8 Things To Know About Wedding Bands, Especially Men!
“I don't really wear any jewellery”
“I’ve never worn a ring before”
“I just want a plain band, you know, super simple”
I’ve heard of all these things (and many more) over and over again when someone is getting a wedding band made. Usually from men, but not always, and typically when a person is wanting just a single wedding or commitment band.
If you just want something simple, it doesn’t have to be complicated! But there are still some main things to consider if you want to be all over what it is you really want.
Here are 8 things you need to know or consider about plain wedding bands
1) Width of the band
The width of the band can often be the best place to start. How wide you want the band is personal preference, and can depend on how big your hand and fingers are, and how much of an impact you want your ring to make.
There is a big visual difference between just 1mm’s difference in width. Even 0.5mm can make a visual difference! So it’s key to experiment with this to get a feel for what you’re after.
You can try this at home with some strips of firm paper cut to specific widths. Wrap them around your finger and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what you prefer.
‘Standard’ widths for a more masculine sized band are: 5mm, 6mm, 7mm so perhaps experiment with these first and go narrower or wider from there.
2) Profile
The profile refers to the shape of the band. If you were to cut through the band and look at the cross section of the metal, this is the profile shape.
There are big visual differences between the main profiles, but most people will have a preference straight away once they’ve seen them.
The 2 main profiles are: Half Round and Flat (also referred to as Square), and then there are loads of variations within this spectrum. For example, you can have a low half round which is a very shallow curve across the profile, or a high half round which is a more prominent rounded shape. You can have a sharp and square flat edged profile, or a flat look but with rounded edges.
What is a comfort fit? It’s where the inner edges of the band have been rounded or rolled out towards the sides, so that it is super smooth to push on and off the finger. This comfort fit edge can be done extreme or it can be quite subtle. Either way, it’s a really nice touch to a hand made ring.
Thickness of the band can also be discussed with the profile, so if you have a preference for this then that can be considered with the profile shape. For a good guide, most well made masculine bands are between 1.4mm-1.8mm thick. Any thinner than 1.2mm and you could be bending that band out of shape fairly easily.
3) Finishing
This refers to the look of the ring on the outside - do you want it polished or matte/brushed?
In either case, the finish is a surface treatment only, and over time they will both take on their wear characteristics, ie. the polish will dull, and the matte with slightly polish up.
It’s good practice to polish the sides and inside of the band for a professionally finished ring.
4) Design details
Design details can be added to impart a little point of difference or interest to an otherwise ‘plain’ ring.
Sometimes it might be a carved line around the circumference, or a stone set into it.
Other ideas could be hand stamping, two tone/inlay, heavy textures such as a hammered finish or a heavy brushed/sandblasted finish.
5) Costing
It’s good to keep in mind that although a plain band might be fairly simple or uncomplicated in terms of labour, the heavier dimensions of the more masculine profiles can mean that in gold or platinum it can still be quite a significant purchase.
6) Sizing
Finger sizing can be tricky to get spot on if someone is not used to wearing a ring. It’s not uncommon for the ring to need to be adjusted again shortly after receiving it, after the wearer has gotten used to the feeling of it. Most people’s fingers also change size slightly at different times of the day and between warmer and cooler seasons.
A basic rule of thumb is that if you can shake it off when you fling your hand around, it's definitely too big! Oh, and I've truly lost count of how many people I've heard of that have lost their ring when swimming.
You can read more about sizing tips here.
7) Materials
Precious metals such as gold and platinum are still the most popular metal choices, but there are a bunch of newer technologies that have opened up a world of alternative materials too.
Classic gold or platinum are still ideal as they can be repaired and resized, molten down in future, and basically have been used for centuries for good reason - they’re precious and they last and wear really well.
Carats of gold can really affect budget, and colours are a personal preference. You can read more about gold alloys and carats here.
Then there is a whole world of ‘new’ materials you can get rings in. Metals such as Titanium, Zirconium, and Tantalum are all really popular and pretty great for someone wanting something hard/durable and in a black or deep grey colour. These are all industrial metals, so they are not able to be manufactured with traditional goldsmith techniques. The way that these rings are made is by being cut from a standard length of tube and then turned on a lathe to get it down to the exact dimensions and profile it needs to be. It is important to note that none of these materials can be resized at all. They are industrial grade metals that cannot be soldered like gold or platinum. You can find a lot of these alternative material rings online, but a good portion of them are made in masses by overseas companies, so it's a good idea to do your research well if you are wanting to purchase something that is made in Australia. There are some fabulous Australian makers doing interesting things with these materials, so keep an eye out for them or check in with me and I can suggest some.
8) Production method - Hand fabricated VS machine milled VS cast
In my workshop, I use traditional hand forged goldsmithing techniques to craft even the most simplest of bands. That’s just how I like it to be. It also makes for a well worked piece of jewellery that should by all accounts withstand decades of wear.
However, there are plenty of options kicking around the jewellery stores, where you can order a gold wedding band from some samples or a catalogue, and it gets machine milled (turned out on a lathe) to the proportions and dimensions that you order it in. This is still a pretty great way to make a ring, albeit less ‘traditional’.
Some jewellery is made by casting, where molten metal is poured into a mould in the shape of the desired piece. This can be done as a ‘one-off’ type of lost wax method, or as part of a mass-production of the same design made over and over again.
In any case, there’s no harm in asking how your ring might be produced if you care to know.
So there you go, I bet you learned something about what seems to be quite simple at first. Please get in touch with me if you have any more questions about this style of ring.
And hopefully when the time comes you’ll win over your chosen jeweller with all of your rad knowledge around what type of “super simple, plain as” ring you really want.
x Susan
Originally posted June 22, 2022
