, which means that titanium rings cannot normally be resized.

Titanium rings made using pure titanium can normally be cutoff the finger in the event of an emergency, though they are more difficult to cut-off than gold, silver or platinum rings. Aircraft grade titanium rings normally cannot be cut-off in the event of an emergency.

View titanium men's wedding rings

Platinum wedding rings

Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewelry in almost its pure form (approximately 95% pure). Platinum is extremely long wearing and is very white, so it does not need to be rhodium plated like white gold.

Platinum is a very dense, heavy metal, so a platinum ring will feel heavier than an 18ct gold ring.

Platinum is however significantly more expensive than gold. All other things being the same, a platinum ring will be approximately twice the price of an 18ct white gold ring (not including gemstones).

The selection of men's wedding rings made in platinum is generally smaller than the ranges available for gold and titanium rings.

Platinum rings can be cut-off the finger in the event of an emergency.

View platinum men's wedding rings

Tungsten wedding rings

Tungsten carbire, commonly referred to as tungsten, is a new technology metal that is becoming increasingly popular in men's wedding rings.

Tungsten is a very hard, strong and durable metal which is highly scratch resistant.

Tungsten is less expensive than gold and platinum and is comparable in price to titanium.

Tungsten has a grey-white color, similar to that of white gold or titanium.

Tungsten rings are highly scratch resistant which is their primary benefit when compared to other metals such as gold, platinum and even titanium which can scratch. So having a tungsten wedding ring that's scratch resistant offers a lot of advantages.

Tungsten rings also have what's called a permanent polish, which means that they always look new and bright and shiny. They don't need to be repolished, which is another benefit over other metals.

Tungsten also has a heavy weight, which makes the ring feel more solid and many men prefer the heavier weight of tungsten rings.

One important point with tungsten rings is that they cannot be resized, because they cannot be cut and resoldered. This means that you need to have your finger size accurately measured before ordering a tungsten wedding ring.

View tungsten wedding rings

Silver wedding rings

Sterling silver is a white-grey colored metal which is less expensive than gold, platinum and titanium.

Silver is a softer metal than gold, titanium, tungsten and platinum and does not have hardness that the other metals do. Silver is also more prone to oxidisation, sometimes causing the silver to turn black. For these reasons silver jewelry is best worn as dress jewelry, worn occasionally and is not generally recommended for everyday wear over an extended period of time. It is therefore not recommended to be used for a wedding ring.

Ring maintenance

You should note that all metals (except tungsten) will scratch. That includes gold, platinum, silver and titanium. Titanium and platinum are more scratch resistant that gold and silver, though they will still scratch.

So scratches on your wedding ring is something that is part of wearing a ring. If the ring you choose has a polished finish, you can have your ring re-polished by a local jeweler. We suggest that rings be polished about each 12 months or so, or sooner if you prefer.

A textured ring finish such as a satin finish texture or a ring with detailed engraving can help to lessen the appearance of scratching from wear.

Choosing matching wedding rings

Are you hoping to wear a matching wedding ring?

Couples sometimes choose to wear matching wedding rings. This can be a romantic touch, though it will limit the options that you can choose from. You would then need to take into account all of the above factors for you and your fianc? and importantly you will need to consider the types of rings that your fianc? can wear with her engagement ring. Some ladies engagement rings need to have curved fitted rings specially made to match their wedding ring, so if that is the case for your fianc?'s ring, it would generally be best to not have matching rings.

For these reasons couples sometimes prefer to choose a ring with some similar features, such as the same metal type, a similar pattern or another feature in common.

Should your men's wedding ring include gemstones?

It is acceptable for a men's wedding ring to include diamonds and gemstones.

The decision to include diamonds or gemstones in your ring will depend on your personal preference.

You should consider the type of work that you do and the sports you play when considering gemstones. Gemstone settings can be affected and the risk of a gemstone being lost will be increased if the ring is knocked around through manual labour and some sporting activities.

You should also consider the type of gemstones that are suitable to be worn in wedding rings. Some gemstones are more fragile than others and are not suited to be worn everyday. The gemstones that are suitable to be worn in wedding rings are diamonds, sapphires (all colors of sapphires including blue, black, pink, orange, green and yellow) and rubies.

We do not suggest that opal rings be worn as wedding rings, as opals are a more fragile gemstone.

View diamond men's wedding rings

Choosing your men's wedding ring design

Traditionally men preferred simple gold wedding bands to symbolise their love. Though over the last 15 years men have increasingly been moving away from the traditional gold wedding ring towards something a little different.

There are many ring designs to choose from. You will need to take into account the factors above. Then it's a matter of personal preference.

Types of ring styles include simple bands made in all yellow gold, all white gold, platinum, or titanium or tungsten; rings with inlay stripes or ribbed edges; rings with diamonds or gemstones; rings with unique patterns; two-tone rings with a combination of metal types, and woven or wave ring styles.

When considering lifestyle factors and ring designs you should note that a woven, puzzle or heavily patterned ring could be damaged whilst playing sport or working with your hands. A ring with diamonds or gemstones may be at greater risk of having the gem settings damaged and potentially loosing a gemstone.

Hopefully this information will help you to choose the right wedding ring for you.

Choose from the wide range of men's wedding rings available at Gillett's Jewellers.

• View men's wedding rings
• View yellow gold men's wedding rings
• View white gold men's wedding rings
• View titanium wedding rings
• View platinum wedding rings
• View two-tone wedding rings
• View woven wedding rings
• View wave wedding rings
• View celtic men's wedding rings
• View diamond men's wedding rings

To match your perfect wedding ring, why not also find a stylish men's watch? We offer a range of leading brands, including Michael Kors, Armani, and more.