Photo by Jenny Rollo
In my philosophies on life and marriage I’m traditional yet unconventional and I think my engagement and wedding rings reflect that. Though when Wayne and I were picking them out I didn’t realize any of that at the time.
Traditional
I consider diamond solitaires perched atop plain gold or silver bands traditional engagement rings. But vintage or antique rings, either fashioned to look that way or because they were handed down and really are, also can be considered traditional.
Mine qualifies as traditional, because it is a round cut diamond solitaire and the band is gold. The band isn’t plain. It’s enhanced with a bit of a design and has four diamond chips set into it on either side of the solitaire. But traditional engagement rings can also have smaller stones accenting the large stone.
My wedding band is also traditional. It’s a very thin band of gold with a curved, notched nook in it where it fits against my engagement ring.
Contemporary
Contemporary rings reflect the styles of the times. These days that means bands aren’t just gold. They can be both gold and silver blended together in two-toned or tri-colored designs.
Also, it’s not just plain gold or silver anymore. Nowadays it’s specified as white gold, yellow gold, platinum, and gold platinum.
The way the diamond sits in or on the band also makes for a contemporary ring, as does the fact that instead of one large stone there may be more than one and both the engagement band and wedding band may have diamonds set in them.
Unconventional
Any non-diamond ring qualifies for this category. Diamonds may still be present in the ring, say accenting it, but the main focus is the gem, be it sapphire, emerald, tanzanite or even cubic zirconia. (The cubic zirconia really surprised me. I remember a time when women thought it would be the ultimate insult to receive a “fake” diamond, but as they do times have certainly changed.)
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