Upscale Alternatives to Silicone Wedding Bands: Wed Mayhem

While silicone wedding bands are a cheap way to prevent damage to “real” wedding rings during daily use, they don’t offer the style, value and durability of the real deal.

Marriage is a milestone and one that deserves to be celebrated in style. Here are three tried and true metals that you won’t need to leave behind whether you’re headed to work, the gym or on an adventure.

01

The classic: gold men’s wedding bands

SHOP GOLD

Nowadays, rings made with recycled metals also allow you to reduce your carbon footprint and wear your ring with peace of mind.

Your wedding band is the ultimate statement piece. If you’re thinking of taking the leap, gold is a great choice for a timeless route that carries value into the future.

Pro tip: Does carat matter?

Short answer: yes.

Lower carat golds like 18K provide a sturdier, all-day option, while 14K and 10K are an even more durable choice for anyone working in manual labor.

The purer the gold, the higher the carat—and the cost. 24K gold is considered pure gold, but is too soft for wedding bands and most jewelry.

02

The trendy: platinum men’s wedding bands

platinum mens wedding band | Courtesy: Ring Bear — Classic platinum wedding band | Courtesy: Ring Bear

SHOP FLAT

For the prestige, platinum can be worth the price.

Platinum rings are an incredibly durable choice that require little maintenance. This extremely rare metal has a hefty price tag, but with the basics dos and don’ts of ring care, it should last for generations.

Tie the knot with this trending pick for a long-lasting, clean look.

A bonus: platinum is hypoallergenic, so don’t worry about your ring becoming an expensive decor piece for your bedside table.

03

Best Value: Tungsten M e n ‘s Wedding Bands

SHOP Tungsten

Tungsten rings are our top pick for two reasons: they’re affordable and built to last.

Tungsten is nearly as hard as diamond and offers the shine to match.

Plus, at a fraction of the price of gold and platinum wedding bands, the risk of losing a tungsten band isn’t nearly as nerve wracking and lets you splurge on other romantic highlights for your wedding and honeymoon.

“Tungsten wedding bands offer tremendous durability and comfort as well as personal significance at a more accessible cost.”
David, Founder of RING BEAR

These sleek wedding bands come in classic colors like gold and silver, but are also available in attractive options like with a beveled black finish, flashy colored inlays or a natural wood.

Lastly, tungsten breaks before it bends: a major safety win for anyone working in manual labor or with heavy machinery.

Tungsten Mens Wedding Bands — Tungsten Men’s Wedding Band

Put a ring on it

Whether gold, platinum or tungsten, you can even go the extra step and say I do with a one-of-a-kind ring.

Which ring tells your love story?

Note: We may receive a commission if you buy from the links in this article

Fashion

6 min

Tips An Expert Swears By For Wedding Ring Shopping

By Rudy Joon

“Putting a ring on it” is easier said than done! Your wedding ring is something you’ll wear for the rest of your life so choosing the one can be a complicated and stressful experience. At Wed Mayhem, we’re all about shopping smarter, not harder. Knowing what you’ll be going through ahead of time and how to avoid commonly made mistakes, will help you wedding ring shop with ease! Wedding Wingman Jamie Hollier, owner of Balefire Goods is here to break down everything you need to know before purchasing an engagement ring.

What does a Wedding Ring entail?

People are doing whatever they want these days, but historically an engagement ring is a stone-based ring that someone proposes with. Traditionally, the ring will be then worn by one spouse, but at Balefire Goods they’ve found they’ve found more engagement rings are being made for both fiancés. Then during the wedding ceremony the couple will exchange wedding bands. A wedding band can be more stylized but it often has less gemstones or none at all.

Most commonly, wedding bands and engagement rings are worn together. However, Jamie added that a simple wedding band is great to wear alone for situations like traveling when a flashy engagement ring can make you a target for thieves. As for the debate on which hand you wear your wedding band or whether you should wear the engagement ring on the inside or outside, Jamie finds it’s all about your cultural background and location!

Research is key!

Do some research on your preferences! Look at specific elements of rings and find references for your jeweler. Ask yourself “What materials, metals, stones, shapes and colors do I like?” Remember to think about the engagement ring and the wedding band as a complete set, as that’s how you’ll wear them the vast majority of the time and they should go together. Jamie warns don’t make the mistake of choosing a ring that’s cool now just for it to go out of style. Instead, think long and hard about what style you want to have forever.

Get sized!

We understand that it may be more fun to make it a total surprise, but Jamie recommends going ring shopping with your fiancé. You can bring in other rings to a jeweler to match sizing, but chances are it’s probably worn on a different finger. It’s helpful, but it’s never exact. Getting ring sized is really the best option as it helps you also have much-needed conversations about preferences.

Don’t dodge the budget conversation!

Your ring budget should also be one of the first things you think about before purchasing an engagement ring. Jamie says “Getting engaged can be a very stressful process, you’re signing up for a big commitment, so I think adding financial stress to that is never great. I would say start with what you’re comfortable with. You can always upgrade to your dream ring later.”

Shop in person vs online!

While you may have a wider price selection online, Jamie says to beware of any deals that are too good to be true. Jewelry, engagement rings, especially can be tricky to shop for online as they can look very different in a photo than in person.

Wedding Wingman Wisdom

“We’ve done a lot of rings for people who thought they were getting a great deal online and they get it and they end up spending a lot more because it wasn’t what they imagined and they have to get a brand new ring from someone like us.”

Go custom!

Couples that want rings that are more unique and more representative of them and their life story often choose custom rings. At the beginning of your wedding planning process, it is a nice bonding experience that’s very different from picking it out of a case. At Balefire Goods, Jamie has found a lot of people go the custom engagement route so that they can bring in their own stones or family heirloom pieces to incorporate. “You’re integrating your family and your past into your future through leveraging these pieces.” In addition to bringing a new life to family pieces, you are also saving money!