The Rings - 6 months before

Wedding Rings: Choosing the Perfect Pair

No matter how fabulous your gown or tasty the cake, only your wedding band will be close to you always, a lovely symbol of your vow. For this reason, you should select a ring that you love above all others.

Here’s how to make an informed selection:

Narrow Your Choices

Because this is one of the few pieces of jewelry you’ll shop for together, make some preliminary decisions. What color metal are each of you interested in? Perhaps all the jewelry you own is gold, but your fiance wants a white metal band.

Compromise

Look for bands that have both yellow and white metals. Are you interested in something simple or eye-catching? What about a band with diamonds or colored gems?

Start Browsing Early

Begin looking for your bands at least two months before your wedding date. This gives you time to browse and revisit rings that catch your eye. (Browsing is an important part of the process: Don’t skip this step and buy the first thing you see.) Allow even more time if you’re interested in a custom piece. Engraving can take up to a month.

Think Practical

Keep your lifestyle in mind at all times: What’s the point of buying something pretty if it’s uncomfortable or you have to remove it often (and up your chances of losing it)? Remember: You will wear this band every day. The idea is to choose something that seamlessly becomes a part of your life. For example, those who partake in sports or play a musical instrument should avoid wide, bulky bands and opt for a slimmer ring with rounded edges (appropriately called a “comfort fit”).

Take the 20-Year Test

Don’t be afraid to be different, but consider whether the style you choose is something you’ll still want to wear in 20 years (not to mention at all the jobs, PTA meetings, and social functions in between).

Made for Each Other

If you crave a look loaded with personal significance, think of having your rings custom designed. Explore jewelry stores and galleries to zero in on what you like. Take notes and make sketches of elements that catch your eye. Most large chain jewelers do not provide custom work; stick with privately owned operations that do their own work on site. If you’re in doubt, it never hurts to ask.

Be Smart About Size

Most people rarely take their wedding bands off; they wear them through summers, winters, body changes, exercise, pregnancies — all times when your fingers swell and contract due to heat, cold, water retention and weight gain. To find the size that will best weather all these changes, do your “final fitting” when you are calm and your body temperature is normal. Never finalize your ring size in the morning (you retain salt from the night before), after you’ve just exercised (fingers swell) or when you’re extremely hot or cold.

Selected Jewelers

Anchorage Jewelry
1404 Evergreen Road
Anchorage, 254-7797

Bailen Jewelers
3907 Chenoweth Sq.
893-8930

Bailey Banks & Biddle
Oxmoor Center
426-3430

Berkley Jewelers
312 W. Woodlawn Ave.
368-9408

Brendan Diamonds
Oxmoor Center 426-7888
Galleria 589-7700
Jefferson Mall 964-3636
Mall St. Matthews 893-9936

Brown-Waterhouse-Kaiser
332 W. Broadway
583-2728

Brundage Jewelers
141 Chenoweth Lane
895-7717

Buschemeyers
515 S. Fourth St.
587-0621

Clater Jewelers Diamond Center
McMahan Plaza
458-1005

Conrad Selle & Co. Jewelers
4014 Dutchmans Lane
895-0393

Dallas Jewelers
915 Old Brownsboro Road
423-1250

Davis Jewelers
113 W. Jefferson St., 587-7707
9901 Forest Green Blvd., 212-0420

Designs In Jewelry
291 N. Hubbards Lane
896-9025

Epperson Jewelers
1995 Brownsboro Road
893-0942

Friedman’s Jewelers
4231 Towne Center Drive, 429-9389
3600 Bardstown Road, 479-3535
10327 Dixie Hwy., 933-9264

Gary D’s Jewelers
4919 Dixie Hwy.
448-9803

Gumer & Co.
328 W. Broadway, 583-8070
225 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 327-3330

Haas Jewelers
3111 Blackiston Mill Road
New Albany, Ind., 945-5996

Helzberg Diamonds
Oxmoor Center
327-0856

Henley’s Jewelers & Replacement Services
6200 Dutchmans Lane
456-0943

Heritage Jewelers
157-A Chenoweth Lane
899-3738

The Jewel Box
1250 Bardstown Road
458-3715

Karlens Fine Jewelry
1251 Hurstbourne Pkwy.
423-1400

Kay Jewelers
Oxmoor Mall, Center Court
425-8825

George M. Krekel Jewelers
237 S. Fifth St.
584-2230

Merkley Jewelers
8201 Shelbyville Road
425-8334

Merkley Kendrick Jewelers
138 Chenoweth Lane
895-6124

Moore Jewelry
2226 Holiday Manor Center
426-8972

Rogers Jewelers
Mall St. Matthews
897-9337

Royal Fine Jewelers
4505 Shelbyville Road
895-9934

S.E. Davis Co.
209 S. First St.
585-5818

St. Charles Jewelry Center
2908 Taylorsville Road
452-6544

St. Matthews Jewelers
3634-A Brownsboro Road
896-2707

Seng Jewelers
453 S. Fourth St.
585-5109

Shane Co.
2100 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy.
491-9222

Zales Jewelers
Jefferson Mall, 966-5455
5000 Shelbyville Road, 893-1386

Zemon Jewelers
Green Tree Mall Clarksville, Ind.
288-4367

Study up on the "Four C's"; most jewelers will be glad to give you brochures that explain them in depth. Here are the basics:

Cut: The quality of the cut is the main thing buyers should be concerned about. "It's the 'C' you'll pay the most for, and it's the one people see," as Brundage puts it. The cutting refers not to the shape of the diamond, but to the precise work that goes into releasing the maximum brilliance to the stone. The best cut - the "Ideal" cut-returns virtually all of the light back to the eye.

Color: This is the second most important consideration. Diamonds are graded by color, beginning at D (colorless). Though most diamonds appear white, or colorless, to the naked eye, when compared side by side, some stones will show subtle brown or yel-low undertones. You don't want to pay a higher price for a clear diamond if it's actually yellow, so choose the stone carefully.

Clarity: This is the characteristic least visible to those who will see your ring. It is graded by the number, size, color, position and type of "inclu-sions," the tiny mineral deposits that are present in all but flawless stones.


Carat: This "C"-the carat weight of the stone-is entirely up to you and your budget.

A professional appraisal of your dia-mond can be very useful for insurance purposes. The one that gives the most thorough professional evaluation is the Diamond Quality Document (DQD), available from AGS Laboratories. This independent certification evaluates the grade of cut, color, clarity and carat weight of the diamond. And, unlike other certificates, it includes a detailed analysis of the diamond cutting and a diagram that shows the inclusions present in that particular stone.

All of this information is beneficial for insurance coverage, but the analysis of cutting combined with the diagram of inclusion is especially valuable: If your diamond is lost or stolen, this makes it possible to replace it with one of equal quality. The certification takes about a week at the laboratory and costs about $75 to $100. If your cer-tificate is ever lost, it can be replaced with a file copy.

The other certification that has long been a standard of this industry is the one offered by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Its laboratories evaluate a stone's color and clarity, but not the cutting grade; however, a detailed diagram is provided.

The rings that you and your future spouse will wear are as much a reflection of your personal style as a symbol of your lasting love for one another.

Re-printed with permission:
Louisville Bride - 2001& 2002
A Supplement to Louisville Magazine
Louisville Magazine