Wedding Rings - Help?
Q: My fiance and I are getting married this September, and are about to
embark on the hunt for wedding rings. Neither of us like the look of
gold bands, but rather prefer silver. We've heard that platinum can be
quite expensive, so my question is this: Is it acceptable to have
wedding bands made of sterling silver, or is this a no-no? We're on a
tight budget and with sterling silver, the price is right. Can anyone
offer up any other options/suggestions on this matter?
A:Your wedding bands can be made of anything you want. Jewelers and
advertisers promote gold and platinum heavily because they are more
expensive... and depending on the composition of the gold, more durable
than silver. But if you want beaded rings or copper rings or titanium
rings, then you should have it.
Legend has it that when gold miner John Brown married Molly (as in "The
Unsinkable Molly Brown") he had no "proper" ring to give so he gave her a
cigar band. Years later after they were well-to-do folks, he had a ring
made or precious stones and gold that resembled that cigar band.
Just as with your engagement ring, your wedding rings should be of
what you want them to be and not someone else's pre-designed standard.
If sterling is what you want and what you can afford, then there's no
shame in that. If you were to decide at a later date to exchange your
silver bands for platinum or white gold, that's fine too.
I wear a sapphire set with 4 diamonds as my engagement ring. I will
probably wear a plain gold band for my wedding ring and move my
engagement ring to my right hand after we're married -- when I wear it.
It's not what everyone else I know does, but it's right for me. And
ultimately that's what's important.
How about white gold? I have found that these pieces are traditionally
about the same price as yellow gold bands, etc. and are nice if you are
looking for something to coordinate with silver jewelry. I happen to be
a jewelry nut(sterling silver) and have had all my rings for a long time
and haven't had any problems with them wearing well. Yes, I do wear my
rings everyday...just like a wedding ring. Look at a gold wedding ring
a few years after the wedding, and it's bound to have some scratches,
too. Fine jewelry will have to be taken care of no matter what it's
made of. It's up to you what you choose.
If you are considering bands in white gold or silver, here's a jewelry
catalogue that might help you. It's Walker Metalsmiths, 1-800-488-3835.
They do primarily Celtic designs, but quotes for rings in Sterling
Silver are $35-$40 and white gold is $250-$350.
I myself ran into this dilema. It all started when my grandmother gave me a
"family ring" to wear as my wedding band. The ring is platinum and diamond
so my fiance and I had no choice but to find a him a band that somewhat
matched. I wanted him to have a platinum band also but that only lasted
until I was given the price.