How to Choose an Engagement and Wedding Ring That Work Together

It’s not always easy to choose an engagement and wedding ring that feel comfortable, and look good together. What’s more, planning your wedding is a busy time, so it’s easy to slip into the trap of not ordering your wedding rings on time.

Here’s a complete guide to getting your rings right for the wedding day – and for the rest of your life!

1. First things first: ring size

First and foremost, get the ring size right. DIY measurements almost always end in disappointment, so use a proper method instead:

• A ring sizer app on your smartphone
• A ring sizer tool (we’ll send you one for free)
• Visit a jeweller and have your finger measured

Rings from our Unique Engagement range 

2. The engagement ring

Do you have an engagement ring already? If so, just skip to the next part!

About engagement ring styles
When considering engagement rings, the main thing to think about is the design. Will the bride love it so much she’ll want to wear it for a lifetime? This may sound like a no-brainer, but many people who shop alone for a ring get fixated on the diamond quality or the ring’s technicalities.

When researching engagement ring styles, start by looking at her clothing. If she likes understated, elegant outfits, then a simple solitaire is best. If she prefers big, luxurious accessories, you should buy a more extravagant ring. You can also get great advice from the bride’s friends or sisters, because they’re closest to her and will understand her taste.

View now | Blue and Pink Sapphire Diamond Halo Rings

Most popular engagement ring designs:

• Solitaire – one single diamond
• Halo – a solitaire diamond that’s surrounded by smaller stones
• Sidestones – additional diamonds on the ring’s band
• Cluster – many small diamonds set together to create a larger shape
• Gems – colourful gemstones like sapphires, emeralds and rubies

View ring styles: Solitaire, Halo, Sidestones, Cluster, Sapphire

Choosing the metal colour:

Next, you should decide on the precious metal for the ring’s band. A classic, traditional (and some do say old fashioned) choice is yellow gold. Next, you have the white precious metals that are the most popular right now: white gold, platinum or palladium. You could also go for rose gold, which has a delicate pink tone and has become very fashionable recently.

Choosing the metal quality:

18K gold (whether yellow, white or rose gold) contains 75% gold and therefore it’s more expensive than 9K gold, which only contains 38% gold. Platinum is the toughest and most lasting of all the precious metals, but it’s also the most expensive. If you can afford it, this would be the metal most recommended by jewellers because if its aptness for a lifetime of wear.

View now Martini Rose Gold Diamond Ring

How sparkly is your diamond shape?
Most brides expect their diamond to sparkle. Because the ‘sparkle factor’ depends on the diamond’s cut, it’s useful to understand the effect your diamond shape has on it:

• Round brilliant cut – The sparkliest shape
• Princess cut – Square, almost as sparkly as the round cut
• Marquise cut – Two rounded sides tapering to points, medium sparkle
• Pear shape – Like a teardrop, medium sparkle
• Emerald, baguette and cushion cuts – Rectangular shapes with  flat top, give off long flashes of light rather than sparkle
• Cushion Cut and Prince Cut – modern variations on the traditional princess cut and emerald cut, but with much more sparkle!

View ring styles: Round, Princess, Marquise, Pear, Emerald Cut, Cushion, Prince Cut

Diamond quality
Familiarise yourself with diamond quality basics, but don’t get too hung up on the jargon – a trustworthy jeweller will help you find the best diamond grade for your budget. Want to learn more? Read our 5 Most Asked Diamond Questions.

Small budget? Buy a cluster ring!
If you know she wants a big ring but you have a small budget, buy her a diamond cluster ring. This means that the ring is made of lots of small diamonds grouped together, rather than one solitaire diamond. Several small diamonds will actually cost you less than one big one. For instance, the below ring looks stunning but costs less than £600 – click on it to find out more.

View now Galileo Diamond Cluster Ring – Approx. £575.00

3. The wedding ring

It’s vital that your wedding ring sits comfortably next to your engagement ring.

You can mix metals
The first thing you should know is that your wedding band and engagement rings don’t have to be made of matching colour metals. It’s fine to have a yellow gold engagement ring and a white gold or platinum wedding ring, or the other way round. Queen Elizabeth II’s rings are perfect proof that this is acceptable etiquette!

How to combine vintage styles
It’s OK to mix and match different vintage styles as long as the designs are along the same lines. Just try to avoid extreme differences in design eras, to not clash. For instance, a classic gemstone engagement ring can look great with a diamond eternity wedding band. But an ornate Victorian style halo engagement ring might not go that well with a modern wedding ring with geometric lines.

Diamond wedding ring or plain band?
A plain band is beautiful, classic and traditional. However, if you want spectacular sparkle, choose a wedding band with diamonds. These come in two styles: with diamonds on entire ring or with diamonds on top of the band.

4. Some solutions to engagement rings that don’t fit together with a wedding band

If you have an engagement ring with a large stone or an unusual shape, it can leave a gap between itself and the wedding band. This is because it pushes your wedding ring away. Apart from not looking great, it could feel uncomfortable.

Here are 2 easy fixes to this problem:

Solution 1 – Wishbone Rings: These have a V-shape that gives space for the engagement ring stone.

Solution 2 – Bridal Sets: There are a couple of ways to avoid this problem. One is to pick a bridal set with a perfectly matching wedding band and engagement ring. These come as a set and are made to fit together so that the wedding ring “curves” around the engagement ring’s stone.

View now | Perfectly Matching Engagement & Wedding Ring Set

Solution 3 – Contoured wedding rings: Some engagement rings have a choice of separate “contoured” wedding bands to fit the stone shape. Even if you already have an engagement ring, a contoured band like this could fit around it. Since you can buy them separately, unlike wedding sets, this can be a good solution:

Buy these rings separately:
Carly engagement ring, Carly wedding band,
Anais engagement ring, Anais wedding band

5. One final VERY important tip

Always order your rings about 3 months before your wedding. Most jewellers don’t carry all the sizes and styles in stock, so you may have to order in advance – this could take a few days, or several weeks. In order to get the rings you truly want, do order early.

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