Five ways to customise men’s wedding rings

When it comes to choosing a men’s ring, it’s important to consider lifestyle and taste. There’s been a tangible shift in men’s wedding ring trends in the past two decades. Gone are the days of grooms simply picking out a plain polished wedding band just days before the wedding ceremony.

Wedding ring styles for men have seen the classics updated with different textures, design accents and colours. However, it hasn’t stopped there. The goal post has moved into new territory on what’s possible to seal the deal on your special day!

So here’s what you can do…

Classic wedding bands have evolved over the past years to include different shape profiles when viewed in a cross section. For the most comfortable, court and D-shaped styles are the way forward. Flat and bevelled styles are clean and modern. For comfort with an edge, knife edge and concave styles take the prize.

There are a variety of wedding band profiles available. The profile refers to the shape you would see if the band of the ring were cut at a cross-section.

Perhaps considered the most traditional profile, a court band has a soft rounded curve on the inside and outside of the ring. It’s often referred to as ‘comfort fit’–as it’s name suggests, it’s a very comfortable ring profile.

The outside of a D-shape profile is identical to a court ring. However, the inside of the band is flat and sits flush up against the finger, creating a ‘D’ shape to the band’s profile. This ring profile is often recommended to wearers who are particularly active or work using their hands.

Flat profile rings are almost the opposite to a court profile. They feature flat edges on all sides of the ring, creating a more geometric, sharp silhouette.

Bevelled ring profiles have a contemporary finish–the inside of the band is flat, but the outer edge has angled edges.

A knife edge profile features a sharp (not razor sharp, of course!) edge that runs along the band and divides the ring into two slanting parts that meet at the centre ‘knife point’.

A concave ring has the smooth interior of a flat profile, with a softly dipped curve on the ring’s exterior.

Amongst wedding ring designs, metal has perhaps the greatest impact on its appearance.

Most people opt for platinum or 18ct gold wedding band, not exclusively for their appearance, but also because your ring needs to be durable enough to withstand everyday wear. You’ll see wedding rings made from palladium or tungsten, but both are notoriously difficult to work with, so we craft rings exclusively in 18ct yellow gold, white gold, rose gold or platinum.

Can’t decide on just one metal? Now you don’t have to! Mixing metals is now very on trend with many wedding band styles available in two or more metals combined.

Now that you have found your wedding ring, why not add a texture to personalise the finish? The most popular textured finishes are matte, hammered and satin.

Matte and satin finishes are similar–smooth to the touch, but you won’t be able to see your reflection in its surface. Instead, there are delicate brush marks that remove a metal’s shine and result in a more fogged appearance.

A hammered ring will still offer a shiny and reflective surface, but the texture of the ring has dimples, as if a hammer were used to pound each dimple on the metal.

In the age of personalisation, the classic symbol of fidelity is the perfect canvas to customise. The band can have a message inscribed on the inside or outside. You or your beloved’s heartbeat (electrocardiograph) or fingerprint (no two are alike) can be engraved into each other’s bands. Go one step further and have patterns engraved on the outside of your ring, from organic to geometric.

Gone are days when only the ladies get gemstones! Men are embracing diamonds and coloured gemstones in their wedding band designs. Diamonds–the hardest gemstone on the planet–are the perfect choice for their rarity and durability. Sapphires follow closely behind on hardness and they’re available in most colours. Or you can have a gemstone set on the inside of your band like your partner’s birthstone to let them know you are always with them.

Traditionally it’s the individual who was proposed to that buys the wedding rings, but in recent times, choosing wedding rings is emerging as a joint purchase–whatever works for you and your partner.

The cost of an engagement ring is typically most impacted by the choice of diamond or gemstone, as this is where the majority of the budget goes. The majority of a wedding ring’s price is made up by the cost of the metal used. Metal is charged by weight, so the wider the band, the heavier the design, the more expensive the ring will be. For a narrower band, the price point will be lower.

Based on the cost of platinum and 18ct gold, your wedding ring is likely to be over the £500 mark. This price of a diamond wedding band or gemstone wedding ring will be higher than a plain polished metal wedding band.

So, which customisations will you choose?