Southern Alberta's wedding, honeymoon and special occasion planning website offers tips and information for planning your special event.

Useful wedding advice, tips, questions for planning your wedding.

Wedding Rings

The wedding rings and engagement ring you choose will be one of the most prized and lasting pieces of your wedding day. Your ring is not only an important factor in becoming married, but it's also a lifelong symbol of your love and commitment to each other. You will want to choose rings that are timeless and highest quality you can afford.

Style:

Your instincts are important when it comes to the look and design of your ring. Ask yourself if it's a design you'll feel comfortable wearing every day. There are many styles to choose from - traditional to current fashion statements, as well as any customized design you can think of. There isn't a wrong answer to what style of ring you should choose.

Material:  Gold, Silver or Platinum?

Primary ring metal choices include:

Yellow Gold:  It is the most traditional of ring metals. Look at the mark inside the band to find out the quality of the gold. Usually it's 14k, 18k or 24k. Even though 24k is the most pure, it's also the softest and can scratch easily if you work with your hands.

White Gold:  It's popular because it coordinates with both silver and platinum jewelry, and is more economical than platinum.

Platinum:  This is the hardest metal and it's also very stylish. It's more expensive than gold, though.

Gold and platinum are the usual recommendations made by jewelers because they're more durable than silver and hold a higher value. Sometimes a gold or silver ring will have a platinum setting because it will protect the stone better.

Titanium and stainless steel have become more popular because of their lower cost and high strength. A type of setting called a tension setting can be done with these materials, and it is quite popular because it gives the illusion of a floating stone. A drawback for titanium, though is that it could cause problems with removal in case of an emergency. Hospital tools are unable to cut some grades of titanium.

Precious Gems:

It's important to remember that you'll likely wear your ring every day for the rest of your life. Although softer stones are beautiful, they aren't usually the best choice for an engagement or wedding ring. The Mohs scale registers a stone's ability to resist abrasion with 10 (diamonds) the strongest and 1 (talc) the weakest. If you do a lot of activity with your hands (consider how long a manicure lasts on you), then you should limit your choices to the stronger gems.

Here is a list of common stones and their hardness level:

Anything less than a 7 on the Mohs scale is not recommended for an engagement ring. Pearls and opals are rare, because these are soft stones. Also, the general rule on stones is the darker the color, the more expensive the stone.