Rings

The traditional engagement ring is a single-stone ring (solitaire), usually a diamond. Other styles are common today, such as three-stone, halo, or toi et moi, as are colored stones like sapphire, ruby, and emerald; Princess Diana’s 1981 engagement ring was a sapphire surrounded by diamonds.

A wedding ring is usually a band of gold or platinum, plain or decorated, sometimes set with stones. Engagement and wedding rings are often designed as a pair: the wedding band may follow the contour of the engagement ring, support it on one side, or enclose it on both. In Slovenia the wedding ring is mostly worn on the ring finger of the left hand, while in Austria and Germany it is traditionally worn on the right.

An eternity ring has a row of matching stones all the way or halfway around and is often an anniversary gift. A cocktail ring is a large, eye-catching ring with a bold stone, popular since the 1940s and 1950s. A signet ring has a flat top for initials or a crest. All ring styles, with drawings, are in the Ring Styles section of the Jewelry tab.

A ring is more exposed to knocks than earrings or a necklace, so the stones in a ring you wear every day must be durable. Diamond, ruby, and sapphire can take it, while emerald, opal, pearl, tanzanite, amethyst, and other softer stones are better suited to rings worn occasionally or to a protective setting such as a bezel.

The thickness of the band matters too: a band that is too thin wears and bends sooner.

We measure ring size with ring sizers and give it as the inside circumference in millimeters (see Sizes on the Jewelry tab). Most rings can be resized later; by how much depends on the design and the stones. Rings with stones all the way around (eternity rings) generally cannot be resized.

Take your ring off for sports, gardening, rough work, and in the swimming pool. Worn or bent prongs increase the risk of losing a stone, so bring the ring in for a check once a year. We replate white gold as needed (see Metals, Metal Care).

The earliest written record of a diamond in an engagement ring dates from 1477, when the future Emperor Maximilian became engaged to Mary of Burgundy.

We design every ring individually, adapting the shape of the band, the head, and the setting to the stone, to your hand, and to how you will wear the ring. We can design engagement and wedding rings as a pair, even if you already have the engagement ring.