Contemporary Wedding Rings

What makes a wedding band contemporary?

Its structure. A contemporary band gets its character from its shape, its texture or the way a stone sits in it, rather than from the metal alone. Ours are mostly men's designs:

• Three-section bands are divided by two grooves, with a single diamond at the centre: a round brilliant in Gabriel, an Asscher cut in Augustin, an oval set east-west in Florian and a baguette in Sébastien. The square Asscher and rectangular baguette echo the band's straight lines; the round and oval soften them.
• Émile has a hand-hammered face between polished bevelled edges, so it catches the light differently from every angle.
• Julien carries a row of channel-set baguette diamonds along the band.
• Raphaël looks like a plain polished band, with a row of diamonds set into the inner rim that only the wearer sees.

For women's bands in the same spirit, see Tahlia, with clusters of round and marquise diamonds, and Marguerite, a half eternity of east-west ovals.

Which contemporary details suit everyday wear?

The ones that protect the stones and hide scratches.

• Channel settings hold the stones flush between two walls of metal, so nothing stands proud to catch on clothing or knock against a desk.
• Hammered finishes hide everyday scratches far better than a high polish. Over the years the texture softens towards a polish where it rubs, and it can be refreshed in the workshop.
• Hidden diamonds sit on the inside of the band, so there's nothing on the outside to knock at all.

Our verdict: if you work with your hands, choose a hammered band or hidden diamonds. If your work is gentler, any of the diamond-set designs will wear well.

Do contemporary wedding rings have to be tungsten or titanium?

No, and it's worth knowing why we don't use them. Many bands sold as contemporary are made from tungsten carbide, titanium, ceramic or cobalt-chrome. They resist scratches and cost less, but they can't be resized at all: the tools a jeweller uses either can't cut them or would crack them. If the fit changes, the ring has to be replaced.

We make every band in gold or platinum, so a contemporary design can still be resized, polished and repaired for life. Our bands include one complimentary resize within 12 months, though bands with stones further around the finger may be limited, so ask before you order.

How much does a contemporary wedding band cost?

Metal decides most of the price, and diamonds are included in the price shown. The same design costs least in 9ct gold, more in 14ct, and most in 18ct or platinum, which we price the same. Yellow, white and rose gold cost the same.

Weight makes the difference between designs. Our three-section bands are the heaviest in the range, so for them the step from 9ct to 18ct is the biggest. Gold prices have risen sharply while lab-grown diamonds have become far cheaper, so a single diamond adds much less to a band than moving up in purity. If budget matters, 14ct is about 10% harder than 18ct and costs noticeably less, which suits a band worn every day.

Women's or men's: who wears a contemporary band?

Anyone. Most of our contemporary designs are men's bands, wider and heavier than the slim women's bands made to sit beside an engagement ring. If you'd like a plain band instead, see our plain wedding rings, and for bands that mix metal colours, see two tone wedding rings.

Start three to four months before the wedding. Bands are made to order in around three weeks, and engraving adds time. Our men's wedding bands page covers widths, comfort fit and sizing, and you can book a free consultation to see a design in person or by video.