How to Buy Men’s Rings (And Save Money While You’re Doing It)
Shopping has always come so easily to you – so why are you having such a hard time buying him a wedding band? While getting yourself clothing or accessories is relatively simple because you know what you want and need, when you buy men’s rings, it’s a whole different ball game. Suddenly you need to consider not only what he wants (which he may not even exactly know), but you’ll need to educate yourself on materials that you’ve never even heard of from retailers that you’ve never shopped at before.
Luckily, we have a little cheat sheet that will make your men’s ring shopping go a little more smoothly. Here are three easy tips for buying him a band that he will love – without breaking the bank.
Know what he wants. It sounds obvious, but sometimes discerning your guy’s taste for something as important as a wedding band can be harder than one would think. If he doesn’t regularly wear jewelry, you may have no idea of how his tastes in metals and jewelry styles run. Conversely, you may think you know his style and taste, but find that he has a very different and much unexpected opinion on men’s jewelry once pressed for an answer.
If his band purchase is not meant to be a complete surprise, there is no harm in asking him exactly what he wants. If he is unsure himself, help him out – men can be very visual, so find some images of different styles, colors, types and materials of rings for men to help him tell you what he likes and doesn’t like. Chances are you’ll have a much better idea of what to buy him based on his feedback.
Get him a band made out of a contemporary material. Here’s where the money saving comes into play. While lower cost precious options like 10K gold or palladium can be a great way to get a more affordable band, if he is not dead set on gold, platinum or palladium it might be a good idea to explore other popular choices on the market. Rings for men made out of alternative materials can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of their precious contemporaries, and can offer a host of added benefits to boot.
Of the current contemporary materials found in rings for men, titanium and tungsten are the most common and popular. People can sometimes get the two confused because of their similar price point, gunmetal color and shared strength, but they are otherwise incredibly different from one another. Titanium men’s rings are extremely lightweight, as well as crack-resistant and hypoallergenic. Tungsten bands are incredibly hard, scratch-resistant and pleasantly heavy, but they can also crack if hit against a hard enough surface.
Though not as well-known as titanium and tungsten (at least yet), cobalt chrome is also a particularly good choice for those seeking men’s rings with a classic precious metal look. A metallic alloy of cobalt and chromium, cobalt chrome rings for men have a handsomely high luster that resembles platinum or white gold. With a weight that falls somewhere in between titanium and tungsten wedding ring, cobalt bands are also very durable and hypoallergenic.
Shop online for better deals. It should come as no surprise that the best deals these days can be found on the internet. Not only does the competitiveness of the online market drive prices down universally, but e-tailors frequently offer online promotions and sales. Price comparison engines like Google Shopping and Price Grabber make it easy to compare pricing for a particular item on different sites, and many merchants also offer free shipping on domestic orders. If you’re shopping at an out-of-state site, you can even save on paying sales tax.
Who knew it could be so simple to buy men’s rings? With just a little education on materials and knowing what to look for, you can let your inherent shopping savvy take over and find him a ring that he’ll be proud to wear forever.
Author Bio: Tanya Zilinskas Naouri says that today men’s gold rings can be found in a variety of striking hues that still maintain the metal’s luxurious look