Buy Wedding Rings

Buying a wedding ring can seem like a terribly daunting task.  It’s a piece of fine jewelry that carries deep symbolic meaning and it’s also a ring that you are planning to wear for the rest of your life. When you decide it’s time to purchase your wedding rings, make sure you do it right.  Here are my top ten tips to buying your ideal wedding ring.

1)      Set a Budget.  This not only helps you narrow down your selection, but it also helps you keep financial stress to a minimum.  Before you even start looking at rings, set a maximum price and stick to it.

2)      Negotiate.  Sit down together and talk about how you want to buy your rings.  Some couples like to buy their rings together; others like to buy them separately. Go over what you both want and come to a clear agreeable decision.

3)      Matching- yes/no? Decide whether you want your wedding rings to be matching rings or not.   Unless you seem to have the same style of ring in mind from the beginning, buying a matching set can be a bit complicated.  Once you decide whether or not you want your rings to match, the rest of the buying process will be much easier.

4)      Browse.  Pick up some wedding magazines; check out your friends rings and try them on; be indulgent and read up on your celebrity wedding gossip to see what the hottest styles are. 

5)      Try’em on.  You should always go into at least one B&M jewelry store to try on different styles, different metals and different widths of wedding rings.  Whoever has an engagement ring –maybe both of you…you know men’s engagement rings are growing in popularity—should have the ring on.  It’ll help you make a decision about the overall “ring” look.

6)      Decide on A Metal.  Coupled don’t have to choose the same metal, but it’s important that each of you decide what metal you prefer.  There are pros and cons to each metal, including price, style, and metal qualities.  Some metals, like gold, are more malleable and therefore easier to resize.  Other, less malleable metals like platinum and titanium may not be resizable, but they are extremely durable. 

7)      Decide on A Style.  Decide whether you want a plain band, a band with diamonds, a wedding ring with two-tone metal ornamentation, or a Celtic wedding band.  There are lots of styles out there, but choose one that you feel will endure.  Remember, this is a band you are planning on wearing for the rest of your life.

8)      Be Informed.  If you do decide to buy a wedding band with diamonds, make sure you know your diamond stuff.  Read up on the 4Cs of diamonds: cut, clarity, color and carat weight.  You should be able to understand the differences between different diamonds and have an idea of diamond pricing.  The same goes for precious gems and precious metals.  Have somewhat of a grasp on market prices before you make the plunge.

9)      Shop casually. You should shop for wedding rings in the same manner you shop for most things.  If you like to shop for clothes with friends, bring friends along when looking at wedding rings.  If you like shopping for most thins on your own, then go for that.  Some simply prefer shopping online so that they can do the “boring” research on their own and then send pictures of potential rings to friends and family before they make their purchase.

10)   Have FUN!!!!!