The Wedding Band… One Girl’s Search for the Ring of her Dreams

Hi, my name is Megan, and I LOVE diamonds…. And I work for a company that sells, gorgeous diamonds. This is fantastic! But there is one downside. I’m already engaged, which means that my engagement diamond and engagement ring shopping days are over. I cannot tell you how hard it is to see all of these beautiful diamonds every day knowing that my ship has sailed, so to speak. It brings to mind terms that scare the daylights out of my fiancé. Terms like ‘upgrade’ and ‘reset’, along with visions I’m sure of me, rubbing my hands together and laughing manically. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my engagement ring with every fiber of my being, but as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. So what’s an engaged girl to do? Wedding Planning! Or in my diamond obsessed mind, wedding band shopping! It was a legitimate excuse to shop for diamonds, what could be better? So off I ran to the showroom. 

I decided that a good place to start, aside from trying every ring in the store on my finger was to take examples of the various band types and see which ones I liked best. I came up with five categories, 5 stone, eternity, shared prong, pave, and channel set. Of course there are more but these classics are a good place to start. 

As I surveyed my options, my eyes gravitated first towards the five stone band. With a total weight of .75 carats, each individual diamond really packs a punch. I slipped it on my finger and could have swooned from the sparkle. I have a three-stone engagement ring, and each diamond in the five stone band matched perfectly with the size of my side stones. It’s quite a nice luxurious and celebrity –like feeling. Now, there are those who say that five stone bands should be gifts for a fifth anniversary only. That’s hogwash in my opinion. I prefer to think of them as gorgeous bands, that happen to have five stones. The point is, don’t let societal norms stop you from having exactly the ring that you want. It is your ring after all and should make you happy. Remember, this is supposed to be fun! Ooh and fun it is! Isn’t it beautiful?

So I sadly took off the five stone, and chose my next option, a wide pave band. This is big bling as well, but done in an entirely different way. Whereas the larger diamonds in the five stone seemed to scream, “Look at me, I’m gorgeous and sparkly”, the pave is more of a nudge, “Hey, look over here, gosh I’m beautiful”. Ok these rings seem to have really narcissistic personalities, but how can you fault them, they speak the truth. Anyways, this particular ring is truly something special. Three rows of delicately set pave diamonds add up to over a carat in weight. And the sparkle, it’s so delicate, but the width of the band gives it such presence. Another thing that I like a lot about this band is that it is what we call a ‘faux’ eternity. The diamonds go from essentially 7 o’clock to 5 o’clock leaving only a slight gap at the bottom. This gives the illusion of diamonds that go all the way around, all the while allowing the flexibility for sizing if needed. I tend to be a worrier by nature so this is comforting to me. It’s time to move on, but I don’t want to take this band off either. This decision could be harder than I thought. 

Ok, so I’ve pried the pave band from my finger and I’m now moving on to a full eternity. Nervous nelly that I am, I am still floored by the elegance and perfection of this band. There is just something magical about the symmetry and symbolism inherent in the design. Like the circle, the diamonds have no beginning and no end, it’s mesmerizing. And it’s a total plus that no matter how much this ring spins, you will always see diamonds. Man this thing looks good. I’ve just slipped it on and I’m in love. It’s gorgeous and at .75 ctw it’s so comfortable! This is a big factor for me as I am a total jeans and t-shirt girl, even though I’m obsessed with fancy jewelry. Comfort is big. I’m actually pretty shocked at how natural it feels. The ring is impeccably crafted, which is important when you have a band with prong-work running all the way around. What you’re looking for is a ring that feels smooth when you run your finger along it. The prongs shouldn’t be rough or sharp, and they shouldn’t snag on clothing. This band’s prongs are perfection. I don’t want to take this one off either.

But I must, because the shared-prong or common prong band is up next and it’s one of my favorites. This particular example has diamonds running from roughly 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock and weighing in at just under half a carat in total weight. It’s a delicate band which is the shared prong’s specialty. Now the idea behind a shared prong is simple. Your average solitaire diamond, for example, is held by four prongs. Well on a shared prong, each diamond shares prongs with the diamond beside it, allowing for a ring that showcases the diamond without seeing too much metal. This is especially important for the daintier bands as the prongs can easily overpower the stones. The shared prongs allow each diamond to shine. There are some big bonuses to diamond bands like this one. For one, they’re hardier. Diamonds may be the hardest substance on earth but they can still shatter when hit. Eternity bands need to be given a little extra TLC to keep them looking their best. So if you have a career as a blacksmith etc, you might be better suited to a common prong band like this one, which if I do say so, looks really nice on my finger. 

Ok, so we’re at our last band which is a total departure from the others with no prongs anywhere in sight. Channel Set bands are just what they sound like. The diamonds are placed in a small channel that slightly curves over the edges of each diamond holding it in place. Quality craftsmanship is exceedingly important for these bands as well because uneven walls and diamond spacing are glaringly obvious with such a simple and streamlined design. But this ring is stunning. Simple, and unfussy, this design really speaks to my minimalistic side. So now I have a problem. 

I love them all! It’s like comparing apples to oranges. Yes, all of these bands have diamonds, but they each have such different personalities, all of which I can relate to. Some days I want to have that five stone shouting out its beauty to everyone I meet, but some days I feel a bit more like the quiet nudge of the pave. And then there are the days when I imagine that I’m Audrey Hepburn descending the staircase in my elegant gown and eternity band, but then I remember that I’m a total klutz and think perhaps the shared prong band would be better, all the beauty with half the worry right? And then my favorite IKEA catalog arrives and I’m lured in by the crisp lines of their sleek and modern designs, and I’m right back to the channel set band. But don’t worry; I have the perfect solution, winning the lottery. However even if that day never comes, I know I can’t go wrong. Each and every band is stunning and I would be proud to wear any of them.