Something New

I previously told you about myone-of-a-kind engagement ring. I LOVE my ring. What I didn’t love? How difficult it was to find a wedding band to match! When we started looking, I was initially drawn to dainty channel bands, but I really hated the gap between the e-ring and band and every band I tried looked too new next to my antique ring. 

Because of my ring's design, I was told that no band would sit flush against it, unless I got an “enhancer” type band custom made. 

Engagement ring encancer/ image via Gordon's Jewelers

I was telling Grandma Waterfall about the difficulties I was facing finding a wedding band when she graciously offered her old wedding band (her and Grandpa Waterfall divorced when my dad was six years old). Despite complementing my engagement ring beautifully, the band was much too small for my fingers and needed to be resized, on top of having a missing stone. Upon taking it to a jeweler, I was told that once the band was resized, I would be faced with the same problem of having a gap, so I kept looking.

Grandma Waterfall`s wedding band (left) and Nanny Waterfall`s engagement ring (right) / personal photo

As a side note, let me just say that I was extremely shocked with the price of diamond bands! Not having looked at engagement rings, I had been somewhat shielded from sticker shock until that point. I was also extremely protective of my ring and got very upset whenever I perceived that a jeweler or sales person was giving it a dirty look. I remember leaving one store in tears because I felt so inadequate with my tiny ring budget. I’ll never forget what BM Green Eyes said when I told her: “Remember, this is one of the only things that will remain after the wedding. You have to wear it every single day for the rest of your life. This is NOT the place to be frugal”. 

But this story does have a happy ending! After visiting a million jewelry stores and trying on a ton of rings, I finally found one that I didn’t want to take off while on a dress fitting trip to Vermont! It's a 0.75 carat, white gold band from Hannoush Jewelers. In the end, I chose a prong setting instead of a channel setting, and even though it doesn’t sit flush, I think it really complements my ring. I also have the option of wearing the band by itself, which would be impossible with a custom enhancer. 

While I spent more than anticipated, I think it was worth it in the end. I also paid to replace a stone that had fallen out of my e-ring and had it replated, and what a difference it made! White gold yellows over time and while I couldn’t tell when my ring was by itself, it was quite noticeable when placed next to a brand new, white gold band. When I came to pick up my ring two weeks later, I actually cried at how gorgeous and sparkly it looked. Totally worth having a naked ring finger for two weeks!  

 

As for Mr. Blogger, the man tried on TWO rings, picked the one he liked and walked out with it. (Ok, actually, I convinced him to keep looking because I thought he couldn’t possibly buy the second ring he tried on; after going to five different stores, he came back and purchased the ring he had initially liked. Boys are so simple!). He picked a classic beveled white gold band with a milgrain edge. At first he wanted yellow gold, but we decided white would be better to match mine. Here are both rings together.

How did you choose your rings?

*All photos personal