10 Things You'll Want to Consider When Buying Your Wedding Ring

There is a certain criteria that applies to all fine jewelry, but there are even more tips you need to follow when selecting the wedding rings you plan to wear for the rest of your lives. Here are ten easy rules to follow when looking for, financing, and taking care of wedding rings.

1. Narrow Your Choices

Before setting out, make some preliminary decisions. After all, this is the most significant piece of jewelry that the both of you will own. Decide if you prefer yellow or white metal? Perhaps he would like a white metal, but all your jewelry is yellow gold. Consider a compromise. You can find beautiful wedding bands that contain both white and yellow metals. How elaborate do you want your bands? They can be simple in design or have colorful gemstones or diamonds.

2. Set Your Price Limit

Set your budget before you begin. When shopping, you will find that on average a set of simple gold bands will run between $125 and $200 a piece, while platinum will run from $400 to $600 each. The average of diamond wedding bands is $742.00, as related by the Diamond Information Center. If you choose to have your band engraved it will cost between $1 and $8 per character depending on font style and if it was engraved by hand or machine.

3. Allow Plenty of Time

Start shopping early so that you will have plenty of time to find the perfect ring before the wedding. You should give yourself at least two months. Take more time if you want a special custom item. You could wait up to 30 days for the engraving alone.

4. Think Practical

You should always keep your lifestyle in mind because there's no point to buying something, no matter how pretty it might be, if you won't be able to wear it. You need to remember that this band will be worn everyday. It is important to choose a ring that will fit in well with your lifestyle. People who enjoy sports or music, or make their livings that way, should choose rings that are slimmer and rounded on the edges. An engagement ring that cannot trap dirt is a better choice for someone who works with their hands. Invest in platinum if you are allergic to metal alloys. It is hypoallergenic for many people because of its purity.

5. Consider the Future

You can try something different but you should think about whether or not you will feel comfortable wearing in 20 years time.

6. Size Wisely

You should choose your wedding band sizes carefully since fingers can swell with heat, cold, weight gain, and hormonal changes.

7. Quality is Important

It is very important to check for quality. This applies to all jewelry purchases. The manufacturer's trademark and a quality mark needs to be inscribed inside the band of the ring. If your ring has more than one metal, there should be a quality mark for each.

8. Cleaning Your Ring

Cleaning a wedding ring is easy to do. For simple bands without stones, simply rub a ring with a soft, lint-free cloth or use a chamois. Dip the band in alcohol to remove grease. You can remove tarnish by soaking it in a solution of soap, water, and a few drops of ammonia, followed by a rinse of clean water rinse and drying with a soft cloth. If your ring has stones, you can clean it with a soft toothbrush or an eyebrow brush with some warm sudsy water. Soak it, brush, rinse, and then pat dry with a soft lint-free cloth.

9. Protect Your Investment

Protect your investment because all metals are vulnerable. Although you cannot avoid the occasional ding or scratch from ordinary daily life, you can avoid wearing your ring during extremely rough physical activities or when working with concentrated chlorine. Nicks or scratches will be most obvious on matte finishes, and will most easily occur on platinum, since it has a softer surface than gold. A jeweler can change the finish on your ring to restore its beauty.

10. Wear It

Keep your wedding ring on your hand. It is so easy to lose your ring. Pick one that you don't usually take off but if it is absolutely necessary to take the ring off, then you should put it in a safe place away from any sinks. Your ring is likely to get knocked down the drain either by you, a child or your playful pet. The worst possible time to take your ring off is when you're away from home. When traveling, rings are easily lost or misplaced. According to the insurance industry, you have the greatest chance of losing or damaging your wedding rings and stones during your first year of marriage.