Engagement ring and the wedding ring are the two main rings, which concern the typical modern woman. Each carries heavy meaning and is indispensible in its own way. This is why so much thought and expense often goes into getting something that matches people’s varying styles and tastes; they would rather get something they love, considering these are for a lifetime.
Engagement Rings
Since the times of Ancient Egyptians, engagement rings have held a high status in people’s lives. They basically symbolize commitment and love between two people, and at first were made out of plants which grew along the Nile River. When the Romans were flourishing as a civilization, someone decided that the fourth finger on the left hand was the best place to put an engagement ring. This spawned a long-lasting tradition that has stayed in vogue until this day.
Later came the practice of mounting gems on precious metal engagement bands, which was kicked off by Archduke Maximillian in 1477, when he gifted an engagement ring studded with a diamond to Mary of Burgundy. Soon all of Europe had picked that up and made it fashionable, and people started seeing such ostentatious rings as a symbol of the proposer’s financial status.
Wedding Rings
Wedding rings have almost always been different in that last respect. Exchanged during weddings ceremonies, they normally lack the same level of intricacy or loudness as diamond engagement rings. These rings signify the precious bond born from marriage. A wedding ring generally sits closer to the hand than the engagement ring, and need not contain a large gemstone, or even be made out of a notably precious metal.
Brides who want something beautiful, and not too plain, are usually seen preferring pave or channel set designs, but that varies with each woman. For instance, many just go in and buy matching bridal sets comprising both the engagement ring and wedding ring, as well as other jewelry items.
Wedding Band vs. Wedding Ring
These terms are mostly interchangeable, but there was a time when they were not. Back in the day, women used to be presented with family rings that signified a man’s proposal and intention of marriage. Wedding bands were what these men received during the ceremony. Male wedding bands, almost as a rule, had plain metal and nothing else.
These days, you have women wearing wedding bands instead of family rings, and most of them make a point of customizing to dizzying extents. You have varying levels and kinds of intricacy and grandness too when it comes to wedding band designs nowadays, and that has inundated the market with enough options to choose the first-time ring shopper.
Wedding and Engagement Ring Combinations
Pairing the two rings can be quite some work if you bought each separately. To get a good match, you need to have complementing, or beautifully contrasting, style, fit, and metal color to work with. That way, the two rings would function visually as a cohesive unit, and not hint at a mismatch or lack of planning. Jewelers are usually eager to help you out in this department; most times, they have incredibly beautiful bridal sets to offer, which spare you the stress of seeking a ring to match the one you already have.
No matter what options you see, it is always best to gravitate towards reputable vendors, including several ones that do their business online. Customers dealing with such jewelers usually have a better experience to look back on, and a substantially superior ring to show for it.
Rings for Men
Also called men’s wedding band, a men’s ring of this kind can be anything from a simple, understated band of wood, to a precious metal ring mounted by multiple precious gems. Here too, personal preference carries the day. To most men, comfort is much more important than looks, no matter what the fiancée says. Even so, a certain form of unassuming elegance can be achieved in men’s wedding bands, especially when the metal choice is kept unconventional.
For the most part, men who buy cheap diamond engagement rings, or have one bought for them, are focused on how wearing the thing would affect their lifestyle; this consideration generally applies to the wedding band as well. Any woman that is ring shopping for a man would need to be clear on where he would draw the proverbial line in this regard.
Engagement rings and wedding rings are symbols of all the feelings and abstracts that matter to a couple, and a way of showing that they are aware and proud of their good fortune. Not always though; some people simply like to show off, and come to think of it, there is nothing wrong with that either. No matter why you get yourself a beautiful ring though, you need to be sure it is a good business decision, because that is often what it boils down to in the end.