By Jewelry & Style Expert Michael O’Connor

When it comes to the requirements of a sport car, guys know about the lightness benefit of metals like aluminum. For the needs of a family car, guys know about the strength of steel. Even when it comes to things like the space shuttle, guys know about the corrosion resistant benefits of titanium. But when it comes to jewelry, specifically wedding bands, what do guys really know about the benefits of the metals used? The answer is, “probably not much”.  What they should know is platinum is the most durable metal. Since most men don’t know this fact, many end up settling for wedding bands made from metals that are less than optimal for its purpose and for the lifetime needs of this type of ring.

Benchmark: Platinum wedding band by Benchmark

Like everything, it’s always wise to look at the purpose and requirements of the item before determining the most appropriate material to use. That’s why aluminum is used in sports cars, steel used in family cars and titanium is used for the space shuttle. The purpose of a wedding band is to signify the rarity and precious nature of finding the one person who you wish to spend your life with. It will be worn every day, so it must remain intact through a lifetime of wear.

Once you apply this thinking to a wedding band, things become clear. First, if the purpose of a wedding band is to signify the rarity and preciousness of a unique relationship, it must be a more important metal than something non-precious like steel or titanium. A wedding band needs to be a precious metal such as platinum or yellow gold. Platinum is known to be the more precious of the two metals and when it comes to rarity, platinum is 30 times more rare than gold therefore, making it the premier choice for a unique and precious symbol.

Now, the needs of a wedding band: It must have the ability to be sized (should your finger size change) and it should not change color or fade over time (white gold will). Additionally, a wedding band needs to be able to stand up to a lifetime of daily wear on the hand. Again, platinum prevails as the premier choice to meet these needs. Platinum is an extremely durable metal, which will not wear down like other metals. Platinum can be sized, and its natural white color means it will remain white over time (white gold is a mix of naturally yellow gold with “whitening” metals). Additionally, as our bodies change over time and we may develop allergies to various elements, platinum’s 90-95% purity levels (well above the 75% purity of 18K gold or the 58% of 14K gold) mean that it’s hypoallergenic.

L - Stuller: Platinum wedding band by Stuller, R - Michael C. Fina: Platinum wedding band by Michael C. Fina

Armed with this information, it makes it easy for guys to understand the benefits of a masculine metal such as platinum when it comes to important purchases like your wedding band. Don’t settle for something inferior when buying something this permanent! To view the latest men’s platinum wedding bands styles in a variety of prices, visit www.preciousplatinum.com/designgallery.

Guys have a plethora of options when choosing the type of wedding band they’ll be wearing [for the rest of their lives]. Platinum, palladium, 14k white gold, 14k yellow gold, titanium and tungsten are the most popular metal choices for men’s bands. We know, that’s a lot to take in. In fact, these choices generally feel a little overwhelming — especially if you know little to nothing about the various metals beforehand.

Lucky for everyone, our friends at Novell have provided this handy metal comparison chart showcasing eight crucial areas where the metals differ.

Click the chart for a more detailed view.

Also — don’t forget to check out www.preciousplatinum.com for more information on platinum ring styles to fit your budget.

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What style of wedding band do you plan on wearing? Let us know in the comments.

Lieberfarb Men's Platinum Band

By Jewelry and Style Expert, Michael O’Connor

I’m sure that almost every guy has been criticized at least once, by their girlfriend or fiancé, about what they’ve worn to one event or another. Let’s face it women spend an extraordinary amount of time planning the perfect look for each occasion. Guys just don’t usually think in the same way. This doesn’t mean that guys don’t care about they way they look. It just means that they don’t want all the fuss that goes with it.  They just want the right look made easy. Even when it comes to something as important as a wedding band, something that will be worn every day for life, many guys often default to, “It doesn’t really matter, just get me something”.  What many guys mean though is “just get me something that works for me”.

Well here comes the easy part, and you don’t have to be a jewelry maven to make the best choice. Simply break down the process into two steps – value and character.

True Knots Men's Platinum Band

First, let’s talk value. When buying anything, everyone wants good value no matter what you spend. Therefore, let’s talk about the material used. Guys tend to lead active lives and a wedding band is going to be worn every day, so it needs to stand up to daily activity and not wear down easily – it needs to be durable. Choosing the right woman to be your wife and getting married is one of the most significant changes that a guy will make in his life so a wedding band needs to be special and significant – it needs to be a treasured material. Following this logic, only a precious and durable material is truly appropriate. Out of the many metals available for wedding bands this places platinum at the top of the value list. Platinum is one of the most durable jewelry metals and won’t wear down as easily as others and it’s also the most precious of metals at 30 times more rare than gold. Additionally, platinum jewelry is usually 90% – 95% pure as opposed to gold, which is usually 58% – 75% pure, making it better value for the money.

Now, let’s talk character. One easy way to determine what you might like to wear for the rest of your life is to choose a character you can identify easily with. For example are you more of a James Bond type of guy? Is your style sleek and sophisticated with an easy elegance – shaken and not stirred? If so, think about rings with elegant patterns, a mix of matte and shiny finishes, or perhaps a few diamond accents. Rings like Lieberfarb’s mixed finished styling are very elegant.

Are you more of a Rhett Butler? Is your style rough and ready for anything – Frankly, I don’t give a damn? You might want to consider more angular styling and matte finishes such as Jeff Cooper’s “Duet Collection” or Ritani’s hammered style band with a matte finish.

Or are you like Clark Kent? Steel and strong on the inside, cool and unassuming on the exterior – I don’t know what you mean, Lois? Rings like True Knots’ classic platinum wedding band are perfect.

So you see? Breaking down a guy’s style doesn’t need to be all fuss and muss. Simply break the decision down to the two needs. Value, to make sure you’re getting the best for your money, and Character, to get the style that’s right for your. For all the styles mentioned and an entire gallery of ring choices, or to learn more about the value of platinum, visit PreciousPlatinum.com and find your perfect style.

By Guest Blogger: BrilliantEarth.com

It’s just one of those things. Society has decreed that the act of marriage be solemnized by the exchange of wedding rings. Not that this tradition is beyond critique. In fact, in honor of Earth Day, the next time you attend a wedding ceremony (not yours), you might even consider voicing an objection—not to the marriage, but to the rings.

Standing up and clearing your throat, you’d have at least two good points to make. First off, why must it be jewelry? Couldn’t something a tad more guy-friendly—or at least gender-neutral—be the object of exchange? And second, has anyone out there, anyone at all, stopped to consider the environmental consequences of this ring exchange?

Your first point would be self-evident. For a lot of guys, it’s difficult to get hyped up about jewelry. Your second point would require some elaboration. Something along the following lines would suffice: Rings are made of precious metals and gemstones, and mining for those materials can be devastating for the environment. Gold mining is a particularly dirty process, releasing toxic chemicals like mercury and cyanide into the environment and generating about 20 tons of mine waste for every gold ring. On top of this, in many countries around the world, mining for precious gemstones and metals is fueling civil conflicts and leading to all sorts of human rights abuses, from worker exploitation to child labor.

Happy Earth Day from BrilliantEarth.com & The Man Registry

Should you manage to complete your rant without first being dragged out of the room, congratulations. But we think that both you, and the unfortunate groom, could avoid this unpleasant scenario by first checking out Brilliant Earth—the leading provider of ethical origin jewelry. We use only recycled gold and platinum in our wedding rings, thereby avoiding the need for dirty mining. In addition, our diamonds and gemstones are all conflict-free and originate from sources adhering to the highest labor and environmental standards. We are certain that our wide selection of eco-friendly jewelry will address the concerns of even the most environmentally-ardent wedding ring critics.

But what about that other objection to wedding rings: guy-friendliness? At Brilliant Earth, we are careful to be guy-friendly, as well as eco-friendly. We’ve helped many a marriage-bound lad to select a wedding band that suits his preferences and needs. We find that guys can get pumped about wedding bands, just as girls often get ecstatic about their wedding rings. In our experience, we’ve learned that the issue is not so much the band itself, but that jewelry tends to be described in terms that appeal mostly to ladies.

We’ve therefore decided to describe our major wedding band styles in language that guys may appreciate more. The daunting task of selecting wedding bands doesn’t have to be just about choosing the perfect beveled edge or matte finish. Instead, why not choose a ring that brings to mind an expensive, high performance, luxury automobile? A basic rule of advertising is to associate your product with things your customers like. So, we’ve shamelessly taken the liberty of associating each of our ring styles with “equivalents” in the world of sports, booze, and cars. Let us know if you have any objections.

BrilliantEarth.com makes it easy for you guys by breaking ring styles down into manly categories below:

Classic Bands
Standard Description: Unsurpassed quality and elegant design. For a classic look, try our Comfort Fit Wedding Ring, featuring a rounded inside edge for increased comfort. Another excellent option is our Beveled Edge Matte Wedding Ring with Grooves, featuring a soft matte finish balanced with two high-polished grooves and light-catching beveled edges.

Sports, booze, and automobiles: Guys appreciating our classic bands may also know how to appreciate the 1961 New York Yankees, featuring the famous home run race between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle; a glass of scotch whiskey, single malt, no ice added; or a spin in a Ferrari 250, the legendary Ferrari convertible featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – using veggie-oil diesel, of course.

Nature-Themed Bands
Standard Description: Make your ring a constant reminder of your shared commitment to the environment. For instance, our Equinox Ring with Beveled Edges is an intriguing band featuring the smooth lines of a wave balanced with two high polished grooves and light-catching beveled edges. Or, take a look at our River Ring, a distinctive band that comes with a hammered, matte-finish center; two high polished grooves; and light-catching beveled edges.

Sports, booze, and automobiles: Fans of these rings may also be fans of Michael Phelps, winner of eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing; pinot noir, the light, silky red wine featuring flavors of berries and spices; and the Toyota Prius, the most successful hybrid vehicle on the road, averaging 50 miles per gallon.

Modern Bands
Standard Description: Progressive styles, perfect for the forward-thinking couple. For a modern look, try our Beveled Edge Matte Wedding Ring. A handsome band with contemporary detail, this distinctive ring features a soft matte finish balanced with two polished beveled edges. Or, try our Flat Matte Comfort Fit Wedding Ring, featuring a matte, brushed finish and a stylish, modern look.

Sports, booze, and automobiles: Guys drawn to our modern bands may also have a soft spot for the Chicago Bulls of 1995-1996, led to 72 wins by Michael Jordan, the man who modernized and defined the present era of NBA basketball; any alcoholic beverage with Red Bull, the high-powered energy drink; and the Chevrolet Volt, the promising electric vehicle on which GM is staking its future.

Antique-Style Bands
Standard Description: Vintage look, reminiscent of a romantic era. An outstanding antique-style option is our Wide Antique Scroll Ring, a handsome, antique-style ring featuring a high-polish center balanced by two rows of engraved scrolls on either side. Another good choice is our Milgrain Wedding Ring, which features fine milgrain detailing along the edges for a refined finish.

Sports, booze, and automobiles:  Fondness for our antique-style bands goes hand-in-hand with fondness for the Chicago Cubs of 1908, the last Cubs team to win the World Series; a pint of Guinness, the dark Irish beer with a tradition dating back to the 1700s; and the Mini Cooper, the popular small car with an old-fashioned, boxy, British design.

Glamorous Bands
Standard Description: For those who believe that glamour need not come at great human or environmental cost. A superb option is our Brushed Diamond Ring with Polished Edges. This stylish, modern band features a brushed center set with six evenly-spaced round diamonds.

Sports, booze, and automobiles:  Those opting for a glamorous band may also be enthusiastic about the New England Patriots, winners of three Super Bowls in the past decade and headed up by quarterback Tom Brady, married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen; vodka martinis, shaken not stirred, James-Bond style; and the Tesla Roadster, the all-electric luxury convertible able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 4 seconds, silently.

Custom Platinum channel set eternity band with princess cut diamonds

By Guest Blogger: Whiteflash.com

It is coming closer and closer to your wedding day and you still don’t have a wedding band? This happens more often than not and many grooms find themselves in a time crunch to find a wedding band in a mist of wedding dilemmas.

With today’s connection to online communities and social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, e-commerce shopping trends have increased dramatically. The traditional engagement ring and wedding band search has traveled to a new realm; the online shopping world. The ease of access to the internet has taken over most peoples lives in the simplicity of online shopping: click, buy and ship.

Statistics show that shopping online for wedding bands and many wedding items has increased in popularity with couples finding more time on their hands to go online, rather than searching the endless line of brick and mortar stores for the ever-time consuming journey. And at the end of your tedious journey you try to recount what you saw before, where is was and how much. Today’s online groom has is much easier browsing from their desk at work, while getting a coffee at starbuck’s or even more often on their phone. The search does not stop with wedding rings but also is seen in groomsmen’s gifts and bridal accessories as well. The world has become more connected…the grooms of today can browse through a stores collection located in Texas while tanning on the beach in Cancun. This phenomenon of global search has steadily become the norm. So get online and searching!

A Couple Tips on Your Search:
1) Make sure you know which metal is best for you (Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Tungsten, etc)
2) Reputation Matters (find an accredit company and look up reviews on sites such as iVouch and BBB)
3) Know how much you want to spend
4) Bring ideas for styles (do you want something you have already seen or something customized to your taste)

Custom 14K white gold men's ring with two princess cut diamonds and a wirebrush finish

Custom 14K white gold men's wedding band including two rows of five channel set princess cut diamonds totaling approximately 2.00ctw

Custom Platinum Men’s Braid Wedding Band with a Satin Finish.