If you’re armed with an idea from the outset on how to source your wedding rings, you could save yourselves a great deal of time, money and effort for a stress-free and successful ring-buying process. For example, do you want to repurpose your grandmother’s wedding ring or find a themed design? You might prefer to let your instincts guide you and wait to be bowled over by something that speaks to you while you’re out shopping.
Many couples will go to their favourite designer-maker to purchase ready-to-wear pieces, recycle heirloom jewellery or commission bands to be made or personalised to individual spec. For others, it’ll simply be a case of searching for something that fits your budget or style.
Either way, your rings’ origin story can help ensure an easy and enjoyable buying journey, allowing you to find or create something from a place of meaning and love. Here’s our guide to the main ways of sourcing wedding rings to help you get started…
Vintage or heirloom
Pre-loved pieces of jewellery can uniquely define the look, feel and significance of your rings. Whether you already have a selection of old items that you’d like remodelled into your rings, are in possession of sentimental gold that could be melted and reformed or require an heirloom band to be resized or set with a stone, sourcing from within your own pre-existing collections is a smart place to start.
Alternatively, you might simply wish to buy something already in existence, by visiting antique jewellers, attending auctions or scouring various vintage marketplaces, which will provide you with an instant one-off purchase that’s eco-friendly to boot. Wear it in its original form, have it reworked into a style that better suits or add a personalisation such as an engraving for additional you-ness.
Erin Cox Safina Smith Photography
Buy or commission
If you have an idea concerning the style you’re seeking, then sourcing should be relatively easy. Whether that means booking an appointment to view your favourite jewellers’ collections or keeping an eye out for a classic gold band, an image of the type of rings you’d like will guide you toward buying or commissioning a kind that works for you.
If you’re being led by budget, tell your jeweller what it is, as they often host archive, experimental and end-of-line sales, seconds promotions and ready-to-wear collections that are a fraction of the price of commissioned or ‘perfect’ pieces. You might also be surprised at how cost-effective commissions can be, and many designers can work within most budgets, however limited – so always enquire.
If you don’t have much of a restriction on cost, then explore all the options for buying and commissioning in keeping with your original vision or requirements – unless you find that these change throughout the ring-shopping experience. Just keep an open mind and trust the experts while doing so.
Erin Cox
Make your own or co-design
Many designer-makers offer the chance for couples to create or co-design their rings from scratch, meaning that they’ll match your exact requirements and will be a bona fide one-of-a-kind.
In doing so, you might also ask yourself where each individual element comes from to check it fits with your criteria and ethos; for example, are the diamonds Fairtrade or lab-grown, and is the precious metal recycled? You might also want to incorporate materials and methods that are particular or personal to you, such as wood and gemstones, lost wax and sand-casting.
Then there’s the practical matter of a ring’s design, which includes the shape, fit, finish, width, metal, profile and pairing – along with how it adheres to your budget and lifestyle. Making or designing your own bands allows greater scope for personalisation because you’re hand-picking every aspect from the metal to the final flourishes (think inscriptions, fingerprints, drawings, secret stones...). The result will be a set of rings as breathtakingly unique as your love.
Justin Duance Verity Westcott Photography
Header image Justin Duance Verity Westcott Photography
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