Choosing your Wedding and Engagement rings.

How do you go about the task of choosing high quality and timeless rings for your wedding or engagement day? These rings are going to be the most cherished pieces of jewelry and will be symbols of your long lasting love and commitment. These facts make it all the more important to choose rings which fit the bill both in terms of quality and long lasting value.

The first and foremost thing should be to make up your mind on the design and style of ring to purchase. This is in conjunction with the important fact that you have to wear it everyday for the rest of your life. The best way towards selection of the design and style is following your instincts and posing questions to yourself about the comfort and style provided by different designs. Engraved style or beaded edge designs are always a cut above the rest. Traditional plain gold bands will continue to be in style for many more years to come. You could also go for something trendy and flashier like a ring of channel-set-diamonds. The choice ultimately boils down to selecting a ring that is reflective of your style and personality. Couples also go in for custom-made designs depending upon their tastes and preferences. There can be many answers towards selecting and buying your ring but ultimately the choice depends on your own interpretation and understanding of style and design.

It is not mandatory to have the same matching metal bands for both your wedding and engagement rings. You can opt for similar style rings but in different metal bands. You should lookout for the metals which you wear regularly like silver, or gold. The selection of rings depends on the interplay of the style and the type of metal used in the band. Gold and silver bands are the most popular, although new and attractive metals like platinum and palladium are also gaining foothold.

If you are choosing yellow gold always look at the mark inside the band to ascertain the quality of the Gold. Usually styles are available in 14k, 18k and 24k, among which 24k is the purest variety and also the softest. If you do most of your work with your hands then to prevent scratches and damage you should go for either 14k or 18k varieties.

White gold is also another popular choice because it can be used in coordination with both silver and platinum jewelry. It is also cheaper than platinum. Platinum is an addition in the new era showcasing stylish metals which go along with almost all designs and style of jewelry. Platinum is also one of the hardest metals making it a symbol of enduring love. It is not mixed with any of the less valued metals as in Gold Rings and is thus available in the pure form. It is however more expensive than gold.

The next issue which comes forward is the selection of precious gems for your wedding or Engagement rings. The choice depends not on beauty of the gemstone but on durability. The softer variety of stones might look beautiful but in retrospect they are not the best choices to go along with your rings. Any gemstone which registers a value of less than 7 on the Moh’s Scale of hardness is not recommended as a choice for engagement rings. The Moh’s scale reading shows the ability of a gemstone to resist abrasion. Diamonds with a reading of 10 are the hardest among the known gemstones. People who do a lot of activity using their hands should preferably go for Diamonds, Rubies or Sapphires. All these three gemstones are among the hardest known gemstones on earth and they are well suited for all occasions and are also durable and resistant to abrasion.