Wedding Rings (merged) [Archive] - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

Milky_Mocha

16-01-2005, 7:04 PM

VickyA

16-01-2005, 7:06 PM

The area in London is Hatton Garden - just near Holborn.

Freebie_Hunter

16-01-2005, 9:23 PM

Mr FH and I got ours from H Samuel for £198.
I have an 18ct gold court band and Mr FH has a white gold 9ct gold D shaped band.

I did find Argos bands quite thin and the more expensive ones were the same as the ones at H Samuel but mor expensive!!

Mr_P

25-01-2005, 9:35 AM

i Must recommend you try smaller shops.. when i bought an engagement ring i went round all the main shops to find what styke i wanted and then to a small shop. they were excellent.. put it this way i got a better quality diamond that waws also larger and it was £325 cheaper!!!

MaryC

25-01-2005, 1:27 PM

We got ours from Goldfinger.co.uk

We saw a lady at a wedding fair and she came round to our house a few weeks later with loads of samples. The best thing is that they make all their rings in their workshop so if you see one you like but want it changed a little bit or a completely new design, they can do it.

I had a white gold band with a yellow gold edge with three diamonds in it and hubby had an intricate celtic design. I think the total cost for the two came to less than £300 (a couple of years ago).

Jay-Jay

25-01-2005, 1:48 PM

SmartAngela

25-01-2005, 10:10 PM

Hi If you can get to birmingham and visit the jewellery quarter, you can usually haggle for cash, loads of choice. Got my engagement ring from Gold Craft in the jewllery quarter, 30% off and another 7% off for paying cash, loads of choice and workshops making to specific designs. Hope this helps

aussielle

26-01-2005, 12:04 AM

if you do use H Samuels as someone suggested, don't forget you can gain points using your Tesco clubcard

purplepatch

26-01-2005, 10:35 AM

I'd already replied to this, but my reply's gone missing.

I just said that as previously mentioned that I got mine from Hatton Garden in London. We said what we wanted and they made it for us - the end result was stunning and much better value for money than similar rings selling on the high street. The road is pretty much just a row of different jewellers to choose from.

Mine is a gold band with little diamonds inserted at staggered intervals. I love it as can wear it without the engagement ring and it still looks really pretty :)

Mr_P

07-03-2005, 4:14 PM

Hi there.

can anyone help

Im after getting a pair of Platinum wedding rings as im getting married in July.. can anyone reccomend anywhere do get good/cost effective ones?

i went were i got my fiances engagement ring but there quite pricey.. went into argos and other high street jewellers but not all that impressed. i live in North Yorkshire so anywhere around there or online would be good.

thanks

Jay-Jay

07-03-2005, 10:17 PM

Goldfinger have been recommended on here before. I'm thinking of using them for our wedding in August

http://www.goldfinger-rings.com/index.htm

Js_Other_Half

07-03-2005, 11:38 PM

I got my platinum wedding ring in a little jewellers in Huddersfield. I'd been looking for a wedding ring, but not getting excited over it. Then went into this jewellers, who asked what I liked about a number of rings - they then made up MY wedding ring :D

Pm me if you want the name and price of the jewellers - but I can tell you it didn't break the bank, and was cheaper than some of the high street ones.

Js_Other_Half

07-03-2005, 11:41 PM

Other half has just read this thread, and said " WE were there getting the ring, and I paid for it!" LMAO

Mr_P

08-03-2005, 9:09 AM

ha ha.

thanks for the tips. i might go back to the jewelers i used. its hard because all the simple rings look the same but some vary in price! i don't understand... its a ring of metal.. unlike the engagement ring that has the diamond in it were there can be different options!

XXJULESXX

16-05-2005, 11:47 AM

Do you HAVE to have a Wedding Ring?

I have never had any intrest in jewellery and until last year didn't ever wear any. But when we got engaged the ring I chose was a really understated looking brushed platinum with diamonds set in the band. It was actually classisfied as a 'wedding ring' but it was just what I wanted so we got it.

Now Im supposed to wear a wedding ring aswell? Ideally I would prefer not to have to purchase & wear another ring, but to have OH slip this original ring on my finger during the ceremony. Does that sound really weird?

sleepy

16-05-2005, 11:51 AM

No it doesn'tsound wierd. If that's what you want it's what you should do. Every marriage is different, so why should every wedding and ring be the same.
Do what you want and enjoy it!

Lillibet

16-05-2005, 12:37 PM

When I got married 2 years ago we didn't get around to choosing a ring, it was a secret wedding & we didn't want the hassle so hubby just slipped my eternity ring (which he had bought me some years previously) on my finger. About 5 months later I found the perfect wedding ring, similar to yours by the sound of it, and hubby bought me that as my Xmas pressie (How money saving am I??). Now I just wear that one, eternity ring hardly sees the light of day, But if I hadn't found the wedding ring I would have been quite happy to keep using my eternity ring. I didn;t have an engagement ring either. After a earlier divorce a few years ago I am fully aware that the best ring in the world doesn't make the marriage!

Mrs Thrift

16-05-2005, 1:49 PM

Completely agree with the other posters - just do whatever you are comfortable with and use your engagement ring during the ceremony. It will still have as much meaning as it is the act of marrying and not the size of the diamond that's important.

Best of luck for the wedding and the future. :)

Dormouse

16-05-2005, 2:06 PM

Yep, I agree, I don't think it's weird either. No point doing something you don't want just because that's what most people do. Your engagement ring sounds lovely, just stick with it if that's what you want. :)

ribenagirl

16-05-2005, 6:28 PM

I don't think it's at all odd to not want a wedding ring - I know tons of women who only wear their wedding ring (and not their engagement ring any more) anyway - you're just doing it in reverse! :D

You don't say whether you're having a church wedding or a civil ceremony - if it's church, you'll need a ring to bless - they'll bless whatever ring you're using as your 'wedding' ring, and if that's the ring that doubles as your engagement ring, so be it! :)

XXJULESXX

16-05-2005, 10:47 PM

Thanks very much.

By this afternoon, and after hours trawling the net for something suitable, I decided I'd made up my mind, not to get another ring.

I don't wear any jewellery apart from my current ring and I don't want another one, least of all to take away the beauty of this one, just because that's the 'done' thing.

So that's what I'm going to do, thanks for your comments - bit more money to spend on my dress now!

Sheel

17-05-2005, 12:10 PM

I don't think it's at all odd to not want a wedding ring - I know tons of women who only wear their wedding ring (and not their engagement ring any more)

I've hardly ever worn my engagement ring , but i've not worn my wedding ring for years either . I just feel uncomfortable with them on , not a jewellery person at all. I did have an eternity ring but lost it and when I was given one of my late Mum's rings , said I would always wear it , but i've gone and lost or mislaid it , but to be honest I doubt i'd have worn it all the time. I can't see it makes any difference whether you wear one or not , doesn't make you any less married , although some men do get the wrong idea when they don't see a ring on your finger :rolleyes:

ribenagirl

17-05-2005, 6:56 PM

some men do get the wrong idea when they don't see a ring on your finger :rolleyes:
Yeah, dreadful, isn't it? Just this very morning I had to say, look Johnny Depp, I might have taken my rings off to do the washing up but I'm a married woman you know so hands off! ;) :D :rolleyes:

BTW, I can really recommend investing in a nice soft babies' toothbrush to clean your nice ring up beautifully :)

LilacLillie

17-05-2005, 9:24 PM

When we married...............back in the day of Feminism :) I refused to wear such a symbol, Wedding ring pah! Men didn't have to wear them, so why didn't we get that choice?
I said I might as well wear a ring through my nose (before they really did wear them in the nose).
I had also never been keen on jewellery and certainly didn't want to wear a ring. My husband bought one for the service, which I slipped off straight after and popped in my bag.
Over the years he bought me 2 more, which I also didn't wear. Goodness knows why, as I've never worn a ring in my life.
A few years ago we had our 25th wedding anniversay and our Vicar suggested as a gesture, we exchange silver bands.
We did, after explaining we both don't wear jewllery. I promptly got drunk and gave mine away and my husband put his on the cat's tail!
I do have my wedding and engagement rings................somwhere, but our kids have never seen them and I'd have a job to find them if they wanted to.
I think you should do what feels comfortable to you.
LL

shelly

17-05-2005, 10:19 PM

I'd be lost without my wedding ring.....probably sounds sad to some of you but its true.Before I got married I didn't wear rings at all.I rarely wore my engagement ring because the environment I worked in was kinda rough on the hands and I was paranoid about damaging it.I love to see my wedding ring on my finger as it is who I am....I am a Mrs now and not a Miss anymore and I like people to see that.I know commitment and love is in you and your heart but my wedding ring is my outward sign to others of my commitment and love.I also like to see hubby wearing his ring....he had good hands to start with and his ring looks real good on him....lol...

But all that is just my opinion. :D .....I don't think its weird at all jules to not want another ring......you have to do whatever you feel comfortable with.Maybe you could get a nice necklace and bracelet set to wear on the day instead?

Hope all goes well for you whatever you decide.

ditzymuppet

20-05-2005, 2:27 PM

Firstly... congratulations on getting married :D

I wear very little jewellery myself...so i can see why you wouldn't want to... maybe getting a silver/gold bangle might work? Or just use the money for your ring to a super duper honeymoon and a camera to remember your time on your holiday?!

~ditzy~ x

stec00

18-10-2005, 5:41 PM

I have a 14carat white gold engagement ring and am now looking for a matching wedding ring. As it's difficult to find 14ct gold rings in the UK I will probably have to go for 9ct or 18ct. However, a couple of jewellers have warned me that the different metals may wear against each other and ideally the bands should be the same carat. Does anyone know whether this is true or is it just sales speak? I'm tempted to go for 9ct as it's supposed to be more hard wearing and white gold has to be re plated yearly anyway. Any advice anyone has would be much appreciated...

Thanks,
Anya

Rikki

18-10-2005, 5:47 PM

What the jeweller told you is correct, the rings should be same carat. 9 ct is hardest having less gold content.
If your engagement ring is 14ct if you can't get the same I would go for the 18ct.

hex2

18-10-2005, 6:47 PM

I too have a 14ct engagement ring - and had to settle for 18ct wedding ring. My wedding ring will wear before my engagement ring as it is softer - and the wedding ring will be cheaper and easier to fix. Damage to settings risks loss of stone and 14ct repairs are less common hence my decision. The colour match was better too. Hope this helps.
Going for 18ct doubled the cost but i think worth it in the long run.

Js_Other_Half

19-10-2005, 10:47 PM

I know it mightn't be what you want to do, but keep an eye on http://www.qvcuk.com - they sell 14ct gold rings.

Freebie_Hunter

21-10-2005, 12:32 PM

White gold is just gold plated with rhodium - nasty stuff, wears fast.
14k gold is becoming more popular over here, do a google search to see if there's anyone in the UK who supplies it.
There is the option of importing it (14k gold is foreign) - I know there's a couple of (Dare I say it...!!!) E-Bay shops who do have their own high street stores selling 14K gold rings.

I'd really stick with the same carat if you can. It'll make the rings more special if you've worked hard to fnd them.

cheggers

21-10-2005, 1:15 PM

I always go with platinum.

Gold has had it's day.

Mr Eco

17-01-2006, 10:50 PM

some unusual jewellery at HeBe Jewellery if you are in the Derbyshire area. I bought a couple of rings from them at their shop but you can buy online too.

www.hebejewellery.co.uk

across

17-01-2006, 11:22 PM

please dont go to beaverbrooks i got mine there and have had a lot of trouble with customer services its a 18ct gold 3 diamond set band and a diamond fell out. its currently priced at £450 so i think it is bad workmanship for that price be careful! good luck!

in my wellies

17-01-2006, 11:36 PM

My grandma had a rose gold ring and I always loved it as a child. It was made in 1924 by her sisters husband who worked in the Birmingham jewellry quarter and weighs 1/4 oz. She died just before I got married in 1984 so I was so happy to have it. Still looks good as new to me.

Good luck with your wedding.

across

17-01-2006, 11:38 PM

yep birmingham jewellery quarter is fantastic definately worth a trip!!

Philippa36

18-01-2006, 9:50 AM

I don't recommend Goldsmiths ~ I was given a platinum band with a small diamond setting. The diamond was set crooked and when we went to complain had to pay to have them reset it. The customer service was poor too.

The rings on the greenandbenz website are absolutely gorgeous, I'll have to save that link!

november

18-01-2006, 2:17 PM

www.goldfinger-rings.com (http://www.goldfinger-rings.com/)

Here's the link for the site that Mary just recommended. The site's been recommended before and other were really impressed, we may be trying them ourselves.

Can I join in?

I emailed Goldfinger to see if they only sold to personal callers to their shop in Hatton or via online. They haven't responded so I assume the answer is only in the shop. Its a shame as I really liked one of their rings - the celtic one.

So does anyone know where I can buy 2 celtic style wedding rings (not yellow gold) at a reasonable price? My nearest city is Bristol.

scruffy96uk

18-01-2006, 8:06 PM

Does anyone know of anyany good places to buy wedding rings? doesn't matter if it's online on on the high street any help appreciated, particularly looking for platinum rings

Thanks

These are all online shops that I looked at when trying to find a ring

http://www.broughton-stuartjewellery.co.uk/

http://www.thebeautifulcompany.co.uk/index.php?cPath=221

http://www.dotjewellery.com/shop/frame_maker.asp?page=weddingrings_intro.asp

http://www.madlydeeply.co.uk/cat--wedding-rings--weddingrings.html

http://www.purejewels.com/category.asp?src=adwedrings&cat_id=patterned&cid=IYU7J4D7B6VOTSKP640SC3BU0DIYEVRR

http://www.weddingringsuk.com/acatalog/index.html

Hope this is of some help
:p

sk101

19-01-2006, 8:25 AM

I love this topic - engagement rings. The following recommendation might not help you much, though as its in another country but we ordered ours from South Africa. Platinum bands plus Emerald shaped diamond set in platinum - divine.

We were in the UK when we ordered them but we did have a relative who lived in South Africa at the time and she liaised with the jeweller. Luckily she returned just in time for our wedding. We could have done it all by email and post but the insurance costs involved would have made it less attractive.

We saved a lot by doing it this way. It was about £800 cheaper, at least.

Hi
We are having our honeymoon in South Africa in May and are planning on buying the rings whilst we are there (just going to have token rings for the ceremony).
Could you let me know the name of the jeweller that you got the rings from? Perhaps they have a website?

Many thanks
SK101

Randy Fox

19-01-2006, 9:30 AM

I've just got back from Cape Town where I proposed to my girlfriend on Table Mountain!! We got an engagement ring made out there at a jewellers called Afrogem - we designed the ring & it was made the next day

catanna4u

31-03-2006, 10:59 PM

I bought a wedding ring in January, and unfortunately my wedding is off. I still have the receipt, but it's coming up to April now, and I am not sure if I can get a full refund or not, does anyone know my consumer rights? It’s a brand new ring bought from a second hand shop (they sell new, and used jewellery)

Thanks!

looby75

01-04-2006, 12:33 AM

best thing to do would be to ask at the shop, but to be honest I doubt that around 3 months down the line you will get a refund. They might offer you second hand value for it though if they also sell second hand stuff.

roswell

01-04-2006, 2:16 AM

or ebay it

Mr Eco

06-04-2006, 1:02 PM

My friend bought a ring from Green and Benz and regretted it.

She found the same ring 3 weeks later and £500 cheaper :mad:
She wouldn't have minded too much if the customer service had been good.

stripeyfox

11-04-2006, 11:15 PM

Sorry to hear that the wedding is off.
Although the situation is unfortunate, you are not entitled to a refund or exchange under consumer law. As looby said, you best bet would be to go to the shop and be honest and hopefully appeal to their sympathetic side. Ebaying it may well be an option - at least you may recover some of the cost.

NAR

12-04-2006, 12:01 AM

Second hand value will be approx:-
Take off the VAT, then 50%. You may do better as it hasn't been worn. Sorry about the bad news, or maybe you hopefully are looking on it as good news.

Useless

23-06-2006, 2:24 PM

Hi, I just got our wedding ring today and can't recommend these people enough, the rings are absolutely beautiful, they are valued at £1235 and we paid £585 for them,they have an ebay shop but I emailed him separately he made them to my specifications and was very friendly:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/No1-Rock-Avenue

no1rockavenue@aol.com

If you don't know what size ring or what type you want just go in to the local jewellers and find out! i went to argos!:j :j

across

23-06-2006, 7:30 PM

i dont recommend Beaverbrooks i have a diamond set wedding band and a diamond came out and got lost and they were very unhelpful it cost a fortune and i also got a solitare (expensive)engagement ring there but they didnt care much. overpriced /poor quality goods is my experience of the shop.

Emms

23-06-2006, 7:42 PM

Were getting ours from Goldsmiths. Got my engagement ring there and we are both very happy with it and never had any problems with them. Were using Tesco Clubcard deals vouchers to buy them so there not going to cost us anything yay!

Emma :)

bluep

03-08-2006, 10:57 PM

I can't believe this has happened!

I went to a really nice local jewellers to order our wedding rings 8 weeks ago and took in my engagement ring that was 14ct white gold bought in germany. He looked at it closely and said he couldn't make 14ct rings as he wouldn't be able to get it hallmarked here but that he could make a 9ct or a 18ct white gold ring that would match. We chose 9ct as it is more hard wearing and I'm not really in for having the most expensive option just for the heck of it.

My fiance went and payed for and picked up the rings today (including my engagement ring that the chap was polishing) - we get married next saturday (12th of august) and when I got home from work this evening I tried my ring on and it doesn't match the colour of the engagement ring!!!!! ARGHHHH!

My engagement ring basically looks silver whereas the wedding band is a yellowly white gold - I am not happy - it is noticeable, I'm not just being picky - the ring looks a very pale yellow.

So I'm panicking as its a week before the wedding and I can't call the guy until tomorrow morning and I'm at work all the time until Sunday so my fiance can take the rings back to him on friday but I can't do anything myself. I'm mad becuase the chap at the jewellers was so nice as well!

My questions are:
1) is 9ct white gold just that colour, or can the colours differ? Surely he shouldn't have said they would match when they blatently don't.

2) will he be able to change the colour or would we have to go for either 18ct gold, platinum or silver?

3) I take it that to change the colour, he'd actually have to remake the rings and send them off for hallmarking again? Or would he be likely to give them to us unhallmarked and hallmark them when we get back off of our honeymoon

4) If we just get our money back (I think we have a right to this in this case, don't we?) can I go into a high street jewellers and buy some rings off of the shelf or do they have to be ordered in? We are both pretty normal ring sizes and we just want very plain 5/6mm and 3mm mens and womens plain bands.

I really really want to use the rings in our wedding ceremony that we will wear afterwards rather than use any old rings and then get our rings a few weeks later.

Any ideas/comments? Thanks.

15lsp

03-08-2006, 11:09 PM

hi i used to work in a jewellers and its a common problem. If your engagement ring is over a year old it will probably need Rhodium Plating again. It can either go gray or yellow. White gold is basically yellow gold with a plating to make it look white. I always recommended platinum for wedding bands & everyday jewellery as white gold will need to be rhodiumed every couple of years.

If the new ring is pale yellow take it back and they will/should rhodium plate it for you.
Some info below http://www.24carat.co.uk/whitegoldturnsyellow.html

bluep

03-08-2006, 11:20 PM

lisa_75

04-08-2006, 9:18 AM

Thanks for the explanation and the useful link. I was worried that it was the actual mix of the alloy that created the colour - made it more silvery or more yellowly, I didn't know that it was rhodium plating.

So he could plate it without having to remake / or rehallmark it? That would be fantastic as the rings are perfect apart from the colour.

My engagement ring is fine - it looks exactly the same as when we bought it 3 years ago (fine germanic workmanship!!!), except slightly scratched up by daily use - this has gone since he polished it today.

(some hope that it might all be alright then..!!)

Don't worry, replating does not mean that it has to be remade. White gold rings need to be relplated every couple of years anyway as they go yellow with wear over time. I am suprised no one told you this when you bought the ring.

I just had my wedding ring replated after a year of use and it looks like new. It only cost about 7.99.

15lsp

04-08-2006, 9:41 AM

I am suprised no one told you this when you bought the ring.

I know, we were trained to tell all customers about white gold. But the jeweller may have assumed you knew if you already wore white gold.

Basically you dip it in some chemical to turn it white. Ive used it on my yellow gold ring on the claws around the diamonds to make them look bigger :D

If you're careful with your rings ie. take them off when cleaning the rhodium will last longer. I have an 18ct white gold ring thats still as new but i dont wear it everyday. White gold on men doesnt last as long basically because they are more likely to get their hands dirty.

The rhodium should last at least 12 months so if it wears off sooner take it back & they will do it for free if you have receipt. Both your rings will need rhodium plating in the future. Your 14k ring probably has a thicker plating on but that will wear off in time.

Its quite common for silver to be rhodium plated too.

bluep

06-08-2006, 8:35 AM

Thanks guys,
I phoned the jeweller and he said no problem bring it in, he'll change the plating solution slightly to make it the right colour and then it will take about half an hour! Panic over - thanks very much, I think I would have probably lost half a stone in nerves worrying that night before the next mornign when I could phone him!! Although that might not have been such abad thing lol.

Glad

16-03-2007, 6:02 PM

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