Ring Tones
My precioussss...
As we’re rapidly running out of time before the Big Day, Mrs. P-to-be and I thought we’d better do something about getting hold of The One Ring – or one each, in fact. Which is more traditional, assuming you’re not a Lord of Mordor.
Now, while picking a ring is usually easier for men, you should still pay a healthy amount of attention to this process. And not least because, for most guys, this is the only ring you’re ever likely to own, and a piece of jewellery you’ll hopefully be wearing for the rest of your life. At least until that pesky Elven army turns up banging on the gates.
Now, the wedding tradition is that couples have matching bands, with hers maybe a bit smaller and dainty. Mrs. P-to-be’s engagement ring is 18ct white gold, and I knew she wanted a wedding ring to match, so I assumed the rest would be easy, right? Wrong.
This is where the decision becomes a lot easier for guys. Most of us go for a plain straight band, as we are highly unlikely to wear it with another ring. But girls quite often want one that doesn’t only match, but can be worn alongside the engagement ring. This is a lot harder than it sounds, particularly if the engagement ring concerned is an antique with a prominent raised setting (the bit where the jewels go).
So it was decision time for Mrs. P-to-be – did she get a straight ring that just matched, or a bespoke one that was designed (with a notch or a kink in it) to fit the engagement ring? One advantage of the notch design is you can wear it without the engagement ring – you just turn it round so the notch is on the inside of your hand. Clever, little hobbits.
We had a look around the high street jewellers, but this is something I wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for something bespoke. They are unlikely to have anything that fits your ring exactly, and charge and arm and a leg for any kind of personalised services. Also, the goblins who generally work in these shops are far from being experts on this kind of thing – which meant we ended up leaving several stores more bewildered than we were when we went in.
So we got in touch with one of those online retailers, Smooch. While they have pretty extensive websites, they’ll also send a representative to your house, flat, or dark fortress. Now, this is all far more relaxed than popping down the high street, as they bring literally hundreds of different rings, in all shapes and sizes, and you’re fairly free to try on as many as you like before making your decision – which is ideal if you’re not sure what you want.
Kevin from Smooch was very pleasant and friendly (and not in a false tricksy salesman way), and really seemed to know his stuff, particularly when it came to getting a bespoke shaped ring. He didn’t put us under any real pressure to buy, and was very honest about delivery times. But we ended up buying there and then, mainly as they needed to take Mrs. P-to-be’s engagement ring away to measure it, and she didn’t want to risk putting it in the post. Kevin probably took it home and promptly posted it to his head office, but I’m fairly confident we’ll get The Precious back.
Anyway, she’s getting a bespoke 18ct white gold band (with notch), while I went for a classic gents plain band in palladium – and paid a very reasonable £1K for both. Palladium looks like white gold, but is far more durable – a bit like platinum, but a lot cheaper. This is handy as I’m a clumsy idiot who frequently skins my knuckles by doing stupid things like walking into walls, so my ring should stay shiny longer. At least until some little guy with hairy feet nicks it and throws it into a bloody volcano…
Related Posts:
I’m going for Palladium too – it’s actually less dense than Platinum, so will not feel as weighty or restrictive, which I see as a definite bonus as I currently do not wear any jewellery and the sensation will be very new to me.
It also comes in 2 flavours – 500 or 900 (think 9ct vs 18 ct gold) which gives you an affordable option too.
When I got Sharon’s engagement ring made, I designed it in appreciation of a wedding band, as I knew she hated notches. Saying that, I am still getting her wedding band made bespoke from the same place so that it fits perfectly and the metal tones match nicely.
It’s totally money worth spending to get the right look and fit – much like a bespoke suit I suppose!
Leave your response!