Unique Rings for Your Wedding

Choosing your wedding ring

Wedding rings tend to be plain metal bands, but designs vary enormously. A traditional ‘court’ ring will have rounded edges while a ‘flat’ ring may look more contemporary. If you are matching a wedding ring to an engagement ring, take care to get the same colour of metal (platinum can be put next to white gold) and a similar band in width and style.
There are also many modern diamond wedding rings on the market that are worth considering. In an ideal world, try to budget about £250 for the woman’s platinum ring and about £700 for the man’s platinum ring (as they tend to be a lot heavier and wider); they don’t necessarily have to match.
White gold – an alloy of gold that has been mixed with at least one other white metal, such as nickel or palladium. This is a budget option which may need some care in the long run as the silver colour can fade.
9 carat gold – a common grade of gold in the UK. The three-digit hallmark will indicate the purity of the gold per thousand – nine carat is 375, i.e. 37.5% pure. It will have been alloyed with other metals to make it harder, more durable and less expensive. One of the cheapest options on the market.
14 carat and 18 carat gold – as stated above, the hallmark will indicate its purity. 14 carat is 58.5% pure, while 18 carat is 75% pure gold. Shop around and you can get some mid-range good value wedding bands.
24 carat gold – pure gold. If you can, it’s worth stretching your budget to pure gold. It will be hallmarked 999. Traditional and old-fashioned pure gold is quite soft and can bend out of shape and wear down over the years.
Platinum – most UK platinum rings, such as blackcarat’s, are 95% pure (hallmarked 950). It has a naturally white lustre, it does not fade or tarnish and keeps its pure white colour for a lifetime. The density of platinum makes it more durable than other jewellery metals. It does not change shape or wear away, so precious stones are held firmly and securely. The more rare something is, the more valuable it becomes. Platinum is 30 times more rare than gold so it is worth a special investment. You can find platinum rings at half the high street price in online stores such as blackcarat’s – it is more affordable than many think.
Others – palladium (modern alternative to platinum, looks similar but is cheaper), titanium (durable, affordable, with a dull lustre), zirconium (darker and softer than titanium with a dark silvery colour) and stainless steel (a cheap and long-lasting option) are also being more commonly used as modern wedding rings.
Look at  to see the large platinum range of wedding band shapes, styles and widths available.

Brief History of Wedding ring

Puzzle rings, called a Gimmel, were popular engagement/wedding rings in the 15th century. The Gimmel ring consisted of two or more interlocking rings, joined by a pivot, so they could slide together to form one ring (symbolizing the union of two lives). The most popular Gimmel ring depicted two hands and a heart, which symbolized faith, trust or plighted troth. When all three rings were joined, the hands clasped over the heart. This variation of the Gimmel ring was called a Fede (Italian for faith) ring. One part of the ring was given to the bride as her engagement ring, the groom-to-be and the witness of the engagement ceremony kept the second and third parts of the ring. At the marriage ceremony, all three parts would be reunited on the bride's finger.

The Claddagh ring, a version of a Fede ring, became popular in 17th century Ireland and remains popular to this day. It depicts two hands holding a crowned heart, symbolizing "Let love and friendship reign". The Claddagh ring is considered the traditional Irish wedding band.

During the Renaissance and throughout the 18th century, sterling silver poesy rings were popular wedding bands. Poesy rings were engraved with mottoes or verses, mostly with a religious or romantic overtone.

At the same time poesy rings were popular, the Puritans were renouncing wedding bands, because they considered jewelry frivolous. Colonial Americans often exchanged thimbles during the wedding ceremony, Thimbles were acceptable to the Puritans because they were viewed as a practical item. After the wedding, the women would slice off the bottom of the thimble and created a wedding band.
During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, wedding bands were engraved with intertwined hearts, flowers, intricate leaves and delicate filigree. In the 1920's and 1930's, the art deco movement introduced styles focusing on bold colors and geometric shapes and became a popular wedding ring style.
Today, wedding rings can be made of gold, silver, platinum or a combination of two or more metals.