Aug 11 2008
Wedding Bands - Men’s Wedding Bands
In generations past a plain gold wedding band was the most common choice for men. The ring was usually yellow gold and wider than a woman’s ring. Today, the options for men’s wedding bands are as diverse as men’s clothing styles. Platinum, titanium and tungsten have entered the scene. Classic is still there, but now supplemented by a wide range of contemporary styles. It’s all about choice.
Picture the traditional 6-8mm men’s band. It may be yellow gold, or even white gold. For ornamentation it will probably have at most a milgrain scroll along the rims. Stylish, classic and fine looking. A perfect choice for many.
But there are newer designs that will appeal to others.
Take the opposite extreme, for example: a contemporary tungsten band with inlaid gems. These ultra-hard, lightweight bands are perfect for those looking for an attractive lower-cost ring that stands up well to abuse. They’re highly scratch resistant and can polish to a high sheen that resembles silver.
Their desirable qualities go well beyond their purely practical character, though. Contemporary designs may include asymmetrical grooves, some with inlaid sapphires. Small round-cut diamonds dot the rim of another. Small rubies are a favorite among many men, their color highlighting a great design.
Titanium is another new favorite among men. It comes in two basic types: light and black.
The lighter style is a grayish metal that polishes to a subtle shade, perfect for a low key style. It can be inlaid with a stripe of yellow gold or crowned with a fine diamond that matches the woman’s ring.
Genuine black titanium is produced by a special manufacturing process that creates a wedding band that is a uniform color throughout. Scratches won’t show and there is never a need to replate the exterior, as with some lesser quality rings.
Both colors are ultra-lightweight, extremely durable and make for a stylish choice in a wedding ring.
But different choices of metal represents only the beginning of the options available in modern men’s wedding bands.
Many men today prefer a smaller width band than those of generations past. The lighter weight and thinner style appeals to those who seek a minimalist ring that is highly attractive. This choice also opens up greater possibilities for matching ring sets.
One option, for example, is a 2mm platinum band that sports a small oval diamond of exceptional color and clarity. Many more men will wear a ring of this type, when in the past they might have foregone wearing a ring regularly at all. The comfort fit and silvery sheen fits in well with an overall style of class and dynamism.
All the same criteria of quality in a stone - great cut, flawless clarity, fine color - still apply. All the long-standing attributes of an outstanding band continue to inform modern designs. Scratch resistance, durability to avoid going out of round and other qualities remain important. But added to these is a whole new world of style options for men’s wedding bands.
It’s all about choice.
Good news for brides inspired by Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, classic is back. Fabrics, silhouettes and accessories borrowed from the 1940s through 1960s offer brides the opportunity to start with the basics and enhance them with luxurious finishing touches.
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