Wedding Band Questions

ebigelow

Hi girls!  We went to Barmakian's last night to look at rings and we both found ones we loved but didn't purchase anything yet - we may go back tomorrow to do so but I think we're going to head to another jeweler tonight to get a comparison on pricing.  I just had two questions though...

do you think that the wedding band metal should match your engagment ring metal?  my e-ring is platinum and they were actually recommending i get white gold because it's a lot less expensive, but i always assumed they should match.  the platinum one was almost 3x as much as the white gold though, so if it really doesn't matter, it would be good to save the money!

also, my fiance found a pretty simple white gold band that we both loved - it was a matte finish and was pretty plain with just a small line near the top and the bottom - which is why we were shocked to find out it was almost $1000!  i know gold is high right now, but i guess we were both thinking it would be closer to $300-400 for his ring...is 1k really how much they are right now or is that high??

thanks!

jwatts23

I would wait until this weekend because I believe Barmakian is having their huge wedding band sale!  H got my ring from there and my band would have been sooo expensive but we got it for so cheap because of the discount (and it was custom made). 

Also, my H got a gold wedding band with diamods in the middle on the top half of the band and it ended up being on sale for $400.  So I would suggest waiting because I bet your FI can get a steal there. 

StaceyC828

My fiance got a white gold wedding band for $900....His looks fairly simple as well; it's sandblasted with a simple line on the top and bottom.  However, the edges are hand-carved, teeny tiny little cuts, and the time that takes is why his was close to $1000.  Mine was $500 and matches my e-ring; white gold with channel set diamonds.

Galaxy8227

FI got his white gold band with a satin finish at Keegan's in Norwood for a little over $600, so there are deals out there.  I would check out a few different places to do comparisons. 

CCBelle

My e-ring is platinum and my wedding band (which was my mother's) is white gold, and they match perfectly.

J. got his band at Lux Bond for about $500 (white gold, pretty simple).  But I remember the price varying greatly depending on the designer.  A similar ring that was by a "brand name" was closer to $1,000.  It's hard to know, though, as I had never heard of any of the ring designers!  A good jeweler can guide you to make an educated decision.

Krolik1519

I used to work for Zales. White Gold and Platinum will be the same color always! Why? Because they are both usually plated in Rhodium and can be plated in Rhodium over and over again later. (And Rhodium plating is usually only about $30)

The difference between White Gold and Platinum is how they wear out and scratch.

White Gold is only white because of the alloy they mix with the gold to make it yellow. Back in the day they used alloys that made the gold never lose its white color (My Grandmother has had hers for almost 60 years and it never once looked yellow). Now a days after about a year or two White Gold rings will start to look a little yellow. Usually on the part of the ring that is inside your palm on the bottom of the ring. This is due to the oils in your skin so for some people it becomes yellow sooner than others. The ring can be brought to any jeweler to have it polished and rhodium dipped and it will be just like new again.

Platinum is a white metal that is more expensive than gold. Over time Platinum will scratch and get dull. But again with a rhodium plating it will look new again.

So White Gold and Platinum will look the same but start to look different as they wear out so you can get then rhodium plated again and again and they will be just like new.

 

Fun Fact: Rhodium costs the Jeweler $8,000 an ounce! But that one ounce can plate about 500 rings.

 

longsjewelers

This is a great question. Certainly, saving money is ideal… weddings are so expensive and every little thing adds up so quickly. I would recommend, however, that you choose a metal that matches your engagement ring for the following reasons:

 

1) If your rings are different metals, they will wear at different rates. Choosing a platinum band to match your engagement ring will result in losing less metal over time.

2) Due to average wear and tear, the white gold band will need rhodium plating from time to time whereas the platinum will not.

3) Platinum is the most precious of metals, is the purest of metals and hypo-allergenic.

 

Platinum is more expensive than gold because it is pure, rare and eternal.

 

I hope this helps. If you are still looking around for wedding rings, I highly recommend stopping by Long's Jewelers Wedding Band Weekend which is happening March 26 through March 28 at our Burlington location across from the mall. We will have the widest selection of the year - wall to wall wedding bands - and unbeatable pricing. We will also have great prizes to raffle off like a shopping spree to Jordan's Furniture and a private dinner for 10 at The Capital Grille. Definitely worth a trip! Good luck in your search for wedding rings!

BostonGirl82

krolik- Thanks for the info! I always wondered about the difference.