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Showing a full spread of sizes including, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, and 8mm.
A buyer’s guide to wedding band width
Wedding ring width refers to the mm. size from one edge of your band to the other edge. Brides tend to choose narrower bands while grooms often choose a thicker band.
Many brides and grooms struggle to understand the best ring band width for their wedding band. For this reason, we’ve put together a detailed guide showing many of the wedding ring widths on the finger. Fingers and hands help to put designs into context for a better idea of size. Please feel welcome to comment or contact us with any questions after reading our guide.
Our team have over 30 years of dedicated experience helping brides and grooms. At the heart of our service, the Serendipity Diamonds showroom provides the perfect setting to choose your designs in our private mezzanine area of the shop. We take into account all personal preferences including additional customisation with textures and engravings.
Showing the slight court wedding ring (Osborne ring design) shown on the finger
How wide should your wedding ring be?
With the big day approaching, it might be time to start thinking about wedding rings. You will no doubt consider the style, depth, metal choice, and finger size. In addition, your choice of width will influence the appearance of the wedding ring on your hand.
What is the narrowest wedding band?
2mm tends to be the narrowest wedding ring width. However, 2.5mm is most popular. This is for good reason. Most engagement rings measure 2.3-2.5mm across the band. Consequently, most brides choose a similarly proportioned band to sit alongside their engagement ring.
When considering the width, keep in mind strength and durability. Most wedding rings under 2mm are weaker than wider bands. Furthermore, medium-weight rings have greater strength. Here we show various photos of wedding ring widths, starting with a 2.5mm wide wedding ring.
Choosing the best precious metal for your wedding ring.
Firstly, we strongly advise against Silver as a choice of wedding ring. The softness and lack of durability make Silver a poor choice for long-term wear. In fact, unknown to many buyers, a regular-sized Silver wedding ring bends in a relatively short space of time.
In addition, we advise against 9-carat gold where possible, favouring 18-carat gold because of its greater durability. Other choices include 950 Palladium, 950 Platinum and 18ct Fairtrade Gold wedding rings. The latter option is perfect for any bride or groom seeking a 100% ethical choice for their wedding ring.
Hand-engraved 6mm and 4mm Traditional Court wedding rings, hand engraved in Fairtrade Gold. (Brighstone design)
In summary, also consider the following factors when buying your wedding band.
Metal choice
Ring style
Optional extras such as engraving
Finger size
Popular widths for plain wedding rings – shown on the hand
2.5mm wide wedding rings
Style shown RWD001 – medium weight court wedding ring
2.5mm is probably more fitting for female wedding rings although strictly speaking all such plain wedding rings can be worn by men or women. Here we see a simple medium-weight court profile design which is fairly discreet on the hand.
3mm wide wedding rings
Style shown RWD006 D shape wedding ring
4mm wide wedding rings
The 3mm width again is fairly slim but is a good choice where a more discreet size is preferred. This tends to be the narrower choice for men’s wedding bands, with slightly larger options proving a little more popular.
Style shown RWD002 light court wedding ring
4mm is probably the most popular along with the following width. This marks the point at which a men’s wedding ring starts to appear substantial. The 4mm and 5mm styles remain the preferred choice for regular men’s finger sizes.
5mm wide wedding rings
Style is shown RWD001 medium weight court wedding ring
5mm as we have noted above, represents a very popular choice. A slim finger or a larger finger will carry such a size easily, and whether the ring is chosen in light, medium or heavy weight, the overall impression will be the same.
6mm wide wedding rings
Style shown RWD001 medium weight court profile
So this perhaps starts to look a little large. For some, this is the desired look. A more prominent, wider band that stands out from the slimmer widths we have already just covered. From this size, it is fair to describe these bands as wider styles.
7mm wide wedding rings
Style shown RWD001 medium weight court profile wedding ring
The 7mm width now appears almost like an entirely different ring, when compared to some of the smaller sizes. The band covers a larger length of the finger and carries much more weight than slimmer styles of band.
8mm wide wedding rings
Men’s 8mm flat court wedding ring, style RWD004
Our final example is the 8mm width, which is not the widest style by any stretch of the imagination – we can go on to 9 / 10 / 11 12mm or greater.
Getting further help with your wedding bands
Our small and friendly team give excellent advice on any aspect of your wedding rings. We aim to help you find the perfect wedding ring so please contact us at any time for guidance.
For guidance on finger size order your ring size tool online via the image below. Suitable for both engagement and wedding rings.
Minimum widths for wedding ring engravings
The minimum width of an engraved design depends on which type of engraving you are having. For fingerprint wedding rings, 3mm is our advised minimum width. For dates, initials and just a few characters, we can engrave them on 2.5mm wide rings.
Minimum width for fingerprint rings
For fingerprint wedding rings, we can engrave on a 2.5mm wide band. (See product FP01) but we do advise 3mm to allow more of the fingerprint to be visible across the ring. The photograph below shows 3mm and 5mm wide fingerprint wedding rings.
How wide for a heartbeat engraving?
When we engrave your actual heartbeat on a wedding ring, we require a minimum width of 4mm to give enough space for the engraving. This service is available for most plain wedding ring styles but we have an example heartbeat ring set up to view with additional information on this service.
4mm wide heartbeat engraved wedding ring available online
What are the most popular wedding ring widths for brides and grooms?
Popular wedding ring widths for men
The most popular width for a man’s wedding ring is 5mm. Larger hands benefit from 6mm or even 7mm widths.
Popular wedding ring widths for women
For brides, 2.5mm wide wedding rings are the most popular. This is due to 2.5mm being the typical width of most engagement ring bands. A 2.5mm wide wedding ring matches nicely with most engagement rings.
Should a wedding ring be the same width as an engagement ring?
The wedding ring does not need to be the same width as an engagement ring. However, many brides choose a plain 2.5mm wide band to sit next to a 2.5mm engagement ring band for consistency. Uniformity creates a paired appearance when two rings have equal width.
Showing the 2.5mm version of the Arreton wedding ring with our Ballerina engagement ring
Factors affecting cost
Keep in mind that certain factors affect the overall cost. Besides precious metal type, the thickness and weight determine the cost. For example, a thin ring suitable for thin fingers with a narrow wedding band width will cost far less than a thicker design. At the same time, a wide wedding band often dominates the finger far more than a finer, subtle design.
Do you need further help getting the correct width?
Don’t forget that we have a small and friendly team of wedding ring experts at the end of online chat. Jump onto chat, or email us for any help you need—no matter how small the questions, we are glad to help.
The post Popular Wedding Ring Widths Shown on the Finger appeared first on Serendipity Diamonds Blog.
