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If your engagement ring does not have perfectly flat sides, it probably won't fit with a straight wedding ring.
Although traditionally, a wedding ring was a plain gold band, running straight round the finger in a straight line, these days many wedding rings are not straight bands.
One reason for this is that many engagement rings don’t sit well alongside a straight wedding ring.
Some engagement rings are perfectly straight on the sides, which means a straight wedding ring is what’s needed.
However, if your engagement ring has curved sides, or the stone setting is wider than the band, you will find that a straight wedding ring will only touch on certain points, leaving gaps between the two rings.
This can look awkward and feel less comfortable, but the main problem is that it allows them to move against one another, which causes friction, resulting in excessive wear.
To overcome this we can create a fitted wedding ring (also known as a "shaped wedding ring")
It is designed to follow the shape of your engagement ring, swerving around any protrusions and eliminating gaps between the two rings.
The visual effect is more elegant and more comfortable, and because the scope for movement is limited, friction is reduced, resulting in less wear-and-tear to both rings.
How can you tell whether you'll need a fitted wedding ring?
To find out whether you need a straight wedding ring or a fitted one, try on a straight band of the correct finger size. - Don’t worry about the width or the design at this stage. All you are looking at for the moment is how the edge of any straight band meets the edge of your engagement ring.
Do the two rings sit together so that the sides touch one another all the way around the band? Or does the engagement ring push the wedding ring away, not allowing the two bands to sit together?
If they sit together with no gaps, then you need a straight wedding ring.
If there is a gap, you probably need a fitted wedding ring.
If the engagement ring is not straight it will touch the wedding ring on two places. One is the widest point , usually in the centre of the top, where the stone is, and the opposite point on the underside of the ring. These parts will rub against the wedding ring and wear away.
When you have a fitted wedding ring that fits correctly the two rings will interlock, and they will be in contact all the way around. This looks neater and reduces movement between the two rings, so friction is minimised. This means less wear.
Why bespoke is best
Although ready-made fitted or wedding rings are available to buy off-the-shelf in some jewellers, the chances of finding one to fit perfectly with your engagement ring are very slim. This means there will still be movement and problems with wear.
On the other hand, a bespoke fitted wedding ring is designed specifically to fit your engagement ring, reducing wear to a minimum. It can also be made with the right profile and depth to complement your ring perfectly.
How we do it
The process usually starts with us making a wide plain wedding band in the correct finger-size. The goldsmith then cuts away metal on one side so that the client's engagement ring sits perfectly alongside it. This leaves us with a shaped wedding band that fits perfectly, and is flat on the other side.
We can leave the shape of the ring with one flat side, or alternatively, we can cut the other side to follow the same curve. We then file the surfaces to match the profile of the engagement ring.
This is a highly skilled and very accurate process, which results in a perfect fit.
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