How to Find a Wedding Band to Match your Vintage Engagement Ring
You’ve got a beautiful vintage ring on your finger and you love it. The trouble is, it doesn’t look like any of the new engagement rings out there. Whilst you love that fact – that’s the reason you or your partner chose it – it also means that finding a wedding band to match will inevitably be more difficult.
A classic vintage engagement ring set with a solitaire diamond held in place by prongs is the easiest to match a wedding band with. Since the prong setting is designed to raise the diamond away from the finger, there is ample room for a plain gold – or fancier diamond-set – band to sit below it.
When the silhouette of a ring becomes more exaggerated, though, finding a wedding ring to match becomes much more tricky. There is no quick fix to finding a wedding band that will work with our Edwardian daisy ring, nor our beautiful Art Deco toi et moi ring, but there are solutions if you get creative.
For the daisy ring, the setting sits close to the finger, which leaves no room for a classic wedding band. However, because the bottom half of the flower is significantly lower than the band, an open wedding band would work perfectly.
Shaped wedding bands
Choose a wedding ring that follow the contours of your vintage engagement ring
[The Maggie engagement ring paired with Lebrusan Studio's Wishbone Diamond Crown wedding band]
Wedding bands designed to hug your engagement ring are a trend that we love, particularly if they are set with diamonds or coloured gemstones, which means you can create all sorts of unique combinations. Forming a halo around the centre stone, these work best with solitaire engagement rings and can even be stacked both above and below, giving your ring a completely new personality.
Open wedding rings
The gap in the metal allow space for the gemstone to sit
[Open Cuff Flush-Set Pavé Diamond Bands by Alexis Russell]
Open wedding rings are really popular at the moment because they’re practical as well as pretty. This style of wedding band is “missing” a section so that it resembles a cuff bracelet in miniature. The beauty of open wedding rings is that a diamond, gemstone or, in this case, daisy can fit comfortably in the gap, and they look even more luxe with diamonds set either side of the space.
A tip if you are considering an open wedding band: make sure it is robust enough to stand the test of time. Don’t go for anything too dainty because, with time, it is likely to become distorted. This is especially risky if the ring is set with diamonds or gemstones, which will inevitably come loose.
An open wedding band wouldn’t work for the Art Deco toi et moi ring, though, because of its wave-like design, which poses problems because of its lack of symmetry. For swirling rings like this one, or any ring with an out-of-the-ordinary silhouette, I would recommend going bespoke.
Commission a bespoke wedding band
Design a wedding band that perfectly complements your vintage ring
[The Eliza engagement ring paired with Lebrusan Studio's Diamond Coronet wedding band]
'Bespoke' is a word that is closely associated with the luxury industry and it almost always equals expensive. But wedding bands are among the most simple of jewels, and if it's an uncomplicated gold band with no added diamonds, a bespoke wedding band can cost as little as £600. If you don’t believe me, Arabel Lebrusan, co-founder of The Vintage Ring Company, has created many bespoke wedding rings for this price, made from 100% ethical gold.
Bespoke is a particularly good option if you are among the growing number of brides who likes the idea of a wedding band that hugs their engagement ring. By commissioning a bespoke wedding ring, you can ensure that its shape follows the contours of your engagement ring perfectly and choose the details – if any – that makes it unique to you, from adding diamonds or coloured gemstones in an artistic setting to engraving the precious metal with a personal message.
Embrace the gap
Break free from the idea that your wedding band and vintage ring must sit snugly together
[The Daisy engagement ring paired with Lebrusan Studio's Altair Microset Ethical Sapphire wedding band]
However, it is just as fashionable to ‘embrace the gap’. Many women hate the gap between an engagement ring and wedding band, but it can look charming if the proportions are right. The best advice is to try things out. Often, the rings you think couldn’t possible work, do. Keep an open mind and you might be pleasantly surprised.
