HOW WIDE SHOULD YOUR WEDDING BAND BE? – Jewelry Secrets

HOW WIDE SHOULD YOUR WEDDING BAND BE?

WHAT MILLIMETER WIDTH SHOULD YOUR WEDDING BAND BE?

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Once you get your engagement ring and it’s time to shop for the wedding ring, there’s always one great question that everyone wants to know…

How wide?

How wide should your wedding band be?”

Is there a recommended width?

Well, the funny thing is, the width of your wedding band is all based upon you of course. That is, your own personal preference and pocketbook control most of the determining factors involved.

You have to be happy with it.

When it all comes down to it, you are the only one who has to be happy with your choice.

You are the only one who will wear that wedding band for the rest of your life. So does it really matter what anyone else thinks?

Some people prefer really skinny bands (1.5mm – like these thin bands here), others prefer a monster of a band (12mm or more – like these big rings here).

Which one is the correct purchase?

How wide is too wide?

I always say that if you can’t bend your finger anymore, or if it feels uncomfortable on, then it’s too wide.

So let’s look at the average ring widths that most people get…

Average ring sizes:

The average men’s wedding band is 5 – 7mm wide (keep in mind, I’m not talking about the thickness of the ring, like how domed it is, just how wide it is across the finger – like these wedding rings here).

The average lady’s band is 2 – 4mm, like these rings here.

I will say that most men prefer comfort-fit bands, which are a heavier thickness and domed, while the ladies prefer a thinner, flatter band.

If a man wears a ring skinnier than 5mm wide, it tends to look a little wimpy or feminine on his finger. So unless he’s got really thin, bony fingers, I would suggest a 6mm, 7mm, or 8mm. Those tend to look more balanced and proportional on most men’s hands.

Ladies are different…

With lady’s wedding rings, you get into a whole different conversation.

That’s because we’re dealing with the engagement ring of course.

The best advice I can give is to match the wedding ring to the engagement ring.

Match the rings:

Match the width and the style of the engagement ring and the wedding band should look great.

For example, if your engagement ring is a solitaire (you know, the tiffany-style standard 2mm wide band), the wedding band that looks best is usually a 2mm Band (see here).

You can put wider rings up against a solitaire, like the 4mm gold band or a wedding band (pictured below), but you have to be careful that you don’t take away from the look of your engagement ring.

You really want the focus to be on your diamond.

Plus, you want your rings to feel good on your fingers as well. If your bands are too wide or bulky, it could hurt your fingers when you close them or shake hands.

If your engagement ring is a channel set band, then I would duplicate that band and make a matching wedding band (see matching band above). I always strive to match the wedding and engagement rings so they look similar, and fit flush up against each other.

Custom designs?

If you have an engagement ring that has an unusual design or shape, then you can have a plain gold band custom made to fit the contours of your ring (see thick contour band above).

The contour band shown is about 2.5mm wide, which in my opinion is too wide and takes away from the actual ring. I usually suggest to only go about 1mm – 1.5mm wide for contour bands.

When you put a narrow band up against your engagement ring, they usually call it a shadow band (see picture above). Shadow bands are the best types of bands to have made when you have a unique and shapely engagement ring (it gets almost impossible to find a wedding band already made to fit these types of rings anyway).

What about wider bands?

If you have a wider engagement ring, like the cathedral mounting pictured above, then I would advise using a 2mm gold band, or a diamond band like the one shown in the picture with the princess cut solitaire (listed as diamond band).

The best rule of thumb to use is this:

Keep it simple.

Don’t take away from the beauty of your diamond engagement ring. Solitaire rings will pretty much look good up against anything that will fit flat and flush to it.

I would advise keeping away from a diamond band that has prongs and sits up high though. These usually detract from the solitaire, get caught on things, and tend to make it look gaudy.

So whether it be a 2mm or 14mm, it all comes down to preference and what looks good and feels good.

I mean really, who’s to tell you that it’s right or wrong?

Do what makes you happy, and enjoy it.

Cheers! 🙂

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