RING EDUCATION

A wedding ring is a symbol that's both private and public. It's a sign of love and fidelity between you and your partner, and it also signifies to the rest of the world that you're in a committed relationship. Your beautiful wedding band is a celebration of the vows that you exchange on your wedding day, and your desire to be with your partner for eternity. While your engagement ring symbolizes the promise of marriage, it's the wedding ring that makes the marriage official. 

A wedding ring (or wedding band) is what a couple exchanges during their wedding ceremony. The terms are used interchangeably and mean the same thing.

The options for a women's wedding ring span everything from a very simple metal band to a much more elaborate style like a diamond eternity ring. A great way to start your search is by exploring Blue Nile's top ten styles for women where you can get an overview of our most popular designs, including classic platinum bands, platinum bands with micropavé diamonds, French pavé diamond eternity rings in yellow 18kt gold and 14k rose gold, and vintage-inspired styles with milgrain and fancy-shaped diamonds. 

The wedding ring is traditionally worn on the finger next to the pinky, on the left hand. This springs from the belief in ancient Greece that the ring finger was connected to the heart by a vein of love. On the day of their wedding ceremony, many women will temporarily move their engagement ring to their right hand. Once married with their wedding ring in place, they will move the engagement ring back to the left hand, leaving the wedding ring closest to the heart. 

One of the most exciting developments that we've noticed over the last several years is that more and more couples are shopping for engagement rings together—and in many cases, thinking about how their choice of engagement ring and wedding bands synchronize, both stylistically and symbolically.

Options for men's wedding rings are rapidly evolving and expanding. And while classic unadorned men's wedding bands in platinum, white gold and yellow gold are among our top sellers, we're excited to also offer beautiful designs in highly durable metals like cobalt, tantalum, titanium and tungsten, as well as wedding bands with channel-set diamonds, diamond pavé and engravable styles. 

A wedding ring set includes an engagement ring plus matching his-and-her bands for the groom and bride. Jewelers typically distinguish between a wedding set and a bridal set, which does not include the groom's ring. Outside of the jewelry world, most people use the term wedding set for both combinations.