What to Know Before You Purchase a Wedding Band

Choosing a wedding band isn't just another thing to check off your wedding to-do list.  You are choosing a piece of jewelry that you will likely wear everyday for the rest of your life.  Therefore, it is important to take your time selecting the perfect piece that you'll love for years to come.  Here are five things to consider before you purchase a wedding band.

1. Skin Tone and Gold Color

Skin tone plays an important factor in which ring will look best on your hand. Before stepping into the store, consider whether you have cool or warm skin tones. Cool skin tones usually have pinkish or reddish undertones and warm skin tones will have yellow or golden undertones. You’ll find that cool skin tones favor white metals, such as silver, platinum and white gold; while warm skin tones go beautifully with yellow metals such as gold, copper or bronze.

In addition to skin tone, it’s also important to consider gold color. Gold comes in four main colors – white, yellow, rose and green. Take your time trying rings on your hand and see what works. You might be surprised at which colors look best on your hand!

2. Width of Band

Once you have a basic idea of color, start trying on rings! You’ll need to browse around to find the best band width for your finger. Look at the at the distance between the two knuckles on your ring finger. When you are trying on rings, take two bands from each extreme and put them on the hand. If you have long fingers, you’ll find you can wear a wider band. The same advice goes for matching a band to an engagement ring – try on different widths to see what has the best proportion on your hand.

3. Height

Your lifestyle will help you figure out how high you want the ring to sit on your hand. If you play sports or work with your hands, you might want something that is very low profile. If you want a band in this style, you could try on an antique band from the Victorian era which tend to be very low profile. Alternatively, you might be drawn to a thicker, sturdier style, especially if you want your wedding band to pair with a high profile engagement ring. Wear each option around the store for a few minutes to make sure it is comfortable, try texting or writing to make sure the band fits your lifestyle.

4. Pairing With Engagement Rings

You love your antique engagement ring, but are having a hard time finding the right band to go with it. At Market Square Jewelers, we have a wide selection of bands from many different eras.  We can find the shade of gold and style that will perfectly compliment your antique or vintage engagement ring.  If you are planning on wearing your ring and wedding band together all the time, look for a contour designed to interlock with the matching engagement ring. We can also customize the wedding band you choose, so the rings fit right against each other. Have a design in mind?  Stop into any of our store locations, or contact us to start the customization process.

5. Gold Content

Pure, raw gold that has been refined from ore is 24K, or 100%, gold. It’s also quite soft, extremely expensive, and an intense shade of yellow. Gold is alloyed to harden it, to change its color and to make it more affordable. 10K gold is the least expensive, and also the hardest, gold alloy commonly used in wedding rings, while 18K has a greater heft, and price tag, but will wear quickly to a wonderfully soft patina. 14K, the standard in America, is a balance of price, durability and value.  You should consider gold content when selecting the perfect wedding band for your aesthetic and lifestyle.

Considering these five factors can help streamline your search in what can be an overwhelming process.  The easiest way to figure out what you like is to start trying rings on!  Find a Market Square Jewelers near you or shop our wedding collection online to start the process.