8 things to consider when choosing partnership, commitment, or wedding rings
Update: April 2022
I've been making jewellery for a decade and a half, in that time I've made a lot of partnership, engagement, and wedding rings. I've met a lot of people getting married, having civil partnerships or having their own commitment celebrations. I’ve made a lot of rings for people who have never worn jewellery before. I love making rings for your special occasions, it is a huge honour to be asked to make a piece of jewellery that someone will wear for the rest of their lives! Hopefully this blog will help you work out a few basics of what you want before you enquire about bespoke wedding rings.
This is an important purchase for the long term, you'll look at these rings everyday. When planning a celebration, there are so many things to consider that sometimes rings can be forgotten about until closer to the time. I know if you’re here, you know this and you’re looking for something different. Maybe you’ve seen my work before and have had my rings in mind for a while. Your rings are likely going to be one of the few parts of your celebration that will last the longest, along with the photos and memories. You want to make sure you’re getting something you really love to wear! You’re not going to find me making rings to fit with traditional expectations. After all, a lot of the “traditions” associated with weddings have only been around thanks to fashion and clever marketing, but that’s for another blog!
So here are 8 things you should consider when choosing your partnership rings.
1 - Should they match?
Short answer, no.
Your rings don’t have to match! I’ve made a lot of sets of wedding rings in the past which have been totally different from each other. The people may have chosen different metals, landscapes or both! I've also made plenty just for one person in a couple, so if you like my work but your significant other wants something from a different jeweller, I say go for it.
There are many examples of rings in this post as “ring-spiration” for you.
2 - Choosing your metal.
Choose your metal with care. You'll wear these rings every day, they will likely outlast the paper your photographs are printed on. It's worth considering spending a little extra to get gold over silver if you can stretch to it as your wedding ring will get knocked about, you'll hit it on more things than you can imagine during one day so you want it to be durable. I work with recycled metals as standard. If you’re keen to use Fairtrade gold, Fairmined metal, or have me recycled your own old jewellery into your new rings please just ask and we can chat more about the provenance of the metals I use. I want to be as transparent as possible in my making process.
SILVER
Silver is a wonderful choice if you’re on a budget. It’s not as durable as other metals and will wear away comparatively quickly over time. However, it's the cheapest of the precious metals and lots of jewellery is made from it and enjoyed daily. I use recycled silver as standard in all my commissions.
GOLD
Pure gold is very soft so it’s alloyed with other metals to make the different carats and colours which are very strong and durable; white, red, and yellow gold in 9ct, 14ct and 18ct.
For example the high gold content in 18ct (750 parts per 1000) yellow gold means it’s durable but with the lovely yellow colour closer to that of pure gold. 9ct gold has a lower gold content (375 parts per 1000), so it's a paler yellow colour.
Myth busting - “Isn’t white gold just yellow gold plated with a white metal?” - Nope. This myth came about because most high street jeweller’s rhodium plate ALL their white metals to keep a cohesive look in the shop window. When that plating wears away as the jewellery is worn the natural colour of the white metal underneath, looks yellow in comparison to the plating
White gold is alloyed with silver or palladium to make it that colour, it still has the same parts per thousand of gold as its yellow counterpart. You can see a comparison of different golds in these images on the right.
As you can see within the middle three images, you can mix your metal colours for added interest and contrast between the landscape and sky.
The last three images here show the difference in white golds. With the creamier coloured 9ct white gold rings on the left. An 18ct white gold ring in the middle; which looks grey or steel-like in colour by comparison! And in the final image on the bottom right are two 9ct white gold rings, one's rhodium plated, so you can see where that myth came from.
PALLADIUM + PLATINUM
These two metals are very durable and usually have only a very small amount of other metals added to make their alloys of 950 parts per 1000. Palladium is a fairly new “precious metal” only being hallmarked since 2009. It is less dense than Platinum but has similar durability and colour. Until recently Platinum was more expensive than Gold but now it’s Palladium in the top spot! Either of these provide a great choice for people who work with their hands and might forget to take off their wedding ring, though the price of Palladium is potentially off putting!
There is a limit to what I can make with these metals as they require a different skill set. I can make your ring in silver and have it cast into Platinum or Palladium. Polishing them and finishing them is well within my skill set! This is also a popular option for a shaped-to-fit wedding ring if you have a more traditional engagement ring. The final ring on the right is an example of a shaped to fit wedding ring I made.
3 - Do you want your ring plated?
I'm not a big fan of plating rings as it does wear away over time. It could wear away in 2 weeks or 6 months on a ring that is in constant use and contact with your finger, so it’s worth asking yourself if you want the upkeep? As I’m your jeweller, I will of course do it upon request. The rings in this gallery have either been oxidised with a chemical solution that turns silver black, or been plated with Black Rhodium which is a slightly blacker colour and may last longer. However Rhodium is also a precious metal so this cost can be high around £60 - £80 per ring not including postage.
4 - How wide would you like your ring?
My most popular sizes are 4, 6, and 8 mm like these rings below. Anything below 5 mm is tricky to put a landscape on but it has been done! It’s easier if your landscape or skyline has a small difference between valleys and peaks. If it’s possible, go into your local high street jeweller and try on a selection of band widths and see what suits your fingers. This will help with getting the correct size too; when you want a wider band you need a slightly bigger ring size.
5 - Choosing a finish
If you like my landscape rings you might be thinking about having a texture on one part, contrasting with another finish. One tip I heard a while ago which I always mention to my wedding ring clients is: your ring will end up the opposite of how you started: If you choose textured it'll even out and polish up over time, if you choose polished it'll get dented and less shiny over time.
Polished is classic and always looks ace with a contrasting textures. This will of course get dented and worn over time wearing your ring, if you've chosen something like silver this might happen more quickly than with the other metals.
Satinised is one of my favourites, it masks a lot of little nicks and scratches but as it's on your finger it'll get worn over time to a more polished look.
Brushed is very simple, created with a scotch-brite wheel which spins very fast, it can be recreated at home by using the rough side of a scouring pad, at your own risk of course.
Hammered is a brilliant compromise, it's already bashed into shape, anything you do to it will add to the character of it. I am always happy to reapply textures to your rings if I can, please get in touch if you'd like to arrange for me to texture or polish your rings.
If you want to learn more
You can arrange a chat with me, we can’t meet in my studio but if you’re local to Inverness we can meet up for a cuppa and a chat, I would be more than happy to talk you through the process. I have sample landscape rings that you can see and try on, I can work out your size, recommend a band width and give you an idea of the cost, all before you decide if you want to go ahead. There is no pressure, after all this is an important ring and I want you to be sure that you love it!
6 - Wall thickness
This is where comfort comes in, most of my rings are 1.2 mm to 1.5 mm wall thickness, they can have a rounded inner edge to provide more comfort too. The thickness will affect how it'll feel on your finger when you're wearing it, or if you'll notice it when your fingers/hands are relaxed. As you get used to wearing a ring you should notice it less and less. A little like when you start wearing a belt after not wearing one for a while, or a pair of trousers after wearing shorts all summer!
7 - Size
One way to measure your size is to buy a ring sizer from me here, the cost of which will be taken off your commission if you choose to buy from me. If you're going for a wide band, 8mm +, I would recommend adding a half size to your measurement but I can also send you wide metal ring sizers to help ensure we get the right size, as we work through the process especially if we’re working by email. The most important thing is how the ring feels going over the middle joint of your finger, this is where a ring might get stuck. It should go on with ease and come off with a little resistance. Your ring should feel secure enough that you could throw a stone into a loch, or a ball for a dog without your ring flying off with it too. Not so tight that it's a struggle to get it off though!
8 - Landscape
The best part about having your rings handmade by me, is telling me about your favourite landscape, or place. I would love to hear any stories you feel like telling of why you’d like a particular landscape on your rings. Send me your own favourite landscape photograph and I'll use that to design your partnership rings. You can change any aspect of the options above. The wedding rings I make are always unique and made by hand, by me in my studio. No-one else will have the same design as you, especially if you choose your own landscape!
