Monday, August 17, 2009

Ring Around the Budget

As I've hinted in the past couple of posts, we've had some unexpected and major expenses crop up lately, and we've been looking for areas to trim from the budget. One area that JT brilliantly saw that could be downsized was his ring. I had been anticipating that he would want a plain brushed platinum band. Simple, classic, and...expensive. But after doing a bit of research, JT found two other metal options that he really likes that also happen to be much cheaper than platinum: titanium and palladium.

Palladium is in the platinum family, so it's similar in hardness, color, etc. But it's not quite the darling of the jewelry industry the way that its sister metal is, so it's more cost effective. JT found this ring by DragonsBreath on Etsy that he really likes:




I really like it, too. I love the natural look of the hammered finish.

Titanium is an even more affordable option. It looks very "manly," so it's become quite popular in men's rings, and it's not hard to find titanium rings at major jewelry retailers these days. The downside to titanium is that it's so strong, it can't be resized once it's cast. So if JT gains or loses any weight, he'd have to get a new ring. But, as he put it, the cost of a titanium ring is so cheap, that it wouldn't be a very big deal to get it replaced. These two are from TitaniumKnights:




Both great, and at less than $100 each, he's right -- it wouldn't be a big deal to replace it if in a few years it no longer fit. Though that does seem slightly unsentimental, but is sentiment worth the extra money? Sometimes you just have to be practical. I won't love him any less with an inexpensive ring.

4 comments:

  1. I really like the 2 titanium options. Gorgeous! I think it's worth it to save the money.

    Besides, it would be sentimental to possibly replace a new ring for an anniversary when you could afford to. Or - it's just sentimental to look back on when you started your lives together.

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  2. Beautiful rings!

    a little advice on the titanium besides finger size fluctuations.. emergencies. God forbid anything were to happen and they need to take it off.. my friend that is an ER dr. highly warns against Titanium rings.. we were looking at those as well. i'd get into detail as to why but it's not a pretty thing to talk about.

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  3. Thanks for the comments! With regard to titanium rings being more, uh...dangerous, shall we say, I had also read that it was a bit of a myth. That in an emergency, they wouldn't actually have to remove your finger, as internet legends would lead you to believe. A titanium ring could be cut off just as any other ring could, but it could never be repaired. But then again, what I read was written by a jeweler, who ultimately is trying to sell a product. So it's so hard to know who to believe!

    We found a jeweler here in SD that makes both titanium and palladium rings, so we'll probably go check out the shop and report back what we learn about the two metal options!

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  4. i had looked into palladium for L's ring (ultimately went platinum), and it is very attractive:). However, because I destroy everything, I will be getting a stainless steel ring. indestructable and scratches add character;)

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