Your guide to this very special decision
by
Of course we would say it, but honestly, we think the ring is the most important purchase for the big day.
It is the symbol of your marriage and relationship and it is the thing from the day that is yours, and yours alone.
Even more importantly it is the thing that you will have forever.
The flowers will fade and the food will be eaten. You may wear the outfits again, but not everyday!
So the point is that choosing the ring is a pretty big deal but one that you will get to enjoy everyday.
Things to consider...
Durability
You will most likely be wearing it everyday. Your hands come into contact with an awful lot of stuff on a daily basis, no matter how careful you may try to be.
If you fancy a white ring...
Silver is a lovely metal and very pure, but it is also soft. It really isn't suitable as a wedding ring. It will quickly become badly scratched, dented and misshapen.
White gold is to be avoided. Gold is yellow in colour - not white! The white comes from adding a white alloy, usually rhodium, and then plating the ring, again with rhodium. Of course this will rub off. Admittedly it can be re plated - but it is not an inexpensive job as rhodium is a costly material.
Platinum is the ideal white metal. It is naturally white so the colour will not change and it is very hard. If it does become scratched the metal 'moves' rather than flaking off so a professional polish will restore your ring to it's former beauty without removing any of the metal.
If you like the idea of a yellow ring...
Gold wedding rings come in a range of options, being 9ct (37.5% gold), 14ct (58.5% gold), 18ct (75% gold) and 22ct (91.6% gold).
The higher the gold content the richer the colour.
You don't very often see 14ct gold in this country. It is more of an American thing. It is a particularly brittle metal and well known for being hard to work with.
In the past 9ct gold was considered to be harder wearing than 18ct. These days the alloys used in 18ct gold are much harder so in fact 18ct is just as durable as 9ct gold now. It has the advantage of having twice as much gold in it too - so much more precious.
22ct was a very popular choice in the early 1900's, less so as the gold price increased. Although a 22ct ring is softer than the less pure options it does wear well, as anyone who had their great grandparent's rings will know..
Here at Cathy Stephens Jewellery we pride ourselves on our expertise in helping you choose your perfect wedding rings as well as being able to make the perfect bespoke ring for you both to treasure.
Visit our website to see all our wonderful collections and to contact us for your bespoke jewellery creations, repair work, re-designs and restoration.