You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. And you can’t judge a groom just by glancing at him. However, you can tell all about his style by looking at the wedding band he chooses to wear.

The days of plain ‘ol wedding bands are long gone. Now more than ever, men are expressing their unique personalities through the fashionable rings they choose to wear.  Moving away from plain bands, today’s grooms have a plethora of options that include various gems, precious metals and symbols.

We recently sat down with our friends at Gemvara to review some of the top tips for guys who are getting ready to go through that all-important ring shopping experience:

TIP – Consider your lifestyle

Unless you plan on not being married long, you’re going to be  wearing your wedding band all day, everyday. This makes it extremely important to find a ring that’s durable and will hold up to your daily activities. Whether you’re a gardener, a computer programmer or avid golfer, find a ring that’s going to be comfortable. This might mean trying on dozens of options, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Men's 'Two Roads' Sterling Silver Wedding Band

TIP – If you’re going with a gem, protect it

Guys are becoming very fashion forward with the gems that they choose to add to their wedding band. From diamonds to rubies to sapphires, they’re plenty of options for including some extra dazzle to the ring. If you do decide to go this route, be sure that the setting will protect the gem (especially important if you often work with your hands).

TIP – Know your metals

Gold, platinum, tungsten and titanium all make for great bands. Traditionally, wedding band metals have been 14k gold or 18k gold. Both of these materials are precious enough to symbolize your union and durable enough to take years of heavy wear. Platinum is an extremely popular choice for all jewelery, and especially wedding rings. One of the big things it has going for it is that it doesn’t scratch — making it extremely durable. Tungsten and titanium are not considered precious metals, however they can serve as a stylish alternative to gold and platinum. It’s worth noting that tungsten and titanium cannot be re-sized, so make sure you’ve got the correct size when you order!

Men's Sterling Silver 'Crosswalk Ring' with Black Onyx

TIP – Don’t wait until the last minute

We know that wedding planning can completely take over your life. However, you don’t want to wait until the last minute to find your band. You and your fiancee should start looking about two months before the wedding. Keep in mind that even if you find your perfect ring on day one of looking, you’ll need time to get the ring sized correctly. So don’t push it!

TIP – Don’t get lazy

It’s easy to get lazy after you get married. Caring for your wedding band is one area where husbands to tend to slack off. However, it’s really not difficult to keep this piece of jewelery clean and in tip-top shape. To properly care for your ring, clean with mild dish soap. You should soak  the ring and gently brush to remove any dust and then finish up by rinsing and patting dry with a soft cloth.

Men's 'Mortise and Tenon Ring' Sterling Silver Band with Black Diamond

If you’ve already picked out your wedding band, Gemvara can also help you with your wedding day gift to your bride. They offer some fantastic, innovative styles of rings, earrings, and necklaces designed by top talented designers. You can even personalize jewelry on their site to fit style and budget. You can connect further with Gemvara by following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook.

—

Have you thought about what style of wedding band you’ll be wearing? What will your ring say about you as a groom? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

disclosure: gemvara is a sponsor of the man registry’s groomsadvice blog

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.

—-

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

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.

Top 10 Disney Proposal Ideas – disney parks blog

All About the Groom’s Wedding Band – onewed

Star Wars Themed Grooming Kit for the Big Day – the groom says

Holiday Contest Thanking Our Troops – events by monroe

Borat Getting Married? This Should be Good – dna

Chris Henry in Accident Just After Buying Wedding Rings – entertainment & showbiz

Creative Proposal Story Told Through Photos – guy shield