The Ring's The Thing

This weekend we went to collect my wedding ring from the jewellers. Yes, my ring. Not our rings. Because, unusually, J wanted his own engagement ring when we first got engaged. And I was more than happy to buy one for him. Previously to popping the question, we'd talked in vague terms about getting married, engagement, and looked at rings in shop windows. J had an idea of the sort of ring I'd like and dislike, and that was about it. He chose wisely, though, and my engagement ring is a very pretty white gold ring with two small diamonds and a slightly unusual twist to the band. It's very me.

When it came to J's engagement ring, we went and chose it together. He had already seen a couple of rings he liked, and wanted my opinion before we made a final decision together. The end result was a wide titanium band with a thin band of white gold running through the middle. Very stylish, and very J. It's original, slightly geeky and very strong (they couldn't adjust the metal but had to order one in his size especially).

Although I loved my engagement ring on sight and wanted to wear it immediately (I couldn't, it was too small!) it did take me some time to get used to wearing it. Now, I have my wedding ring waiting to be worn, and this, I feel, will take even longer to get used to, with all it's symbolism, and the fact that this is my wedding ring and what I shall wear for the rest of my life. With all that in mind, the idea of it is somewhat daunting. In addition, I wanted something that matches my personality, and that also matched J and I as a couple. I feel that we already have that in our engagement rings, and for many people, it seems, the engagement ring, although technically the less important, is the more expensive, flashy one. The one everyone notices.

I wanted to be slightly different, though. For a start, I don't wear yellow gold, usually silver. Therefore the traditional choice of a yellow gold band was out. We then made the decision that J would use his engagement ring as his wedding ring, as it is such a lovely ring and suits him so well that I wouldn't want him not to wear it anymore. But, being a rather wide band, there would be no space for that and a wedding band. So it would become the wedding band. I myself am very keen on the style of the titanium band, but it was rather wide. Would I be able to have something similar for myself, or would I have to opt for a white gold band?

In the end, as is often the case, the decision and logistics were amazingly easy. We inquired in the jewellers where we had bought J's ring, as to whether they made a thinner, women's version. In fact, they could just take the existing men's ring and order it to be made in a thinner, smaller size.

Four weeks later, I have an exact match for J's ring, only thinner and more feminine. All of the detail is still there, and it is much more interesting to me than a plain gold band. In addition, the two wedding rings now match. It's interesting how much thought can go into such things, and what your choices can say about you to other people. The range of engagement rings is immense, and the choice of wedding rings is now also growing. I know I've made the right choice, though, and I'm looking forward to being able to wear both rings together in three and a half months time, and get used to the feel of a wedding ring on my finger!


Until next time...