In the Western world, you can quickly discover a person's relationship status by looking at their left ring finger. Ever wonder how this tradition started?

See this Gold Band Finished

It all begins with the ancient Romans. Their belief was that the vein in the fourth finger of the left hand was directly connected to the heart. They named this vein the vena amoris or vein of love. With the wedding rings being the physical representation of the vows exchanged by the newlyweds, they chose this finger for the placement of the rings, representing the union of love and romance shared by newlyweds and connecting the two hearts. Pretty romantic huh?

Men often wear the wedding band alone, but women will wear a promise or engagement ring as well, but always with the wedding ring stacked closest to the heart.

Fun Fact: A chastity ring, symbolizing a person’s abstinence vow, is also worn on this finger. Some religious groups wear this ring to mean that they also abstain from displays of affection and sometimes from even developing romantic emotions at all. It is a purity ring in this form and these days often has such words as “love waits” or “purity” engraved on the band.

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Leanne reached out to us with a very sentimental request.  She wanted to get a custom white gold wedding band for her fiance and had 2 diamonds in her possession that belonged to her grandmother and she wanted them to be incorporated into her soon to be husbands wedding band. 

Leanne sent us her grandma's diamonds and we put them in a bezel setting in the arrangement that she requested.  We certainly think the ring came out fantastic and are so happy that Leanne and Nathan are so please with the finished ring!

Leanne's review of our work:  Beautiful finished product and great customer service! They made it fun and easy to make an awesome custom wedding band for my duck-hunting fiance' and we both love it! Would recommend 10/10! Thank you!! 

Subtle details of a design often make the difference between something that is good and something that is great!

In this case, you have a common gold band using roman numerals, a basic look that we have done a thousand times before. What makes this ring special is not just the content but the attention to detail for the roman numerals to be un-blackened; an attribute they knew the recipient would appreciate because of her discreet style. Accenting with white diamonds provide a hint of sparkle and make this ring great for everyday wear or classy enough for more formal occasions.

Contemporary Solitaire Diamond Ring

John knew his fiance wanted something unique for an engagement ring. She had been showing him pictures of various styles of "twig branch" engagement rings, but hadn't fallen in love with any. She liked the organic shape but didn't want the bark texture. She wanted a contemporary setting, but with a lower profile, smooth transitions, and a 1 karat center diamond. After creating a rough sketch for her approval, we hand carved the ring in wax. With her final approval we cast the ring in 14K rose gold and set the GIA certified stone.

This one of a kind ring has a non-traditional open bezel. The lower profile setting means there are no prongs to snag on; a specific concern they both had for their active lifestyles. There are lots of amazing engagement and wedding rings out there, but this client chosen to mark the start of a new chapter in life with a one of a kind ring.

 What started with a nature inspired twig ring concept and then simplified the details to meet our customers visions. The result is a non-traditional engagement ring shape and setting.

The open sides of the bezel let in plenty of light to highlight the brilliance of the stone. 

John was thrilled with the process and result. "You completely blew away my expectations. From the process to the final result I couldn't have been happier. I was always confident that Metal Pressions could make me an incredible engagement ring, but the way they interacted and executed truly impressed me" - John B.

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There are times when a name, date, or short phrase just don't sum up everything you want to say or commemorate on a ring. If you find yourself struggling to decide what you should put on your ring and what you should sacrifice then you might want to consider a graffiti style layout. All that means is the space on a wide ring is filled with lots of twisting and turning text in a variety of fonts... and of coarse a splatter of diamonds to boot!

Stumped on what you can put on a graffiti ring and keep the design fun, interesting, and meaningful? Here are some examples of the variety of information and design elements you can put on the rings to fill them up:

• Names / Initials of Spouse, Kids, Loved Ones
• Nicknames / Pet Names
• Cute sayings or inside jokes by kids or your sweetheart
• Important dates
• Big achievements and accomplishments
• Significant Locations
• Geographic Location Coordinates
• Hometown city and state names
• Area and zip codes
• Heritage, Nationality, Country
• Zodiac Signs
• Religious / Scripture / Inspirational Quotes
• Goals or  Motivational Phrases
• Powerful words
• Birthstones and diamonds
• Symbols or Filler Marks ( dots - dashes- asterisks )
• Lyrics
• Text in different languages
• Dates in Roman Numerals
• Raised Accent Shapes
  
  So with so many different options where do you start? The best thing to get rolling is to start with a focus. For example I want to design a ring that celebrates our relationship from the beginning until now. Once you have that focus start asking yourself some questions. Where did you meet? How did you meet? Where was your first kiss? What do you adore about the love of your life? What do they mean to you?
  
  Once you get some answers then chose the way you would like to have it personalized on the ring from one of the options on the list. If your first date was at Captains Cove in Bridgeport, CT you could write that location out completely, portions of it, or just put the coordinates. You could put the date it happened in Roman Numerals. Have fun with it, adding variety as you go along, and you will create a wide ring that will be cherished for generations. As always, if you need help just give us a ring and we can help you design one over the phone with live instant mock-ups of what your design will look like.

Here are some of the most popular wide bands on MetalPressions.com:

Sterling Silver 10MM Wide Band
14K Yellow 10mm Wide Band
14K White 10mm Wide Band
14K Rose 10mm Wide Band

We recently started offering custom shirt studs at the request of some of our customers. The first few sets were thick round shirt studs with symbols on the front.

One of our clients wanted shirt studs to match the 14K white rimmed cufflinks that were being designed in honor of one of their favorite horses, to be worn at special events. In our typical fashion we fulfilled our client's request by making small solid gold rimmed shirt studs.  The front text was stamped in our Fancy font and the back was done in typewriter font. A 14k solid white gold raised heart really adds that finishing touch to the cufflinks.

Personalize your set by purchasing these items:

14K White Gold Cufflinks with 14K Rim
14K white Gold Accent Heart
14K White Gold Shirt Stud Set

or

Choose Other styles and materials of Cufflinks and Shirt Studs