Here are some suggestions to help your online wedding ring quest go smoothly:
- Know what type of engagement rings (diamond, gemstone, bands)
or wedding rings you are looking for, but consider looking at many different
varieties. You may change your mind about what type of ring
best symbolizes your relationship and love.
- Make shopping online romantic! Place some candles
around the computer, turn on your song and have some wine! Buying engagement
rings, wedding rings and wedding bands online can be just as fun and
exciting as buying them in person... and even more fun when you create
a loving and warm atmosphere.
- Review a fair number of styles, then narrow down your options.
There are an incredible variety of engagement rings and wedding bands
available: titanium, platinum, white gold, traditional gold, silver,
gemstone, diamond... the list goes on and on. Once you have reviewed
a fair number of styles be sure to compile a list of your favorites
to narrow down your search.
- Know your ring size! Nothing is more obnoxious than
having to have a ring re-sized before you wear it. There are several
websites that offer jewelry sizing online. Typically women wear between
a size 5-9 and men between sizes 8-12. The average for men: a 10; the
average for women: a 7.
- When buying diamond rings - familiarize yourself with the
four Cs: cut, color, carat and clarity.
Read the article below for some tips and tricks for selecting wedding rings:
Unique and Unusual Wedding Ring Options
- Break Out of the Ordinary!
Rings that display Celtic knot work are
becoming ever more popular choices for wedding bands. As it has no beginning
or end, the round shape of the wedding or engagement ring band is a
sign of never-ending love and fidelity. The continuous strand of the
Celtic knot is also a sign of perpetuity and is a striking complement
to the symbolism of the ring itself. The crossing of the strands of
the knot stands for how our lives are intertwined.
Spirals, Triskeles, and Triquetas, Shield Knots and Sun Symbols are all
types of Irish wedding rings. However, most popular by far is the Irish
Claddagh. Different traditions give different meanings to the Claddagh,
depending on how it is worn. The tale of the Claddagh starts when buccaneers
captured a fisherman Richard Joyce and other crewmembers shortly before
Joyce was to be married. They sold Joyce to an Algerian goldsmith, and
it was there that Joyce made the first Claddagh, named for the village
where his fiancée still waited for him.
Two German mineralogists discovered the cubic form of zirconium oxide
in 1937, but it wasn't until the 1970s that Soviet scientists learned
how to grow this mineral in the laboratory. It was then that jewelry designers
first took notice of Cubic Zirconia. Swarovski & Co., a world-renowned
Austrian producer of leaded crystal, began producing Cubic Zirconia in
mass quantities, and that is when the substance really took off. Even
trained gemologists find it difficult to tell the difference between Cubic
Zirconia and real diamonds with the naked eye.
Any ring that can be made with near-colorless
diamonds can also be made with yellow diamonds. It may be harder owing
to the uncommonness of yellow diamonds, and the greater problem of finding
matching stones, but it can be done, with great results. Fancy colored
diamonds are very effective when used together with white diamonds.
Solitaire rings remain a favorite for fancy colored diamonds.
Wedding rings are a sign of union. This custom of making public the union
between a man and a woman is a tradition that goes way back to the ancient
Egyptians. Rushes growing on the banks of the Nile were braided around
the finger. Although this tradition goes back thousands of years the wearing
of men's wedding bands is much newer - this custom only started after
the Second World War.
Wedding
rings are perhaps the most significant piece of jewelry you and your intended
spouse will exchange during your lives, regardless of their design. Although
a lot of brides and grooms prefer to have matching rings, it is not essential.
Because it's the hardest type of gold, and it maintains its luster
better over time, 14-karat is most commonly used for wedding bands.
