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Men's wedding bands

girlyglam

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
274
Apologies because this post isn't really about diamonds...I wasn't sure of the most appropriate place to post it.

I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts/preferences on materials for men's wedding bands? There's so many different options out there (gold, platinum, stainless steel, titanium, chrome, ceramic, etc.), and we're feeling a little overwhelmed. I've read a bunch of things about the pros and cons of various materials, but we're no closer to making a decision. Anyone have thoughts/experiences about the various metal options for men?
 

PintoBean

Ideal_Rock
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Jul 27, 2011
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6,589
We opted for two tone gold, brushed finish. It's precious, modern, and doesn't show scratches as easily as a high polish. It just was the best balance for DH.
 

edelweissmaedl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
137
It's all a matter of preference. In theory my husband was all about a ring and we shopped in B&M stores for something he liked. My husband has titanium....the gray tone in a brushed finish was manly to him. He lost his first ring in less than a year. He wanted a replacement right away, by then I realized we could get similar online for much less and we only spent about 25% compared to the first on the second one. I kind of felt bad it was so reasonably priced compared to my own taste rings.

BUT It turns out even though he was sad the first one was lost, he's not much for wearing a ring and only puts it on when we are going out to dinner or the like anymore so now l'm kind of glad we didn't sink a lot into it since it mostly sits around unworn. My reason for sharing this is.....it seams like it's more common now for men (at others I know my age) to not wear a ring all the time or ever (versus looking back at my parents demographic for example). So besides just judging material.....consider picking based on if he is really into the whole jewelry thing at all.
 

rockysalamander

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
May 20, 2016
Messages
5,105
My husband has worn a titanium band with a niobium stripe down the center for 16 years (http://www.titaniumringsforever.com/titanium-rings/color/newport). He loves it. His ring is pretty wide (8 or 10 mm) and thick. So, he wore a silver band for a few months before we ordered the band to ensure the wide-width and thickness would be comfortable. He wanted lightweight, so titanium. I wanted heft and don't like a shiny finish, so have a platinum band.

What does your fiance do professionally? What are his hobbies? What sports does he play? Does he wear rings?
 

girlyglam

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
274
Thanks all for some great things to consider! My fiance is not a jewelry person at all - he doesn't wear anything; not even a watch. He is pretty traditional, and I know he at least plans to wear his ring pretty consistently. He works in technical theater, so it's physical and he definitely uses his hands a lot for work. I imagine he would take his ring off for work though. I always imagined we'd do gold until I saw all the different options out there. Titanium sounds like a great option as well.
 

flyingpig

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
2,975
Platinum is my first choice.
Rose gold is my second. Rose gold can feel very masculine, especially rose gold that has a deep bronze tone. Also amazing on watches as well.

Yellow gold is my least favorite.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
Has he tried some on?

Particularly all metal colors? If we're talking personal preferencei love yellow gold wedding bands. However, this means nothing to your Fi. He needs to see what looks best on his skin.

My husband thought he would get rose gold ended up with a very lovely yellow gold bvlgari zero band.

A dear friend of mine was dead set on white gold,and fell for a plain yellow gold band pretty hard when he got it on his hand. He was firmly against it when we suggested .
 

rockysalamander

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
May 20, 2016
Messages
5,105
GirlyGlam. So, I bet he will want something with a matte finish -- but with a cool factor. Something that can be easily cleaned and won't scream I WAS MARRIED IN 2016. I wear a size 10.75 ring and find a 5-5.5 mm heavy comfort fit band to be very comfortable to wear on its own. It needs to be a bit smaller (so it is really sized as a 10.5+), as the comfort fit + heavy platinum makes the band more likely to float around. Avoid anything with channels in the surface both for comfort and crude catching. Avoid "overlays" for design.

Titanium does sound good. Here's a few to consider.
Symmetry Freak - https://www.etsy.com/listing/246741135/titanium-ring-with-rose-gold-pinstripe?ref=shop_home_active_10
Assymetric - https://www.etsy.com/listing/466120487/titanium-silver-and-copper-inlay-ring?ref=shop_home_active_10
http://www.boonerings.com/precious-metal-inlays/dualsineinlays.htm {for the math lovers}
http://www.boonerings.com/laser-inlay-series/circuitboard.htm
https://thejewelersguild.com/product/copper-titanium-sterling-meteorite-band/ {not sure about durability of meteorite}
https://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/jewelrybyjohan/10203203/mokume_gane_inlay_in_titanium_ring_and_titanium_band_wedding_set_women_men_ladies_bridal_wedding_band_set_ring_armor_included/handmade/jewelry/rings

Men also really like mokume gane and this may offer him the cool factor. This can be inlayed into titatium or can be the whole ring (if the whole ring, they can cost a lot more than just a single noble metal -- but they are really really cool and unique)
http://www.boonerings.com/mokume.htm
http://www.boonerings.com/mokume-inlays/shakudoandsilvertwist.htm
http://www.boonerings.com/mokume-inlays/prgsmokume.htm
https://thejewelersguild.com/product/sterling-iron-mokume-copper-titanium-ring/
https://thejewelersguild.com/product/tri-gold-rails-mokume-band/

You can find the same of the same styles in platinum, but they will be much heavier and may be uncomfortable for a newbie to ring wearing. This was my husband's assessment, anyway. So, go find him some silver bands to start wearing and test out a widths and thickness. Summer is great time to test out a ring, especially titanium, as it can't be changed. Also, do avoid rings with wood, bone or horn inlays. They won't last for daily use.
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
5,520
My husband wears a 14kt White Gold 7mm band with comfort fit interior. He always wanted a precious metal for his wedding band. He basically wears it 24/7. He chose 14kt gold because he works construction and it is stronger (less susceptible to scratches/dings) than 18kt gold. Platinum was never on the table due to the expense and heavier metal weight (my husband wanted 7mm width and preferred the comfort fit inside the shank, all of which takes more metal than a non-comfort-fit thinner-width band). His band now looks to be satin/brushed finish from years of wear though originally (20 years ago) it was high-polish.
 
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