If you are planning to get married, the question of what your wedding rings will look like is a matter you may give a lot of thought to, alongside all the other details such as the reception, the honeymoon and the wedding attire.
However, the rings are different for one obvious reason: The day itself will come and go, the dress will be folded away in a box and the memories, while rich, will not be refreshed every day. Yet the rings you put on your fingers will be there day after day.
For this reason, the design should be a top priority, albeit within your budget. It is also something over which you have a great deal of choice.
True, you could choose off-the-shelf rings if you see something that you really like, but going for bespoke jewellery means you can truly personalise your rings to fully reflect your personalities, your relationship and what married life means to you.
A key question we can tackle is whether you want matching ‘his-and-hers’ rings, or for them to be distinctive, perhaps even wildly contrasting.
As ever, this question is likely to be asked when celebrities get married, as the finer details of their rings, like every other aspect of their nuptials, are sure to get plenty of media attention.
Why Are The Rings Worn By Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Different But Complementary?
In the case of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Wealth of Geeks recently noted that they did not opt for a matching pair of rings but, the article emphasised, jewellers commenting on this fact observed this was quite deliberate.
This does not mean they were totally different, however, as both used yellow gold, textured finishes and a lot of ornate craftsmanship.
However, there were also some notable differences:
- Taylor’s ring was narrower, curved to match the contours of her engagement ring and diamond-encrusted
- Travis had a wider gold ring
- Jewellers agreed the rings were designed to have some similarities, but also some differences.
- One expert told Elle magazine the designs were “complementary without being super matchy”.
Of course, most people won’t try to match exactly what the celebrities do, not least because the budget won’t be as big.
However, the case of Taylor and Travis does highlight the three big choices you have when choosing wedding rings:
- A pair that match identically or almost identically
- Two rings that are very different to each other
- A pair that are similar enough to be complementary, but with some distinct features.
If the celebrity wedding of the year featured the latter option, what could you do if you wanted one of the first two?
What Should Be The Priority With Two Very Different Wedding Rings?
Men’s wedding rings tend not to feature gemstones and particularly not the big stone in the centre, either alone (a solitaire) or when combined with other, smaller gems (like the big sapphire surrounded by small diamonds in a ‘Diana ring’).
For that reason, a simple approach could be for the bride to have a big ring with whatever style of gems you like, be it a solitaire, trilogy or any other combination, while the groom could have something much simpler.
Indeed, these might also differ in the types of metal used, perhaps with one being gold and the other silver. But most of all, the style can be very different indeed without this mattering much.
After all, with no stone present, when was the last time you took a close look at a man’s wedding ring?
In such circumstances, the focus will be heavily on the lady’s ring. This includes making various choices about the gemstones:
- Do you want it to have a gemstone or to be different in another way (such as thinner)?
- Do you want a single dominant stone or a combination in multiples (such as a trilogy ring)?
- Would you go for a diamond, ruby or sapphire (these being the most enduring stones, all measuring 9 or 10 on the Mohs hardness scale)?
- Do you go for a crafted pattern to hold these stones in a special cup, or with something like a petal pattern?
The above questions cover just a few of the considerations and the myriad of possibilities that present themselves when designing a bespoke ring.
What Are Good Reasons To Have Matching Wedding Rings?
Of course, there may be some circumstances in which you would prefer matching rings. These include:
- A commitment not to spend more on one ring than another
- Similarity symbolises equality
- It may be preferable for a same-sex couple
If you do want matching rings, one way to go about it would be to go for a minimalist look, perhaps with no stones, but simple, matching gold bands.
However, a far more compelling approach might be to have matching rings engraved with a message that can resonate with both of you. There are many of these, with some very common themes:
- The words of a poem or phrase that both of you like
- Song lyrics with a special meaning for you
- Nicknames you may have for each other
- A religious text (or paraphrase of it)
- The date of your wedding
- The date you first met
- An inside joke
By doing this, you will add a very bespoke feature to your rings which can then match very closely, or be extremely similar except for some small detail (such as if you have each other’s engraved nicknames).
However, it is worth noting that while similar rings can be matched up very well using engravings, there is also the possibility that the same engravings could be used on very different rings.
To do this, you wouldn’t be able to have rings that are too thin or so ornate that there is no room for an engraving, but otherwise there will still be an abundance of possibilities.
How Can We Help You Find Your Dream Ring Combination?
The question of whether your rings should match closely, be somewhat different but sufficiently similar to be complementary, or completely different is one for which there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer.
Whether you have some very clear ideas about what you want to do or want to ask a lot of questions, we can help you to explore the different possibilities and make a decision.
It has been our pleasure to work with many couples over the years on all manner of bespoke ring designs. We can help you find a pair that you can enjoy wearing for many years after your big day.