The practice of giving and wearing a wedding ring dates back thousands of years. A wedding ring symbolizes faithfulness and love between two people and are given on the day of a couple joining forces. Before the time that the skill of how to work metal became widely known, people used such things as plants, grass and even hair to ‘tie the knot’, which is what I think a wedding ring symbolizes.
These days a normal wedding ring might be made from valuable metals such as gold, titanium, platinum or even white gold. Women’s wedding rings often hold a diamond, although sapphires are quickly becoming more popular. Men’s wedding rings are often just a plain band of gold. There are many different styles of wedding rings, but the most popular for men is unquestionably the plain gold band.
For those who want something a bit more showy, there are plenty of alternatives on the market. A man might want a more ostentatious wedding ring, because it is frequently the only piece of jewellery that a man wears. Some alternatives to the plain band of gold are the Celtic Knot and the Claddagh gold rings.
It is important for men’s wedding rings to be made from a strong alloy of gold. Most men do physical labour of one kind or another, even if it is only gardening, so it is a lot to ask of a pure gold wedding ring to last thirty or forty years.
A 14 or 18 carat gold ring will probably do it, but a 22 carat ring would not. It would just wear away because it is too pure and consequently too soft. Platinum or titanium are much harder, although most people prefer gold.
In most countries convention dictates that people wear their wedding ring on their left hand, although in a couple of countries such as Germany, Russia and Norway, people wear their wedding ring on the right hand.
Some couples would rather have a unique wedding ring and that is not so hard to achieve as it might first appear to be. The easiest way to personalize your ring is to have an inscription like names and a date engraved on it.
Another way, would be to buy a precious stone separately and have the jeweller set it into the ring for you. The best alternative though is to find a jeweller you can trust and have him or her make up a pair of matching rings to your own design. I have done that and it is not a lot more expensive than a good ring.
Wearing matching wedding rings is a remarkable experience. People see that your ring is ‘something different’ and many people ask, where you got them from. It all goes to help make that special day memorable for ever.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring
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