Eternity necklaces, rings, and bands have the same kind of symbolism attached, that of never-ending love and commitment. An eternity ring design consists of a band made of precious metal, such as gold and silver, a continuous line of identically cut gemstones engraved or attached to it.
The Eternity ring designs are available in both half and full eternity diamond styling. A half eternity band setting will have gemstones only on the face or the visible part of the ring, which helps to both save costs and make the ring more comfortable for the wearer. And, the full eternity band covers the whole band with diamonds.
A full-eternity band will have a continuous line of rings all around the metal loop, and it is one of the most beautiful ways in which you can confess your love for a partner. Further, nowadays eternity bands are not only given to partners; they are also fit for other special occasions such as the birth of a child, or an anniversary, even. Hence, these eternity style engagement rings are preferred for every auspicious function.
Like every other piece of jewelry made out of gemstones and precious metals, there are certain specific things that one needs to consider before he forks out a hefty sum.
Before We Begin Here Are Some Common Questions Answered
How Do I Choose an Eternity Ring?
Buying an eternity ring is not as easy a task as buying a necklace or earrings. Because in this case, there are other factors that you need to take into account besides the visual appeal. The first thing you should be looking for is how good the craftsmanship is. It needs to be absolutely impeccable to avoid any future problems like stones falling off. Or it loses its luster due to constant friction from the side of the fingers. The quality has to be of the highest caliber.
Secondly, full eternity rings aren't resizable. So if you have made up your mind about buying a full eternity ring, you have to make sure it fits your finger perfectly. And you are prepared to transfer the stones to another band when it doesn't fit anymore. Then comes the cut of the stone, the setting, and only, at last, you can think about the overall appearance. So in other words, choose the ring only after you have given some thought to all these other elements. To help you make your decision, we will be going into greater detail about these various equally important aspects in the following paragraphs.
When Should You Get an Eternity Ring?
Since their very inception, they have been associated with marital bonds and everlasting love. The ancient Egyptians believed that a strong marriage can endure even death and persevere till all of eternity. The ouroboros design of their rings exemplified this fascinating belief. Modern eternity rings reflect the same sentiment but have definitely evolved in design and style. They are now mostly made of diamonds and gemstones, with lovely accents such as a halo or double halo. Because it is considered the ultimate romantic gift, it is best to get it as a romantic gesture for your partner. You should get one to mark a relationship milestone, such as an anniversary. But, since it symbolizes the circle of life, you can also present it to your partner while celebrating the arrival of a newborn in both of your lives.
Unless you are an old-fashioned guy, don't wait till your 50th or 60th anniversary to buy your lady love an eternity ring. Sure, this used to be the norm, but now people are getting eternity rings for their spouses after only a year of marriage. So, instead of choosing a meaningful relationship milestone based on society's standards, choose one that is meaningful to your journey. And commemorate it by getting a knock out of an eternity ring representing your devotion, affection, and eternal love.
How Much Should an Eternity Ring Cost?
An eternity ring can range in price from $900 to $30,000 or more. Because they come in so many different styles and shapes, with a wide range of stone quality and cut, it is difficult for us to pinpoint a specific price that is most appropriate for an eternity ring. But we can help you out by pointing out the factors that will influence the cost of your ring.
First and foremost, the cut and quality of the diamond will determine the price. A ring with higher carat weight, better clarity, color, and cut will undoubtedly cost more. Secondly, the price is also affected by the type of metal used and the level of craftsmanship. Platinum, for example, is more expensive than 18k gold. Which, once again, costs more than 14k gold. In terms of design, a four-prong setting is less expensive than a pave or bezel setting. So as the difficulty of the crafting level increases so does the price.
Furthermore, the cost of a full eternity ring will be significantly higher than that of a half eternity ring. Because full eternity rings cannot be resized, they are usually custom-made. Which further pushes up the price. So the best course of action for you will be to set up a budget. And get the best ring that falls within that price bracket.
How Do You Wear an Eternity Ring?
Honestly, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to wearing an eternity ring. You have the freedom to wear it however you want. If you want to flaunt a stack full of glamorous eternity rings on your thumb, then go for it! There are no fashion police for you to worry about. But, if you want to educate yourself on some common traditional ways to wear an eternity ring, then carry on reading.
Here Are Some of the Traditional Ways You Can Wear an Eternity Ring
Eternity rings make perfect complementary pieces to wedding and engagement rings. This is why people mostly wear them above those rings on the same finger. This stacked look is quite trendy and perfectly illustrates the growth and prosperity of a loving relationship.
If you don't fancy the stacked look, think it is too much to put on just one finger. Then you can wear the ring individually on the opposite finger. So basically, the ring finger of your right hand.
People commonly place the eternity ring on their middle finger. Mainly because its position is at the center. This makes the ring more prominently visible within an adorned hand. You can obviously wear it alone or with a stack.
Always wear a half eternity ring with the right side up. However, if it is a full eternity ring, the direction will obviously not matter, though we recommend turning it once in a while to minimize potential wear and tear on just one side of the ring.
Here are the 10 tips for buying an eternity ring:
1. Understand the symbolism:
These unique diamond eternity rings are not just a mere piece of jewelry that you can gift to your partner. It holds special significance and meaning, and giving it to a romantic partner comes with a promise of lifelong commitment.
Therefore, it must only be bought and gifted to a partner when you are absolutely sure about your feelings for each other, and cannot imagine a life without them. The history of eternity rings’ designs goes back to 2000 BC, around the time of Ancient Egyptians.
This means that for more than 4000 thousand years they have been seen as a true symbol of love, and gifting it to a person requires commitment and surety about feelings.
2. The stone:
Once you are sure about the person and the occasion for which you want to buy the eternity ring, the next thing you ought to consider is what kind of stone(s) you want your ring to feature.
While traditionally all eternity rings for lovers are supposed to feature a full or half line of diamonds, to save costs and add extra visual quality to the ring you can opt for other gemstones as well. There are various unique eternity rings and bands that feature rubies, emeralds or sapphires, or even a combination of them all!
3. Type:
As already mentioned, there are two basic types of eternity rings: half and full. While full eternity rings and bands obviously have a fuller look, they might be less comfortable to wear, especially if the stones used are on the bulkier side.
Furthermore, full eternity rings with their long line of diamonds might be obviously more expensive than the half-rings, and therefore that is also something to consider when choosing the most suitable ring.
4. The style:
Well, once you make it past the first three decisions, the next thing to consider is the large variety of styles that eternity rings and bands come in today. There is the Emerald cut eternity band, the diamond baguette eternity band, the oval cut eternity band, the pear eternity band, and many, many others.
Needless to say, you will probably want to go through each and every style, and choose the one that suits you and your partner best. We also recommend the diamond baguette eternity band, as the particular style has gained quite a bit of popularity over the past few months.
5. Metal type:
Well, no matter if you choose one of the above-mentioned styles, it is the metal color and type that most influences the overall look of the piece. Diamond eternity rings and bands are generally bought with a white gold or platinum metal option, but there are other popular metal types as well.
The yellow gold option, for example, goes extremely well with diamonds as they perfectly complement the bright fierceness and shine that the stone provides. Further, for women who prefer a subtler look to their jewelry, the rose gold option works brilliantly as it has a tender tone that is easy on the eyes and stands out without being too shiny, or tacky.
In particular, we want to recommend the emerald cut eternity band rose gold option, as it has also gained immense popularity over recent times.
6. Ring settings:
Eternity Band Ring settings are one category that you are left to deal with, all alone. This is because while there are certain benefits of each type of setting, the individual outcomes all have specific beautiful and durability related features that must be observed and analyzed, to find the one setting that suits your purposes the best. Also, these are perfect anniversary band settings for your family and friends.
The traditional claw-setting, also known as the prong-setting allows the maximum amount of light to pass through and get reflected off the stone. However, it might not be the most stable setting available.
The modern channel-setting is more stable and durable than the prong setting, but doesn’t allow the same amount of light to be reflected. It works by forming a channel on the edges of the ring on which the line of diamonds is engraved.
Finally, bar-set eternity rings have metal bars with diamonds perpendicular to the band of the ring. This setting can only be used for stones of equal size, and often the bars are as much a part of the design as the stones themselves.
7. Width:
Rings can have a width between 2 to 4 mm, and most engagement rings and eternity bands have widths of 3 mm. There are various physical features of the wearer that need to be considered in order to be sure about the width of the ring, and that is something which only you can do.
8. Ring profile:
It is the type of the size of stones that you use which will determine the ring profile. For heavier stones, more depth is needed on the band, while other rings can work better without the same amount of depth in the ring’s profile.
Following the above convention is important, because otherwise the ring might look awkward, and might have a less than perfect shape!
9. Miscellaneous:
While the above tips and tricks are important for buying an eternity ring or band, there are certain other general things that need to be kept in mind when you are buying a diamond ring.
This is in regards to the purity, source, and other general factors that we recently talked about in this article. If you are thinking about buying an eternity diamond ring, we highly recommend going through those tips, as well.
10. Personality:
As they say, and we do too, it is the personality and the tastes and preferences of the wearer that need to be considered when buying an eternity ring or band. You should observe the kind of jewelry your partner prefers, and what kind of jewelry she already owns, to get a better idea about the type of eternity ring that will best suit her.
This might be the last point, but it is probably the most important one. Each and every other aspect of this article must be balanced with respect to the personality of your partner. If you do that, there is no way you will go wrong!