Your wedding ring is probably one of the most important pieces of jewelry you own. Not only it is a symbol of your unity with your beloved, it also tells other people that you are married. And to make it more special and personalized, you need to get wedding band engraving.
In the olden days, wedding rings are not only symbols of the couple’s love, it is also meant to represent earnest money or the exchange of money. Before it came to symbolize the couple’s devotion and fidelity to each other, it was meant to represent an exchange of valuables.
Women only wore wedding rings until recent times when both the groom and the bride exchanged rings. (Trivia: when Prince William and Kate Middleton got married, only the duchess was presented with a wedding ring because it is customary for royals not to wear a wedding ring.)
There are two types of wedding band engraving: hand or machine engraving. Wedding band engraving by hand is done with the use of a small chisel called a graver.
The graver can come in different shapes so the engraver can play around with different looks, different fonts and typeface settings. Wedding band engraving done by machine is used by a power-driven engraver. This method usually uses a template and is much cheaper than wedding band engraving by hand.
Before you select your engraver, ask samples of his or her work. Note the shallowness or depth of the engraving. Where will the engraving be done? Wedding bands are not cheap and it will be a major problem if they get lost. You can also ask recommendations from jewelers or married family members who did their wedding band engraving.
Typically, wedding band engraving inscriptions contain the names of the couple and the date of their wedding. However, more and more couples choose to have their own unique wedding band engraving for a more personalized touch. A spiritual couple may choose a line from the Bible.
Romantic couples may choose a line from William Shakespeare or Pablo Neruda. Quirky couples may want something like “You’re mine, sucker!” or “Please return with man if found” or “Mine, mine, mine, all mine!”. Cheesy couples may want something like “I knew from the moment you” or “I becomes We and You become Me”.
Before you choose the inscription you want to engrave on your wedding band, remember that this will be on your rings forever, so be careful and choose wisely.