A Guide to Choosing a Wedding Ring

What wedding ring metal should you choose?

One of the key decisions you’ll have to make when choosing your wedding rings, and where the majority of couples start, is selecting the precious metal that your rings will be made from. 

There are a few options to choose from, with each one having its own look, characteristics, and unique properties. So how do you begin making a decision? Well, let’s first look at the most common options…

• Yellow Gold Wedding Rings - The classic choice. Yellow gold offers warmth and elegance, complements all skin tones and pairs beautifully with vintage-inspired wedding ring designs. 
• White Gold Wedding Rings - Created by alloying gold with white metals like palladium or nickel, white gold offers a contemporary, sleek appearance. It’s often plated with another metal to enhance the shine and durability, and is an excellent choice for those who prefer silver-toned metals but want the prestige of a gold ring.
• Rose Gold Wedding Rings - This romantic metal gets its distinctive pink hue from copper alloys. Rose gold has experienced a surge in popularity for its unique, warm tone that flatters most skin types. It's particularly striking when paired with diamonds or other gemstones.
• Platinum Wedding Rings - The premium choice for wedding rings and as a result - the most expensive option. Platinum is naturally white, hypoallergenic, and incredibly durable. Though expensive, platinum develops a beautiful patina over time and is ideal for those with active lifestyles or metal sensitivities.

There are some other common options such as sterling silver, titanium, tungsten, and even carbon fibre, each with their own benefits but these are far less common choices.

When choosing the metal for your wedding ring, keep in mind the metal of your engagement ring and whether or not you’d like your wedding ring to match. You should also take your lifestyle into consideration, as a more durable metal is a better choice for someone with an active lifestyle. 

Additionally, you and your partner don’t have to have matching metals. You may be drawn to the shine of a white gold or platinum, whereas your partner may love the classic look of a yellow gold wedding ring. So long as the rings reflect your connection with one another, the metals used shouldn’t matter.

Which wedding ring finish should you choose? 

Just like there’s different metals to choose from, there’s also a range of different finishes too, which will massively affect the appearance of your ring, regardless of what metal you’ve chosen.

Some common ring finishes are…

Polished Finish - By far the most common finish, a wedding ring with a polished finish will be noticeably smooth, shiny and reflective. But scratches may be quite obvious on a polished ring. 

Satin Finish - A satin finish is similar to a polished finish - smooth to the touch - but it won't have quite as high of a shine, making it a good option for those who want their engagement ring to take centre stage.

Brushed Finish - With a noticeable texture of small brush marks, a brushed finish is a less reflective option but one that helps disguise everyday wear and scratches, making it ideal for those with active lifestyles.

Sandblasted Finish - Popular in men's wedding rings for its highly textured finish, a sandblasted wedding ring has a coarse finish that can be easily felt when a finger is run over it.

Hammered Finish - An increasingly popular finish in men's wedding rings, a hammered-finished ring is a much more modern option that features small indentations and is made to look worn and distressed with minimal shine.

The finish you choose is going to display the unique properties of the metal in different ways and will be better suited to different details, ring shapes, widths and more. In addition, the jeweller you choose will likely specialise in a style of ring.

What wedding ring shapes and wedding ring styles are available?

From oval engagement rings to teal sapphire engagement rings, toi et moi engagement rings and more, there are lots of different options to choose from when it comes to engagement rings. But don’t assume wedding rings are limited by comparison, there’s far more to choose from than many couples may expect. 

From ring profile, ring style, and more - beyond metal and finish, there’s still loads to get your heads into. And couples can decide based on their unique preferences - and understanding the differences can make finding “the one” much easier.

What Wedding Ring Profiles are there? What are ring profiles?

The ring’s profile refers to the shape of the band when viewed in a cross-section, which affects not only how the ring looks but also how comfortable it feels on the fingers for everyday wear.

Here are the most common wedding ring profiles you’ll find

• D-Shaped Profile – The D Shaped Profile is named for its resemblance to the capital letter “D,” this profile has a curved outer surface and a flat inner surface. It’s a classic choice that offers a traditional look with a comfortable fit.
• Flat Profile – Flat on both the outside and inside, a flat profile has clean, modern lines. Flat profiles pair beautifully with many diamond engagement rings, especially those with angular or contemporary settings.
• Court-Shaped Profile – Curved on both the inside and outside, a court shaped profile profile is often considered the most comfortable to wear. It’s the traditional wedding ring shape and remains the most popular choice—particularly among men.
• Flat Court Profile – Think of the Flat Court Profile as the reverse of a D Shape: it has a flat outer surface with a curved inner surface for added comfort. This style offers the sleek appearance of a flat band while maintaining a comfortable fit, making it ideal for pairing with flat-edged engagement rings.

A ring’s profile is a small consideration, but will affect how comfortable the ring feels, and also the finish and details that are available.

What Wedding Ring Shape should you choose?

Whilst the classic plain band is by far the most common shape of wedding ring, that’s not to say it’s the only one.

The shape of your wedding ring can be tailored to complement your engagement ring, add a touch of individuality, or create a look unique to you. From wedding bands designed to frame your engagement ring to eye-catching, unconventional shapes, here are some of the most common and creative options to consider.

• Plain Wedding Bands - Your classic wedding ring shape. Simple, timeless, and unlikely to outshine your engagement ring, a plain band is by far the most common choice.
• Contoured Wedding Bands - Designed with a gentle curve or dips so that they sit flush against an engagement ring with a protruding setting, contoured wedding rings have become much more popular in recent years.
• Twist Wedding Bands - Similar to a plain band but with a distinct twist in the design, a twist wedding ring adds a sense of movement and individuality. 
• Tiara Wedding Bands - Sometimes called a chevron wedding ring or a Wishbone wedding ring, a tiara wedding ring has a distinct v shape on one side, which can frame the stone of an engagement ring beautifully or create a subtle focal point when worn alone.

Plain bands remain the most common option, as it’s very uncommon for men to choose a different shape and many couples want their wedding rings to be a similar set. But, if you are open to exploring some alternative shapes, options such as our Shaped MCO Signature Diamond Wedding Ring or our Sealed With A Kiss Wedding Ring offer a unique twist.

Deciding on wedding ring width

Your wedding ring’s width refers to the amount of space it covers on your finger. Deciding on wedding ring width is a completely personal choice and is going to depend on how you want to present your wedding ring, the size of your engagement ring, and the size of your finger. 

The vast majority of wedding rings are between 2mm and 10mm in width, with men typically favouring the wider bands and women favouring the slimmer ones. For women, not only does a slimmer band elongate the fingers and make them appear slender, but most engagement rings have a width between 2 and 3 millimeters - making slimmer wedding bands a more natural compliment to their engagement ring. 

It’s also important to consider the combined width if you plan to wear multiple rings together. For example, pairing a 3mm engagement ring with a 3mm wedding band - and possibly an eternity ring later - can create a substantial stack that takes up considerable space on the finger. 

For men, a width of 4mm to 6mm is a much more common choice, but some men prefer the look of a much wider ring - even in excess of 1 centimetre. But if you do opt for a wider band it’s important to keep your ring size in mind, as a wider ring means more skin is moved, which can lead to wider bands feeling tighter than slimmer ones. 

Wedding ring settings? Diamond wedding rings.

Wedding rings featuring diamonds and other gemstones are becoming an increasingly popular choice for both women and men. The settings for wedding rings differ from the settings for engagement rings as wedding rings will usually have a series of smaller stones placed in the band rather than one large one.

Some common settings are…

• Channel Settings, where the gems are set into a groove that runs around the band.
• Pavé Setting, where small diamonds are set closely together across the surface of the ring and are held in place by tiny metal prongs. 
• Bezel Setting, where each stone is surrounded completely by a thin metal rim. 

But there are plenty of other options to choose from too.

When considering a setting - it’s key to think about the ring’s finish too. For example, rougher finishes such as a hammered finish may be difficult to achieve with certain settings, but will certainly give your ring a unique appearance. 

Diamond engagement rings give shoppers who desire a higher shine ring more options. For example our Honey Comb Dia Wedding Ring features a series of brilliant diamonds in a honeycomb-inspired bezel setting, whereas our Goddess Wedding Ring features a row of claw set round brilliant diamonds in a scallop-edged setting. These two distinct options showcase how you can implement diamonds into wedding rings of different widths and metals to create entirely different looks.  

How to create a cohesive ring set 

This will be a larger consideration for brides to be than the lucky groom, but many soon-to-be newlywed brides want a wedding band that complements their engagement ring,  not compete with it. Creating a cohesive ring set isn't just about matching metals - in fact that isn’t even required - it's about ensuring both rings work together harmoniously and there are some key considerations to make sure this is the case. 

Ring proportions 

We’ve touched on it lightly already, but there’s more to ring proportions than just ring width. Consider the overall “visual weight” of your wedding ring and engagement ring together. Let’s say you have an intricate engagement ring with emeralds. In that case, a wedding ring with a simpler design tends to work best as a complement. 

Metal harmony

By all means, matching metals create a seamless, classic look. But many brides are going down the mixed metals route too, which - if done thoughtfully - can also make your ring set look cohesive, whilst adding a modern twist. Some popular combinations include

• Rose gold engagement rings with yellow gold wedding bands - This combination creates warm, complementary tones and highlights coloured stones beautifully. 
• White gold or platinum engagement rings with rose gold wedding bands - This Combination offers a contemporary contrast that can further highlight your engagement ring. 
• Yellow gold engagement rings with white gold wedding bands - This combination provides subtle definition between the rings.

The key is to ensure the rings match your skin tone and personal style - no matter what combination you choose. 

The test: Seeing them together 

The only way you’ll truly know if you have a cohesive ring set is to try your engagement ring and wedding ring on at the same time. Even some combinations that “shouldn’t work” might be perfect for your sense of style, and provided you love your rings together, that should be all that matters.