Lost wedding ring - need to buy a new one

[Phileas Fogg]

I think the "patina vs. polish" discussion is interesting. I was shopping at a jewelry store once and the clerk offered to polish my very banged up wedding ring. I wouldn't think of it...I like all the knicks and scratches.

But I don't hesitate to have my watches polished, even though it's a no-no in terms of collecting/resale value.

i think for a tool watch the patina (nicks and scratches) is fine. For fine jewelry, and I consider a wedding band fine jewelry, I think polished is best. The whole idea with gold is for it to shine and give off some radiance.

 

[double00]

a jeweler was walking me through yg alloys, he was pointing out that american gold tends to be somewhat green compared to european alloys which can be redder, the differences can fairly subtle until you notice them but it is more obvious with a brushed finish or that cottony matte patina that just happens over time.

my band is tiffany and is def on the greener side of yellow gold, i went with 4.5mm which has been great but i could have gone 6mm and been happy too. i happen to love the use patina , i had to resize and was a bit bummed that they basically just recast the ring but it's all just a part of it `

 

[breakaway01]

I don't know, if you're just looking for a plain 950 platinum wedding band, and you're not looking for a specific design unique to a particular brand, IMO why pay the premium for the Tiffany or Cartier (or whatever) brand name? Not sure why the brand name band would be any more durable than a generic band made of the same material. Blue Nile (for example) offers a 6 mm comfort-fit 950 platinum band for $1150.

 

[JohnGalt]

I don't know, if you're just looking for a plain 950 platinum wedding band, and you're not looking for a specific design unique to a particular brand, IMO why pay the premium for the Tiffany or Cartier (or whatever) brand name? Not sure why the brand name band would be any more durable than a generic band made of the same material. Blue Nile (for example) offers a 6 mm comfort-fit 950 platinum band for $1150.

yup, unless there’s a difference in gram weight that drives the difference in any way. If I go back to a regular domed band, I’ll likely just go to our regular jeweler. They treat us well and it’ll be another opportunity to check in on the watch I have on order for my wife.

 

[Patrick R]

I've been wearing a Tiffany platinum wedding band for 19 years and it's been very durable. It still looks like a plain platinum wedding band. The surface is no longer mirror-smooth -- since I've been wearing it daily for 19 years -- but it's perfectly intact, no chips or severe scratches. It was a luxury purchase at the time but it's held up very well.

Mine’s 11 years old, otherwise my experience is identical.

 

[usctrojans31]

many people don’t care about their rings and just want to get the cheapest thing. Hence the uptick in non-luxury metals being used.

I've heard from people in three camps when it comes to the non-luxury metals:

• Price
• Lightweight
• Want something original

 

[American_Psycho11]

You can buy wedding bands at Costco? Holy Hell...

You can buy basically anything from Costco. They have a lot of jewelry there for very affordable prices. They have lab created diamonds for great prices if you're not someone who cares about the lab created vs dug up from the ground debate. Personally, lab created is way more ethical and less destructive and it's quite literally the exact same thing

 

[American_Psycho11]

I've heard from people in three camps when it comes to the non-luxury metals:

• Price
• Lightweight
• Want something original

I really think the "alternative metals" rings are going to age really badly in a few years. They're popular now I think because many millennials are at the ages where they're getting married and they want to be different as well as spend less, so they look at ceramic, tungsten, carbon fiber, etc. rings. But having a chunky black ceramic wedding band with red inlays may seem cool when you're in your 20s but when you're older it will seem really tacky. There's a reason plain or very simple gold, platinum and similar bands are so common after all these decades. They will never go out of style and always look good

 

[JohnGalt]

You can buy basically anything from Costco. They have a lot of jewelry there for very affordable prices. They have lab created diamonds for great prices if you're not someone who cares about the lab created vs dug up from the ground debate. Personally, lab created is way more ethical and less destructive and it's quite literally the exact same thing

I bought my wife 5ctw vvs1 I hoops there. Returned her 3ctw ones (she didn’t notice) and upgraded. Excellent quality and price. Real diamonds, not lab - can’t speak to those.

 

[JohnGalt]

I really think the "alternative metals" rings are going to age really badly in a few years. They're popular now I think because many millennials are at the ages where they're getting married and they want to be different as well as spend less, so they look at ceramic, tungsten, carbon fiber, etc. rings. But having a chunky black ceramic wedding band with red inlays may seem cool when you're in your 20s but when you're older it will seem really tacky. There's a reason plain or very simple gold, platinum and similar bands are so common after all these decades. They will never go out of style and always look good

bingo. It’s amusing reading on Redditfor example the hive minds of children buying garbage. They all think they’re outsmarting the world.

 

[usctrojans31]

I really think the "alternative metals" rings are going to age really badly in a few years. They're popular now I think because many millennials are at the ages where they're getting married and they want to be different as well as spend less, so they look at ceramic, tungsten, carbon fiber, etc. rings. But having a chunky black ceramic wedding band with red inlays may seem cool when you're in your 20s but when you're older it will seem really tacky. There's a reason plain or very simple gold, platinum and similar bands are so common after all these decades. They will never go out of style and always look good

bingo. It’s amusing reading on Redditfor example the hive minds of children buying garbage. They all think they’re outsmarting the world.

It depends on the metal and the design. The over the top titanium with black inlays, etc. are indeed ridiculous on a person in his 30s or 40s.

I have an alternative metal wedding band — tantalum — but it's a 4 MM comfort fit dome, so the only thing atypical about it is the color. Heck, I can still resize it unlike titanium or any of the more common alternative metal.

I fell in love tantalum's color in 2010 when I first had an FP Journe Chronometre Bleu on wrist, and I still love the look years later. Added benefit is that it works with steel or rose gold watches.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Personally, lab created is way more ethical and less destructive and it's quite literally the exact same thing

I’ll admit I don’t know diamonds, but does lab made cost the same as mined? I mean, carat for carat, cut for cut, is the cost the same?

 

[Rugger]

Cobalt ring from bluenile. Affordable and perfect in every way.

 

[American_Psycho11]

I’ll admit I don’t know diamonds, but does lab made cost the same as mined? I mean, carat for carat, cut for cut, is the cost the same?

It costs less but it is literally, scientifically, the exact same thing. A diamond is made of 100% carbon compressed into a crystal structure. Whether it was made in a lab or in the ground over millions of years it's still a diamond. You pay the DeBeers tax to say your diamond was mined from the ground, probably unethically, instead of a lab

 

[pendragon]

18k gold is 18k gold is 18k gold. Ditto the equivalent platinuim. Doesn't matter where you buy it, or what brand, the durability will be the same. Design is something else.