Deciding on the design for your Custom Wedding Band can feel daunting.  But never fear!  We are here and we are real people, not a factory, so we are happy to help.  The quickest way to get started is to simply email us at sales@minterandrichterdesigns.com or call us at 617-326-6671 and we can get you started.  But if you would like to read some and mull over, forge ahead as there is lots of great information below.  Another great article to help you can be found here!

A Guide to Creating Custom Wedding Bands

The Ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, explored the idea that love makes us whole again. Marriage is a celebration of this union, proclaiming your love for your significant other. This special moment equally deserves unique wedding bands.

Therefore, you should not just pick up a set of bands from the next available jeweler. Instead, it would be best to choose personalized bands that capture your story and have sentimental meanings. This post gives you a step-by-step guide on how to go about this process with Minter & Richter Designs.

Choosing a Band Style

For women, your engagement ring should be considered when choosing a wedding band.  If you are going to wear your e-ring on the same finger as your wedding band, it is important to think about how much width you will want on your finger overall.  In general, traditional diamond engagement rings are approximately 2-3mm wide.  Therefore, your wedding ring may need to be a little narrower than some since you will have two rings on.  Many women, though, decide that they will not wear their diamond engagement ring all the time and therefore want a wider wedding band.  Either way, you will be able to figure out what is best for you by using our Custom Sizers.  It is best to order your Custom Sizers in the same transaction as your final band so that you can save money on shipping.

When it comes to men's wedding bands, the band's profile and the shape are key factors to consider. Think of this as a spectrum between a flat and a domed ring. Domed is a more classic and timeless look, while the flat is more modern and contemporary. Width is also hugely important for men.  On the one hand, the wider the ring, the more you can see of all your beautiful inlays.  On the other hand, sometimes a super wide band can be uncomfortable in the long run.  Many men choose not to wear their wedding band full time, depending upon what they do for a living.

A Plain or an Inlayed Wedding Band

You also get to decide between a more traditional, plain wedding band or a wedding band that perhaps has inlays of wood or stone or beach sand, the possibilities for inlays are just about limitless. The plain wedding band is a more classic look for a man's wedding band. 

You may also decide to use a texture or finish, hammered, sandblasted, satin and mirror are just a few of the options.

Width

Personalizing your bands allows you to choose a width that compliments your hand and finger size.

Thin: 3.5mm

Midrange: 4-6.4mm

Wide: >6.4mm

For men, between 6.4mm-7mm wide is considered ideal; this is the size of 3-4 nickels stacked next to each other. 

 

Q. What are possible widths?

A. Since numbers are infinite, so are widths.  But our most popular widths are:

Q. What if my ring doesn't fit?

A. All of our rings come with a lifetime sizing exchange guarantee. So if the ring doesn't fit, or your size changes down the road, we can offer to make a new ring at 50% the cost of the current retail of the original ring. The original ring will need to be returned to us in exchange for the new one.

If you used our Custom Sizers but somehow still need a sizing exchange right away, you can get a free sizing exchange within the first 30 days after receipt of the ring.  If you did not get Custom Sizers, you are automatically eligible for the half price sizing exchange.  Because we are not just pulling rings from a shelf and are instead making them by hand, we do have to charge half price to make you a whole new ring at a new size, but again, we only do that if you did not get Custom Sizers from us.  Custom Sizers give you a 30 day window after receipt of the ring to change your size for free.  But everyone is eligible for lifetime half price sizing exchanges as well.

Another thing to remember is that EVERYONE changes size as they age and so will you.  This is another reason why our half price sizing exchange policy is awesome.  When you discover that your size has changed due to injury, pregnancy, normal weight change, you can always contact us to have a new ring made at a new size for half the current retail price of the ring.

 

Choosing the Right Wedding Band Metal

For the base metal for your ring, you will want to choose either Titanium or Inox Steel.  Both are beautiful.  Both are super durable.  Gold is like butter compared to both titanium and inox steel.  Both are relatively lightweight, though Inox Steel is just a bit heavier than titanium.  The only significant difference is color.  Inox Steel is the same bright white color of white gold or platinum.  Titanium has warmer, grayer undertones.  You can see the difference in color in the images below.

Inox Steel Wedding Band - bright white in color

 

Titanium has warmer gray undertones than Inox Steel

 

 

Determine Your Accurate Ring Size

Now, you need to discover your accurate ring size.  Before you can discover your accurate ring size, you need to let us know your APPROXIMATE ring size.  You can get that from a walk in jewelry store or simply by measuring your finger with a string and then converting that measurement in mm's to size using the chart here.  As you can see on that chart.  If you measure your finger circumference to 59.3mm, that means you are approximately a size 9.  Once we know that you are a size 9 (in this case) we can suggest proportioal ring WIDTHS for you and will send you the appropriate Custom Sizers.

Personalize Your Experience

You and your partner may decide to add additional sentimental values to your wedding bands. Engraving a personal message onto the interior of the ring is a very traditional and beautiful way to personalize your ring.  And we are happy to engrave for you as well.  

But Minter & Richter Designs can customize and personalize your rings far beyond that.  Pick your own inlay material from our vast library or send us something of yours.  There is nothing on planet earth that we cannot inlay into your ring.

The most fun way to design your own rings is to come in and do it in person!

Personal Materials Sent to us in the Past to Incorporate into Wedding Rings

Alligator Teeth

Antlers

Baby Crib

Baby Teeth

Baseball Pitcher Mound Dirt

Beach Sand

Blood

Boar Tusk

Bricks

Bullets

Car Parts

Coffee

Coins

Crystals

Dinosaur Bone

Dinosaur Teeth

Dog Hair

Dried Flowers

Football Field Turf

Gold

Horns

Human Hair

Iguana Claws

Meteorite Shavings

Military Uniform Buttons

Nascar Racetrack

Old Jewelry

Pieces of House

Plane Parts

Python Fangs

Seashells

Shark Teeth

Shell Casings

Tennis Court Turf

Wheelchair Parts

Wood

Reasons why you should customize your wedding band

● Customization gives you full control over all the aspects/features of the final product. Since you’ll be wearing this for the rest of your life, you should have control over how every aspect of it is produced.  At Minter + Richter Designs, we give you full control.

● You will end up with something personal and unique. Customizing your wedding ring is also a beautiful way to showcase your effort and sentiments behind the decision-making of every feature/design element.

● If overspending is an issue, customization helps you stay well within your budget while still creating a band you'll love.

How to Start Creating a Custom Wedding Band

All you need to do is contact us any way you would like.

email - sales@minterandrichterdesigns.com

Call - 617-326-6671

Click here and create your own zoom or in person appointment.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when buying a custom wedding band.

● Take your partner’s likes and dislikes into consideration before making the final decision.

● Ask Minter for advice.  After 25 years, I have seen it all and have lots of great ideas.

● Don't put it off.  Avoid putting yourself into a situation where you are receiving your ring in less than a month before the wedding.  We will ship your ring to you one month after you purchase the design you created.

The Takeaway

All of the points discussed have implications for your final product. But, do not forget to have fun while choosing your wedding band. At Minter + Richter Designs, we pride ourselves on making beautiful custom pieces. We would love to help create the perfect wedding band for you. Ones you can wear with the confidence that no one else has anything like it.