So my FH has never worn jewelry before and was thinking of getting a less expensive alternative material wedding band because he's an active person and is worried he will lose his wedding band (I'd say this is a realistic concern). Aesthetically, he likes the look of a 6mm wide silver colored ring in a non-polished finish (satin/matte or brushed), classic curved/domed exterior profile, and prefers at least a slight comfort fit (court profile) as opposed to a flat interior band.
We went to look at a variety of bands, and found that most of the alternative material rings were really deep (as in how thick they are from the inside of the ring to the outside of the ring) and he didn't like how they felt (most were in the 2.2-2.4mm range). We looked at titanium, tungsten carbide, stainless, and a few random patented brand name hypoallergenic metals with zero information as to the elements used in the alloy.
He much preferred the thickness (again depth, not height top to bottom) of the precious metal rings he tried (closer to 1.8mm).
We're considering white gold but he is worried about white gold for two reasons: 1) even though he doesn't have any known allergies to metals he's concerned that WG isn't hypoallergenic (since he doesn't wear jewelry he isn't certain whether or not he may have a nickel allergy because he's never had metals in direct contact with his skin for prolonged periods) and 2) he doesn't want a high maintenance ring and is concerned about having to get his WG ring re-plated constantly.
Palladium and platinum are both more expensive, but they don't have the allergy concerns of WG and don't need to be re-plated. Palladium white gold is definitely an option although it seems to be a less popular metal and harder to find.
Does anyone know if there are alternative ring manufacturers who make shallower rings? Or materials that can be made into shallower rings?
Do you think FH will mind a deeper ring once he gets used to it? I don't know if it just feels weird on his fingers now because he hasn't worn rings before, or if the depth of an alternative material ring will continue to bother him and not feel as natural as wearing a less chunky ring made of a precious metal.
Does anyone have experience with palladium white gold or have other metals they would recommend?
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