Men's Bands - Material and Resizing

[crr243]

Hi all!

My fiance and I are on the hunt for wedding bands for our wedding in July. Her band is already determined; we're working with BGD to customize a 5-stone to match her 3-stone Crossed Trellis.

I've shopped quite a bit locally to determine what style(s) I prefer, and I definitely like:

[*]white - As much as I like the benefits of something like Tungsten, I'm a pretty sentimental person and couldn't see myself parting with the ring if I need a new size. For that reason, I'm looking at the precious metals. I'm leaning towards a white precious metal. 14k is at the top of my list because of its relative scratch resistance over platinum and palladium.
[*]comfort fit
[*]6 mm wide
[*]textured (satin or hammered)
[*]gradual decrease in thickness from the textured top to the finger

Here are some examples of what I tried in-store that I liked:
[*] http://www.malobands.com/index/prod/sku/JM-413-6WG
[*] http://www.crownring.com/wedding-bands/carved-mens-wedding-bands/details-LB-2042-Z10 (though in a 6mm)
[*] http://www.simongjewelry.com/wps/portal/SimonG/products/LG124

They're all very similar, though a couple have milgrain around the centre textured strip.

The rings we've been discussing with BGD, WF, and e-wb are the following, which follow these style:
[*]http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/wedding-and-anniversary-bands/classic-bands/mens-three-textured-band-platinum-5578p
[*]http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/wedding-and-anniversary-bands/classic-bands/mens-satin-and-shiny-band-18k-white-gold-5496w18
[*]http://www.whiteflash.com/wedding-rings/mens
[*]http://www.whiteflash.com/wedding-rings/dual-milgrain-wedding-ring-by-benchmark-1704.htm
[*]http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/product168327.html

This leads me to a couple of questions:

In my discussions with a couple of B&M retailers, there is some concern with the ease of resizing something with milgrain or a hammered texture. They claim that it's difficult because lining up the detail in the pattern isn't easy. As I'm currently partial to the hammered look with milgrain lines encircling the centre hammered section, this has be concerned.

[*]Does anyone have any experience with this? Does a satin texture pose the same kind of problem?

2. As noted, I want a white metal. I'm leaning towards 14k white gold for the added strength over 18k and scratch resistance over palladium or platinum. I did a nickel test by taping a coin to my arm for a couple of days, twice. The first experiment was with 25% nickel and the second was with 99.9% nickel. I didn't react to either, so I don't seem to be nickel sensitive.

That said, I don't relish the idea of rhodium plating every so often to keep my ring white. BGD has shown me pictures of their 18k unplated white gold, which is still fairly white (kind of "buttery"), so one option is to get plated white gold and let the rhodium wear off over time.

[*]How does rhodium wear on a men's ring? Is it just a gradual reduction over the entire surface?
[*]I may also be able to source palladium white gold. Are there any drawbacks to this over a nickel white gold?

Thanks all!

 

[crr243]

I've changed directions. Because I like the matte look, I'm now seriously considering platinum.

 

[Victoria10]

Hi. I am somewhat new here but thought I would respond. I am glad you are considering plat. I had white gold with rhodium plating and ended up not liking. Mainly due to my allergy I developed. Plus I ended up not liking the color it aged. Palladium is hypoallergenic, but I personally love plat how it ages and how it does not loose metal like gold it just gets displaced. Just get it polished and it's like new

 

[crr243]

Thanks for the opinion, Victoria. One of the main reasons I was initially not considering platinum was the increased cost. In B&M stores here, platinum was 2-3 times more money than 14k white gold.

In doing some more looking online, e-wb, as an example, can produce a platinum ring for maybe 25% more than I'd pay for white gold locally. That's considerably better than 2-3x as much. It quickly became much more affordable.



I have what may seem like a silly question to add to this, and I'm hoping someone can respond.

Can platinum or white gold bands with beveled edges, step-down edges, or grooves be resized effectively?

Examples:
http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/product168311.html
http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/product5729.html
http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/platbevel.html
http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/product168363.html

I don't really want a plain domed wedding band, but want to make sure that, as I age and my fingers change, I can still wear the same ring. I'm pretty partial to the Westwood (the third link) because I like how the grooves add contrast to the ring and separate the shiny edges from the textured center. I've started discussions with e-wb, who says they can add a customized hammered finish to many of their rings as well, to see if we can alter the texture on the center of the ring.

Thanks!

 

[Victoria10]

Actually my husband and I have matching celtic bands. I wear that when I don't want diamonds on band for messy stuff. Of course finger changed after three kids The Celtic engraving goes all the way around just like eternities. I wish i had a sizing band on the very bottom of it. Because when the time came I didn't want to break the celtic knot so the jeweler said other option was to stretch the band (it was untreated gold). It looked fine after that just more worn looking (my husbands was only stretched a little so his still looked brand new), but now my husbands matches my worn look so its fine now. But hopefully someone else will chime in because I don't know fully other then what that one jeweler did for us and that was way before i knew about pricescope.

I agree, my husband and i didn't like the dome bands either. I like the westwood too.

 

[pittin]

My partner just got this band. It's similar to some that you've liked. Tacori uses 18k white gold alloyed with palladium. It much less likely to cause an allergy. We're happy with the band. If you can afford platinum, it is a great choice. I would have preferred platinum, but I was set on a Tacori band and our rings in platinum exceeded our budget. So far we are very happy with our Tacori rings in 18k gold. Everyone comments on the intricate designs on the inside of the bands.

http://www.tacori.com/wedding-bands/his-bands/106-6b.html

 

[Victoria10]

I noticed you posted your links for e-weddingbands and I was on another post and they were recommending that website too for spacers. So I guess its a good site.

 

[crr243]

Victoria, a lot of Pricescope users have spoken very highly of e-wb, so they seem to be a good retailer to deal with.

pittin, that' a gorgeous ring. Unfortunately, the MSRP for the gold ring is more than a similar style platinum ring from e-wb! I'll do some digging to see if I can source Tacori for less than the MSRP, though.

 

[crr243]

After seeing the work at Green Lake Jewelry, I've asked them for a quote.

I went out trying on a lot of rings over the last few weeks, and what I seem to be coming back to is a dull, matte, hammered texture with polished edges.

Green Lake has a couple of rings along the lines of what I envision:

http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/gallery/gallery_detail.aspx?ImgID=BND_R_10038
http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/gallery/gallery_detail.aspx?ImgID=58501

I'm picturing the first ring (0.75mm rails, 5.5mm center textured area), but with the slightly rounded profile and polished edges/rails of the second ring. I also like the slight indent/channel separating the hammered center from the rails.

Or, to put it differently, it's a wider version of the second ring without the milgrain.

The matte texture definitely looks about right. When I spoke with a design studio locally, they had a finish that I really liked. They said it was hammered and then sand blasted to give it that dull, matte effect.

I've asked Green Lake for quotes with a few different metal options (unplated 14k WG, unplated 14k palladium WG, and platinum). We'll see what they come back with!

 

[telephone89]

Have you looked at etsy? There is a huge variety, might be an inexpensive option. https://www.etsy.com/ca/search?q=mens%20wedding%20band&ref=auto1

 

[crr243]

Wow, thanks for the nudge towards etsy.

RavensRefuge has a really nice ring that looks to be pretty darned close to, if not exactly, what I'm looking for. It's hand forged and his page says he can customize it in pretty much any alloy (14k X-1, 14k palladium white gold, platinum, etc), width, and size. And the price is right - only around $950 US ($1,200 Canadian).

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/73540821/14k-white-gold-hammered-wedding-band?ref=shop_home_active_24

A quick search of Pricescope indicates that people have had good experiences with him in the past.

 

[crr243]

I've been refining my vision over the last week and what I've liked is a flat and heavily brushed, hammered center with polished and tapered (rounded or beveled) edges. I saw a ring locally with a hammered and heavily brushed or sandblasted finish and really liked it.

I saw examples at a few different custom retailers:

Green Lake - http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/gallery/gallery_detail.aspx?ImgID=58501
RavensRefuge - https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/98562726/comfort-fit-platinum-wedding-band-set?ref=shop_home_active_4&ga_search_query=hammered%2Bplatinum

After discussions with several different retailers and custom design houses, including RavensRefuge and Green Lake, e-wb seems to be coming out on type. They're willing to take their stock comfort fit, flat, step-down ring and apply my requested finishes to try and replicate what I've seen elsewhere.

Here is the base ring from e-wb: http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/product5729.html

They've been very receptive on applying a light, random, hand-hammered finish, with a deep brushing to dull or matte it, to the flat section of their base ring. They sent along an example of their hammered finish on titanium and it's close to what I want; they're able to work with me to make it even closer to my vision.

Their pricing is 30% less than Green Lake and 40% less than RavensRefuge.

The main difference between the 3 rings is that Green Lake's is cast, RavensRefuge is hand forged from strips of platinum, and e-wb is die struck.

 

[telephone89]

Thats great! Sometimes etsy comes out cheaper, sometimes not. 30-40% less is quite a bit, and if you like it that sounds perfect. It makes sense that the hand forged one is the most expensive.

 

[Victoria10]

I really like that brushed look of the bands you posted. Especially like how it seems it would be easy to wear and not have to worry about scratching because it will just blend. Good update to for that one website. Please post pictures when your done

 

[crr243]

The couple vendors I spoke with on etsy seemed like they offered excellent products, but they can't really compete with the mass produced products for what I'm looking for.

Etsy is still a great resource, though. My fiancee has been browsing some of the vendors for amethyst jewelry for the wedding, and she can get a handmade sterling silver amethyst pendant and earring set that's very similar to ones offered by local stores, but for a fraction of thee price (~15% ...).

 

[Victoria10]

I do love all the handmade items on etsy. Just next time for me I will make sure if that seller was used here first. I thought it was similar to eBay and I they had good reviews then it was fine. But the item I ordered ended up feeling like wire on my finger and with shipping to return I ended up loosing $8 for item I felt was not represented correctly in pictures. So I am trying to take note of who is used now. Still haven't retried ordering on etsy with someone else

 

[telephone89]

I'm on a total etsy kick right now. I think it's nice to be able to support a small business, but you are totally right - they cannot always keep up with the larger mass produced stores for some things.

There is also a thread on the hangout about a very terrible experience one poster had (albeit a few years ago, old thread got bumped), so it's good to know the good and the bad.

I like it for smaller not too expensive things, ie stackers! I also buy alot of hair stuff from them, but thats another forum...

 

[RockyRacoon]

Have you explored Boone Rings?

Bruce Boone made my wedding band and many other PSers have used him, as well.

He can provide custom options and is VERY responsive via email.

Check out his site:
http://www.boonerings.com/

 

[crr243]

Hi Rocky,

Thanks for the suggestion for Boone. I've browsed his products.

One of my main requirements in a band is the ability to resize it in the future. I am, at heart, a sentimental person and not being able to wear my wedding band 30 years down the line would not be ideal for me. Alternative metals don't meet that requirement.

My fiancee and I are both looking at his rings for a sports and travel band, though. I can get something similar to my platinum band from him, it seems.

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

I do not have experience with the bands you are looking at, but my husband chose a 6mm platinum double milgrain band from Tiffany. We were told before purchasing that it would not be able to be resized in the future due to the milgrain details. He still decided to get it.

Here is a picture of his

 

[MollyMalone]

I've been refining my vision over the last week and what I've liked is a flat and heavily brushed, hammered center with polished and tapered (rounded or beveled) edges. I saw a ring locally with a hammered and heavily brushed or sandblasted finish and really liked it.
I saw examples at a few different custom retailers:
Green Lake - http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/gallery/gallery_detail.aspx?ImgID=58501
RavensRefuge - https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/98562726/comfort-fit-platinum-wedding-band-set?ref=shop_home_active_4&ga_search_query=hammered%2Bplatinum
After discussions with several different retailers and custom design houses, including RavensRefuge and Green Lake, e-wb seems to be coming out on type. They're willing to take their stock comfort fit, flat, step-down ring and apply my requested finishes to try and replicate what I've seen elsewhere.
Here is the base ring from e-wb: http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/product5729.html
They've been very receptive on applying a light, random, hand-hammered finish, with a deep brushing to dull or matte it, to the flat section of their base ring. They sent along an example of their hammered finish on titanium and it's close to what I want; they're able to work with me to make it even closer to my vision.
Their pricing is 30% less than Green Lake and 40% less than RavensRefuge.
The main difference between the 3 rings is that Green Lake's is cast, RavensRefuge is hand forged from strips of platinum, and e-wb is die struck.

A die-struck band is a terrific choice; I certainly wouldn't pay more for a cast band -- or in this instance, even for hand-forged since you like what e-wb is offering.

I do suggest, however, that you share your concerns about resizing in the future with e-wb & ask for their frank opinion re resizing this particular band you're contemplating.

P.S. i really like your idea of a lightly hammered, matte finish!

 

[WillyDiamond]

Hey OP.......a guys perspective........I bought my plat, 4mm, comfort fit from eweddingbands.com and extremely happy with price and quality. If the size is wrong when you get it, just don't wear it and send it back and they will refund or exchange for another size. They were easy to deal with. Bought mine in 2007, and still looks great. If I can did up a picture I will post.

 

[crr243]

I've officially placed the order from e-wb. Timing was also impeccable - they have a 10% off coupon this month!

As a comparison for prices...

e-wb: $1297
Whiteflash (Benchmark): $1950
BGD: $2150
Brilliant Earth: $2195
Green Lake: $2341
RavensRefuge (etsy): $2370

These are all for very similar bands (Pt950/Ru, 6mm width, size 9.25-9.5, thickness 1.8mm-2mm, hammer texture in the center, polished edges). Most of the rings were 1.8mm thick; the rings at RavensRefuge and Green Lake are 2mm thick. The prices from e-wb and Green Lake included shipping; the rest were exclusive of shipping. I had a preference for Pt950/Ru but looked at several other retailers who used Pt950/Ir, and they were all $1700 or higher. Getting it done locally was around $2200, so comparable to most of these vendors.

The quote for 14k white gold at some of these vendors, and custom made locally, actually exceeded the cost for the platinum band at e-wb.

It's hard to pass up a savings of 30-45% . I just hope it turns out as good as expected!