<p>I had a look at wedding rings at Zale’s website yesterday and was fairly surprised to see that most rings are now made of titanium, cobalt, stainless steel and graphits. Gold rings are around $600-$700 and platinum is above $1,000. When we were married, our wedding rings were under $100 (I believe that they were either 10K or 14K - my vision is too poort to look right now). The engagement ring was the expensive piece.</p>
<p>I have no idea as to what engagement rings cost today or what materials they are made of. I don’t think that diamonds are particularly scarce but the supply is somewhat constrained to prop up the market.</p>
<p>My BC ring was a few hundred dollars (huge 14K ring) - my son got his ring this past spring and I think that it was well over $1,000. I don’t really pay much attention to jewelry as I generally avoid it as it is somewhat of a headache to deal with for weightlifting. But I can wear my wedding ring again, and I can get it off easily so it’s not as bad as it used to be.</p>
<p>Anyone out there surprised that they’re carrying a decent chunk of change on their hand all the time (for those that don’t regularly wear their engagement ring)? What are your kids looking at for wedding rings these days? Traditional gold/platinum or other metals? Does it really matter that much today to the younger generation?</p>
<p>What’s a BC ring? I was interested when my son was looking at high school class rings a few years ago, all the strange materials many of the choices were made out of.</p>
<p>I just wear a plain gold band, but I guess it is worth more than I thought.</p>
<p>I think maybe op went to Boston College, skyhook. </p>
<p>When I recently took some old gold for trade in, I got about $100 each for the gold rings, and $130 for a modest platinum ring that was at one time a wedding band. They charge a lot more for them than you get on a trade in. </p>
<p>D will be getting her HS ring this year. Since she chose a public school over the much more expensive private alternatives, I’ll let her get whatever material she likes. Girls are more likely to wear them as jewelry past HS than boys, although S is still wearing his now that he is a college freshman. No one getting married here any time soon.</p>
<p>BIL spent a fortune on beautiful platinum rings with many diamonds for his wife in 2003. They are divorcing now. :(</p>
<p>I recently learned of a diamond synthetic called moissanite.
I know someone who set the synthetic stone into a platinum engagement ring setting.</p>
<p>My wedding ring was $100…and I love it…gold. My engagement ring was free…a family ring…</p>
<p>The rings I’ve seen recently are gorgeous but very pricey. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t gotten either gold or platinum for the metal in their rings (young couples we know who have gotten married).</p>
<p>I like looking at wedding/engagement rings. You can kinda tell when the bride was married by the metal. My mom (1960s) wore white gold. I was 1990 and chose yellow gold. These days, yellow gold is virtually unheard of, while platinum and the other “silver color” metals are in. </p>
<p>Oh, and it seems to me, that solitaires are “out.” Multi-stone rings are popular.</p>
<p>^ I’ve noticed that too. My yellow gold diamond solitaire engagement ring that I thought would always be classic now looks dated. I still like it though and that’s what’s matters.
It seems as if all of the brides I know choose platinum now, I have never heard of stainless, titanium, etc.</p>
<p>D and new husband picked titanium bands for their recent wedding. Hes a civil engineer and wanted the sturdiest metal around to wear in the field. They wanted to match though the custom now isn’t matching…bride usually matches her engagement ring.They are beautifully cut with facets and sparkle in the light as if they had stones in them. D does not wear a diamond. I didnt ask the price but they look costly.</p>
<p>I used to love yellow gold, but now I think it looks very dated. I wear my granmother’s white gold wedding band from 1919, vintage diamond solitaire in platinum setting, and coordinating thin diamond eternity ring, also vintage from the '30s. </p>
<p>My cleaning helper, age 20, was married this past summer. She has a diamond solitaire in white gold and coordinating wedding band with tiny diamonds. I don’t think diamond engagement rings are going out of style any time soon.</p>
<p>People are different. I cannot wear anything, I wil leave my ring by the sink, I am 100% sure of that. I cannot wear any jewlerly, I wear only baby earings because they have screws on a back, I have already lost one (gold too), becuase it did not have screws, just reqular backs. I cannot even wear wrist watch, it bothers me. Well, my S. has bought his wife very expansive antigue paltinum ring (over $3000) at the time when he could not afford anything at all, his car was literally falling apart, it was just that old. She loves it!! But it was many years ago, about 14 years ago. You can also buy whole set for about $60 at Miejer, we have few at home, I have no idea why. They are 10K gold with real diamonds, they were 90% off if you can believe the original price on a box (I am not sure about that). So, here are my examples. My H. and my S. do not wear their rings either, nor they wear any jewlerly at all, which is fine with me and my DIL. Too early for my student D., she should (will?) wait untill she is done and she is in her first year. However, I wonder how it will go as she does not wear rings (she has many gold pretty rings that she really likes, but never wears them), while she loves wearing other type of jewlerly, like necklaces and earings.</p>
<p>@#1 A marketing person from Zale’s once cornered my then 16 yo son in the mall and gave him his first credit card. That would explain why Zale’s is selling rings made of cheaper materials - they market to teenagers.</p>
<p>I recently shopped for new wedding rings for my 30th wedding anniversary and the whole “blood diamond” thing turned me off to the process.</p>
<p>Class rings were such a huge deal when H & I were in HS (not sure if because we went to Catholic schools), but D1 had no interest in a class ring and none of her friends had them. I was happy with that - one less expense. Years ago, I looked at a bond deal with the parent company of Jostens and was surprised that you can now order school rings from WalMart and other online sites, so the alure & exclusivity has gone away.</p>
<p>I didn’t know that yellow gold was out of style for jewelry. I was looking around to see if our ring styles were still available. My guess is that it isn’t - it would be nice to have a set in platinum.</p>
<p>One of my tennis regulars mentioned that he noticed that I was wearing my ring again. It stands out because the design is very good at scattering sunlight and it contrasts with my dark hands (lots of outdoor tennis this summer). I have to be a little careful with a wedding ring while playing tennis as it’s easy to knick the throat of the racquet as I hold it with the left hand.</p>
<p>I guess that there is quite a markup on gold rings but I wouldn’t have guessed 600%. I do mean to buy another Platinum Eagle (US one ounce platinum coin). I have one of them that I keep with me - I generally don’t collect them as they have poor liquidity but I wanted to have one. Now I’m thinking of getting another to give to the kids at some point. The thing is that they’ve more than doubled in value since I bought the one that I keep with me.</p>
<p>I like the idea of platinum for jewelry because it is so durable. I think that yellow gold stands out more as an accent. I also think that silver jewelry is interesting (especially wrist bands) for the antibacterial properties.</p>
<p>Maybe silver has antibacterial properties but it tarnishes on my wrist AND makes me break out in a rash. </p>
<p>I’m very happy with the rings I have and have no interest in getting replacements.</p>
<p>We have some family jewelry here that will be given to our kids…they are gorgeous vintage platinum setting rings…and hopefully someone will want to use them as engagement rings (before <em>I</em> have to schedule the reception in the dining hall of the assisted living).</p>
<p>I’ve lost the diamond solitares out of not one but two gold engagement rings. No more for me. My small gold wedding band looked kinda funny by itself. So I bought myself a wide stainless steel band with filigree engraving. I wear it all the time and love it…no more snagging a stuff with the tall engagement ring setting. I sold the thin gold rings that the diamonds were set in.</p>
<p>I have my mother’s gold (1947) engagement ring and my father’s wedding ring which I had cut down to my size. I wear them sometimes on dress up occasions.</p>
<p>My twenty-six yr. old niece got married in April. Her rings are platinum but her husband chose yellow gold.</p>
<p>I recently had to replace my husband’s yellow gold wedding band. Got it at the same jewelry store we got my engagement ring. It was under $300 to replace it. This was a manufacturing jeweler that sells pretty high end stuff. Places like Zales (I use to work at one in HS) tend to mark their stuff up pretty high, so they can negotiate with you the same way car dealers do.</p>
<p>Gold isn’t as popular at the moment (but who knows, with gold price’s skyrocketing, it may come back in favorite). I agree - wedding ring materials tend to run in trendy cycles. In the late 50’s, everyone had white gold or platinum rings. Then yellow gold was the thing. Now, platinum or silver jewelry is all the rage. My grandmother’s were platinum ( late 30’s). My MIL’s rings are platinum (60’s) mine are yellow-gold (80’s).</p>
<p>It might be interesting to get rhodium rings. Rhodium is sometimes used as the outer coating for yellow-gold rings. Silver rings too to prevent tarnishing. It appears that rhodium as in a huge bubble a few years ago. It was about $5,000 an ounce in 2006 and then went up to $10,000 an ounce in 2008 and is now about $1,900 an ounce.</p>
<p>I believe that it has better ring properties (hardness, durability, resistance to chemical reactions) than any other precious metal. The downside is that making jewelry is quite hard with it because it has a very high melting point and isn’t malleable.</p>
<p>Our rings, late 70s are yellow gold. My engagement ring is platinum and sits right next to the yellow gold. I have already promised my son some extra diamonds (when he wants them) to put into an engagement ring. She mentioned white gold is her preference.</p>
<p>Our rings were in the $100 range when we bought them…$10 extra for engraving. And we said a lot for that ten dollars.</p>
<p>I also have a yellow gold wedding band (didn’t want an engagement ring) which I am seriously considering altering slightly by adding white gold along the edges. I think that will update it a bit, and look better with my other jewelry which is mostly silver.</p>
<p>I don’t wear a wedding ring band nor does my husband. We didn’t exchange rings when we got married. He bought me a diamond in a unique shaped band for an engagement present and I’ve worn that every since. It’s gold and the diamond is marquis cut but I haven’t had it appraised in decades. He bought the band and the stone separately and I think it was around $1000 back in the mid-eighties so who knows…I think gold was “expensive” back then. I haven’t looked at wedding sets since I was young. Next time I’m out and about I think I’ll peek.</p>