She has the Engagement ring, How much should I spend on the wedding band?

[DOK]

Cannot be cut off in an emergency is crap. Argue and bring all the links, defenses and reasoning to tell me otherwise, but it's crap. You have no reason to trust me, and I'm not going to argue it, but it's just not true. It's a marketing gimmick that they use to explain how indestructible their rings are. They are tough, yes, but they can be cut off.

And fyi, you have to buy THREE rings. Lol, was just laughing about this with a friend. First comes the engagement ring, then the wedding band, but don't forget the one year anniversary band! (to match the wedding band to be put on the other side of the engagement ring).

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by DOK

Cannot be cut off in an emergency is crap. Argue and bring all the links, defenses and reasoning to tell me otherwise, but it's crap. You have no reason to trust me, and I'm not going to argue it, but it's just not true. It's a marketing gimmick that they use to explain how indestructible their rings are. They are tough, yes, but they can be cut off.

I guess I should have said they cannot be cut off as easily/quickly as gold/platinum rings. Obviously they can be removed, but I was under the impression (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) that the effort or tool required to remove them in an emergency situation is not very convenient.

[alltherage]

Originally Posted by DOK

Cannot be cut off in an emergency is crap. Argue and bring all the links, defenses and reasoning to tell me otherwise, but it's crap. You have no reason to trust me, and I'm not going to argue it, but it's just not true. It's a marketing gimmick that they use to explain how indestructible their rings are. They are tough, yes, but they can be cut off.

And fyi, you have to buy THREE rings. Lol, was just laughing about this with a friend. First comes the engagement ring, then the wedding band, but don't forget the one year anniversary band! (to match the wedding band to be put on the other side of the engagement ring).

But... but... I already bought her a diamond for our 1 year of dating, then a pink saphire ring with diamonds, then a pink saphire necklace, then gold earrings...

I must be close to being done... right?....... RIGHT?

[c.t.ner]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

I guess I should have said they cannot be cut off as easily/quickly as gold/platinum rings. Obviously they can be removed, but I was under the impression (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) that the effort or tool required to remove them in an emergency situation is not very convenient.

Hmm, intresting to know. The idea of cutting off my ring in an emergecny didn't even cross my mind. Given that the only possible situtation that could occure in my proffession is a horrible keyboard/photoshop accident, I think I'll be fine. (I'm just kidding, I compeltly understand that Riggers, Firefighters and others have to worry about this)

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by alltherage

But... but... I already bought her a diamond for our 1 year of dating, then a pink saphire ring with diamonds, then a pink saphire necklace, then gold earrings...

I must be close to being done... right?....... RIGHT?

Nope... your first big mistake was to buy her any jewelry at all while you were dating.
Now she expects it.


You are toast buddy for the rest of your married life. Even if you stop buying her jewelry, she will always bring it up how you used to buy her this and buy her that and now that you are married it all stopped and you just aren't the same guy anymore....... God it never stops...

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

I've been looking into "alternate" materials for mine. The only problem I've heard with those is they cannot be resized if/when your fingers grow/shrink and they cannot be cut off in an emergency (for those that work in certain professions).

You're half right.

1) most of the alternative metal rings (titanium, Tungsten Carbide being the most popular) cannot be resized.

2) Titanium and Tungsten Carbide rings are no problem at all to cut off in an emergency. Most EMTs carry jewelers saws that can very easily cut through either material, and both can be cut off with bolt cutters if need be. The only major problem is that Titanium is really hard to bend, so you have to cut it twice, but not a big deal.
Also in the case of Tungsten Carbide, it is somewhat brittle and as such can be broken off with a pair of vice grips, so it's actually a lot easier to remove than even a gold ring.

[DOK]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

I guess I should have said they cannot be cut off as easily/quickly as gold/platinum rings. Obviously they can be removed, but I was under the impression (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) that the effort or tool required to remove them in an emergency situation is not very convenient.

Yes, sorry I jumped on you there, I've had some pretty intense arguments about how strong these rings actually are. People totally convinced that they'd have to amputate the finger because it was the only option. Your right, I don't think paramedics generally have heavy duty bolt cutters just kicking around!

And, ATR, you just started too early!! That's the problem! I forgot to add, the family ring, the 10 year anniversary ring, and well, anything else her little heart desires. LOL.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

No, I think the cost for the wedding bands is usually shared equally assuming that they both have good incomes. If he is the only one working though.... what other choice is there? Unfortunately, that is how it works for some people.

Fortunately for me, we are sharing the cost.

And since by buying an engagement ring you're on the road to marriage... and when you get married you essentially merge your finances (in most cases anyways)... isn't the cost of the engagement ring basically shared anyways? That's kind of how I looked at it at least. The more we spent on wedding/engagement rings, the less we had towards mortgage down payment (which was shared). Damn practicality getting in the way of better jewellery!!

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by DOK

And, ATR, you just started too early!! That's the problem! I forgot to add, the family ring, the 10 year anniversary ring, and well, anything else her little heart desires. LOL.

I know a good one... the "push" prize!! (for after she has a baby, in case you haven't heard of that one yet)

[tete]

Originally Posted by Peanut

I know a good one... the "push" prize!! (for after she has a baby, in case you haven't heard of that one yet)

I've already got mine picked out - too bad I can't seem to get knocked up in order to cash in on it. Mine might become a "screw the idea of kids, we're DINK's! present"

[alltherage]

Stop!!! Stop already!! Ooooooooooooh the humanity!!

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by Peanut

I know a good one... the "push" prize!! (for after she has a baby, in case you haven't heard of that one yet)

Yup. Forked over for that one twice over....

It's all good though.

[alltherage]

She bought me an X360 elite once. That was worth a good $600+ at the time.

[albertGQ]

You have to give her low expectations. That way, when you do something nice/thoughtful, she appreciates it. I've only bought my fiancee flowers once and I don't foresee me doing this again anytime soon.

[Suzles]

Speaking as a woman - an engagement ring had diamonds.
A wedding band is a plain band of gold or platinum.
An eternity ring is a channel set band of precious stones given sometimes after the birth of a child or your tenth anniversary (or something special).
Women will wear their engagement band all the time when it is a new experience and nearly all the married women I know only wear their wedding bands day to day. As I was always told that the wedding band is never removed, to have diamonds in it would be a bit daft as you could never clean it properly. So a plain band is preferable I think. I have my grandmother's wedding band - are there any 'family' pieces available for you to utilise?

[RedMileDJ]

I haven't read through the rest of thread, but I wanted to throw this in:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure that neither of you have a nickel allergy. To make white gold they "bleach" it with nickel to make it white, then use rhodium plating to make it shine.

I didn't know, until 3 weeks after being married, that I have a nickel allergy. As a result my finger had become swollen, oozing of pus, dry and cracking. It was quite gross. I wish I had taken some pics to show you guys.

Fortunately the retailer where I got my ring is ordering me a new one, EXACTLY the same, but made of palladium. Palladium is hypoallergenic and is 95% pure...and comes out of the ground WHITE, so it does not need to be "bleached" or colored in any way.

Just my 2 cents. I hope this helps.

[Ice]

The jewelry store where you purchased the engagement ring probably has a matching wedding band. The wedding band isn't nearly as expensive as the engagement ring but my advice is to make sure you get a wedding band that can look pretty when worn alone. When I'm playing hockey, snowboarding, or things like that, I don't wear the engagement ring. My wedding band wasn't close to the price of my engagement ring, but they match up perfectly when worn together and the wedding bad still very pretty and very sparkly when worn alone.

[Table 5]

after reading this thread, i think i'm going gay.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by DOK

Yes, sorry I jumped on you there, I've had some pretty intense arguments about how strong these rings actually are. People totally convinced that they'd have to amputate the finger because it was the only option. Your right, I don't think paramedics generally have heavy duty bolt cutters just kicking around!

No worries. The basis for my opinion was my dad was a firefighter and didn't wear his wedding band on the job for those types of reasons (it was just a gold one, but he explained if something went wrong, he really didn't want to wait for someone to go get a piece of equipment to cut it off...) and the guy at the jewelery store. I always assumed it could be removed, it's just a matter of how quickly when it's caught on something or you're in pain because your finger is swelling.

Originally Posted by Red-Mile-DJ

I haven't read through the rest of thread, but I wanted to throw this in:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure that neither of you have a nickel allergy. To make white gold they "bleach" it with nickel to make it white, then use rhodium plating to make it shine.

I didn't know, until 3 weeks after being married, that I have a nickel allergy. As a result my finger had become swollen, oozing of pus, dry and cracking. It was quite gross. I wish I had taken some pics to show you guys.

Fortunately the retailer where I got my ring is ordering me a new one, EXACTLY the same, but made of palladium. Palladium is hypoallergenic and is 95% pure...and comes out of the ground WHITE, so it does not need to be "bleached" or colored in any way.

Just my 2 cents. I hope this helps.

Thank you. That's very good to know. I have a nickel allergy (as does my mom) and I didn't even think about that issue. We (my fiancee and I) are in the process of getting our bands picked out and I'm going to rethink white gold for that reason.

In your experience, is Palladium a good material for rings? How does it stand up against wear and tear? Would I be better off going with Platinum? How it is for price compared with gold? Platinum?

[RedMileDJ]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Thank you. That's very good to know. I have a nickel allergy (as does my mom) and I didn't even think about that issue. We (my fiancee and I) are in the process of getting our bands picked out and I'm going to rethink white gold for that reason.

In your experience, is Palladium a good material for rings? How does it stand up against wear and tear? Would I be better off going with Platinum? How it is for price compared with gold? Platinum?

Palladium, from what I understand, does come at a price roughly the same if not more than gold. If you're looking for a "PURE" metal / material, Palladium is it.

I have not received my new ring yet, so I can't tell you if it looks different or anything like that.

I would recommend checking out these sites for more info. I went to them when I started having problems. They answered a lot of my questions.

http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/pall...nds-rings.html

http://danforthdiamond.wordpress.com...adium-jewelry/

http://www.secretdiamond.com/palladi...ment_rings.htm

http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/why-...ium-rings.html

This may also help:



Here is a picture of my wedding band. Thought I'd throw it out there and show it off.



From what the manufacturer of my ring (CrownRing) has told my retailer (Dana Dow Jewellers) my ring will look EXACTLY the same. I was really glad to hear that, as it took me a long time to search around for a ring that I liked.

Cheers!