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Men`s wedding bands - trends and practicality.
 
Wedding bands are very particular type of rings. They are in a category of their own, outlined by purpose and symbolism far surpassing their decorative function. For men, the wedding ring is the most frequent item of jewelry and for many - the only one. Wedding rings are worn by women and man all over the world day and night which is also making them the most popular item of jewelry.
Since they are hardly off one`s finger, the wedding rings are expected to be comfortable, long-lasting and hypoallergenic. Obviously they are likewise expected to fulfill one`s aesthetic criteria, but while the first three requirements are mandatory, this one is highly personal and allow great diversity. The comfortable wear of men`s wedding band depends on numerous factors including the anatomy of one`s finger. There are however some common aspects which I would like to note:
In order to be comfortable the wedding ring must be comfort fit. This means the internal side of the ring must be rounded off and not straight. This determines that the edges are faded and there is only small part of the interior surface of the band in contact with the finger giving it space to breathe. To have the inside wall rounded off for comfort fit, the wedding ring should be sufficiently thick and therefore heavier than the common flat wall one. This could be looked upon as entry level indication of quality. The thicker the wedding band the more ample the comfort fit and respectively the higher the price. Cheap wedding bands concentrate on the use of minimum amount of precious metal and hold no room for comfort fit. In order to make their wedding band lighter some manufacturers leave them with seriously sharp edges. Look out for these when shopping on low budget. Other matters concerning the adequate wear are associated to particular wedding rings designs. Sharp external edges, small bulging out detail and extensive carved high ornaments are some of them. The rule of thumb is that the simplified smooth designs are the most comfortable ones. I am not suggesting that everybody must wear basic half round comfort fit band, but I also can`t deny that they are the most comfortable ones.
Looking at the durability element one can`t help but notice that nearly the identical principles apply. To have wedding band that will not change its round shape even through most excessive banging we need thickness, a body of uniform metal. The regular thickness of low end 4mm.men`s wedding ring is 1.5mm.Comfort fit becomes applicable at approximately 2mm. thickness, while good quality high end wedding band should be 2.3 - 2.7 mm. The type of precious metal is also really important durability ingredient. Here is good to distinguish the hardness of the metal form its scratch resistance. Some hard metals will wear off a lot quicker than some softer ones with higher scratch resistance. 10k gold for instance is believably the hardest gold alloy but it is wearing down at very rapid rate. The educated choice of white metal is unquestionably pointing to platinum and palladium, depending of personal preferences and budget. The two metals have identical look and similar mechanical properties with vast difference in density and price.Palladium is 40% lighter than platinum and same item cost +/- 4 times less, rendering it the perfect wedding bands white media. Both metals are hypoallergenic and extremely scratch resistant.
Gold is the primary (and the only)metal for these who opt for yellow wedding band and my view is that canonical 4.5mm 18k yellow band with well outlined dome is the one that suits best most men. Low carat gold alloys however, have weak color and low precious metal content and although they are potential option I will not recommend them. White gold wedding bands have low score in every segment of assessment. Their natural color is not appealing; they need costly maintenance (rhodium) they are wearing down fast and are more expensive than identical palladium band. The alternative metals like titanium, tungsten, zirconium etc. are not subject of this study since they don`t belong to the precious metal group.
On the design side I will advise my fellow men to keep it simple, for quality and aesthetic balance speak much better than intricate detail. Apparently this is my aesthetic viewpoint and I am far from trying to prove it is a universal one. Design is a subjective choice reflecting one`s personality and taste and every design is right for the one who chooses it. In my experience as studio jeweler however I repeatedly met men regretting their choice in design because it proved to be impractical. Most of them were men with dynamic lifestyle, and/or professions requiring them to work with their hands. In many cases the irrelevant design was selected by the fiance as part of a wedding set. It is not a bad idea to forget about how presentable the two matched rings look together in the box at the ceremony and think about the long years of wearing the rings that lies ahead.
Highly impractical are men`s wedding bands with small detail, including engraving especially in gold, since the ornaments will wear off in about one year and turn into deep scratches. Shadow lines and hollowed designs will eventually accumulate dirt and induce skin discomfort. Complex mix finishes (matt and polished) which require extensive care and maintenance and very high (over 3mm) bands which might hurt the neighboring fingers. Whatever you wedding band choice, remember that the few classic men`s designs which endured the test of time have one thing in common - they were practical like most of the men themselves.
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Your host Vasco Kirov
Award winning jewelry designer
and master goldsmith
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