Men`s Wedding Rings - Trends and Practicality.
Posted: Tuesday, March 02, 2010
by Vasco Kirov
Kirov Jewelry Studio
Wedding bands are very specific type rings. They are in a category of their own, defined by function and symbolism far exceeding their ornamental purpose. For men, the wedding band is the most frequent item of jewelry and for many - the only one. Wedding rings are worn by women and man all over the globe day and night which is also nominating them for the most popular piece of jewelry. Because they are hardly off one`s finger, the wedding rings are expected to be comfortable, long-lasting and hypoallergenic. Obviously they are likewise expected to meet one`s aesthetic criteria, but while the first three requirements are compulsory, this one is highly personal and tolerate great diversity.
In order to be comfortable the wedding band must be comfort fit. This means the inner side of the band must be rounded off and not straight. This ensures that the edges are faded and there is only narrow part of the interior surface of the band in contact with the finger, giving it space to breathe. To have the inner wall rounded for comfort fit, the wedding ring should be sufficiently thick and consequently heavier than the average flat wall one. This could be used as entry level indicator for quality. The thicker the wedding band the more ample the comfort fit and respectively the higher the price. Cheap wedding rings manufacturers concentrate on the use of minimum quantity of precious metal and have no room for comfort fit. In order to make their wedding ring lighter some manufacturers leave them with seriously sharp edges or even worst – hollow them out. Watch out for these when shopping on low budget. Other issues concerning the adequate wear are related to specific wedding rings designs. Sharp outer edges, small bulging out detail and deep carved high ornamentations are some of them. The rule of thumb is that the simple smooth designs are the most comfortable ones. I am not suggesting that everybody must wear classic half round comfort fit wedding ring, but I likewise can`t deny that they are the most comfortable ones.
Looking at the durability element one can`t help but detect that almost the identical principles apply. To have wedding ring that will not change its roundness even through most extreme battering we need thickness, a body of solid metal. The regular thickness of low end 4mm.men`s wedding ring is 1.5mm. Comfort fit becomes possible at approximately 2mm. thickness, while good quality high end wedding band should be 2.3 - 2.7 mm. The type of metal is also really important durability factor. Here is good to distinguish the hardness of the metal form its abrasion resistance. Some hard metals will wear away much faster than some softer ones with higher scratch resistance. 10k gold for example is believably the hardest gold alloy but it is wearing off at very high-speed rate.
The informed choice of white metal is definitely pointing to platinum and palladium, depending of personal preferences and budget. The two metals have identical look and similar mechanical properties with huge difference in specific density and price. Palladium is 40% lighter than platinum and identical item cost +/- 4 times less making it the perfect wedding rings white media. Both metals are hypoallergenic and extremely scratch resistant. The gold is the first (and the only)metal for these who opt for yellow wedding ring and my opinion is that canonical 4.5mm 18k yellow band with well defined dome is the one that suits best most men. Low carat gold alloys though, possess weak color and low precious metal content and while they are potential alternative I will not recommend them. White gold wedding rings have low mark in every segment of assessment. Their natural color is not appealing; they demand expensive maintenance (rhodium) they are wearing down fast and are more expensive than identical palladium band. The alternative metals like titanium, tungsten, zirconium etc. are not subject of this study since they don`t belong to the precious metal group.
On the design side I will advise my fellow men to keep it simple, for quality and aesthetically induced minimalism speak much better than complicated detail. Apparently this is my viewpoint and I am far from attempting to prove it is the right one. Design is a individual choice reflecting one`s personality and taste and every design is right for the one who chooses it. In my experience as studio jeweler nevertheless I repeatedly met men regretting their choice in design since it turned out to be impractical. Most of them were men with active lifestyle, and/or professions expecting them to work with their hands. In many cases the unsuitable design was chosen by the fiance as part of wedding set. It is not a bad idea to forget about how nice the two matched bands look together in the box at the ceremony and look at the long years of wearing the rings that lies onward. Impractical for most men are wedding rings with minute detail, including engraving particularly in gold, since the ornaments will wear away in about one year and start resembling deep scratches. Shadow lines and hollowed out designs which will eventually gather grease and cause skin irritation. Complicated mix finishes (matte and polished in sequence) which will look good only for few days and very high (over 3mm) bands which will hurt the neighboring fingers. Whatever you wedding ring choice, remember that the few canonical men`s designs which lived on the test of time possess one thing in common - they were practical like most of the men themselves.
Vasco Kirov is an experienced designer and master goldsmith with vast knowledge in every aspect concerning fine jewelry. He has been awarded many prestigious design awards for excellence in diamond jewelry design. Vasco recently launched the first palladium only jewelry website where you will find additional information about men`s wedding rings and plenty of industry insider's tips on “how to" in today’s jewelry market. For quality selection of remarkably well priced palladium rings visit http://www.palladiumdiamondring.com
This Article has been viewed 194 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.