Wedding Jewellery

Bridal jewellery plays an important part in any wedding. From your engagement ring through to your accessories, jewellery can really make a lasting impression. By understanding what will complement your wedding gown and your personal taste, you’ll be heading down the aisle in style!

Engagement and Wedding Rings

An engagement and wedding ring symbolises you and your fiancés love and commitment to each other. Becoming engaged is an exciting and important time in your life, and choosing the perfect engagement and wedding rings is the first step in sharing your life together.

• The Diamonds (if they are to feature in your ring)
• The metal that you wish to have your ring made of (gold, platinum etc)
• The style or design of the ring

When it comes to choosing a diamond, it is important to consider the diamond grading system, known as ‘The 4 C’s’. These include:

• Carat weight
• Cut
• Clarity
• Colour

Carat Weight

No doubt, you will have heard of the term ‘carat’ when it comes to diamonds, but what does it mean?
The weight of a diamond is measured in carats, and this is further divided into ‘points. For example a diamond that weighs 1 carat is divided into 100 points, and a diamond weighing 0.5 carats is divided into 50 points and so on.

Many people believe that a carat also refers to the size of a diamond, however it is a measurement of its weight, rather that it’s size. Whilst some diamonds may appear to be equivalent to another in terms of size, when weighed this may not actually be the case. The reason for this is usually due to the ‘Cut’ of the diamond.

1/4 carat (4.1mm)	1/3 carat (4.4mm)	1/2 carat (5.2mm)	3/4 carat (5.9mm)	1 carat (6.5mm)	1 1/4 carat (7mm)
1 1/2 carat (7.4mm)	1 3/4 carat (7.8mm)	2  carat(8.2mm)	2 1/2 carat (8.8mm)	3 carat (9.4mm)	4 carat (10.4mm)

It is said that a diamond truly comes to life when it is cut, allowing 98% of its sparkle and brilliance to become evident!
The cut is a vital aspect to the value of a diamond, no matter how ‘good’ it may appear when it leaves the ground. As an example, you could have two diamonds of equal carat, clarity and colour, however if one is cut to an ideal standard by a professional and experienced jeweller and the other cut too deeply, the first will be more valuable and will appear more beautiful than the other.

An ideal cut diamond allows the maximum amount of light to enter and reflect back out of the diamond, making it the most ‘ideal’ cut to consider when purchasing a diamond. A diamond that is cut too deeply allows light to leak out of the back of the diamond, and therefore will appear dull and have less brilliance than an ideal cut diamond.

In terms of shape, diamonds may be cut into many different shapes or styles. The most popular shape is the round, or brilliant cut. Others include baguette (rectangular), oval, pear, marquise, and princess (square) cuts.

Diamond Cuts and Shapes

After carat weight, the clarity of a diamond has the most impact on the value of a diamond. The clarity of a diamond refers to the purity of the diamond and is used to describe the number of inclusions in which it has.
A flawless diamond is said to be ‘pure’ and free of any imperfections or inclusions. In saying that, virtually all diamonds contain inclusions (which are small traces of non-crystallised carbon). Most inclusions are non-visible to the naked eye, however some of poorer quality, commonly referred to as imperfect diamonds, display large inclusions which may be seen without the aid of a microscope.

Jewellers to rate the clarity of each diamond use a clarity scale. Diamonds are given a rating of ‘F’ (for flawless), ‘VVs’ (very, very slight inclusions), ‘Vs’ (very slight inclusions), ‘Si’ (slight inclusions) through to ‘I’ or ‘P’ (‘pique’, imperfect or inclusions that are visible to the naked eye).

Despite the fact that a flawless diamond is the most valuable diamond, a diamond of ‘VVs’ or ‘Si(1)’ will usually appear just as beautiful to the naked eye. It is only when they are viewed under a microscope that the difference will be apparent.

Although the most diamonds appear to be white in colour, the majority of them will actually have hints of yellow to brown tones.

Diamonds are also graded according to their colour from ‘D’, being a colourless, icy white (and very rare and valuable), through to ‘Z’, being yellow in colour. Although diamonds that are classed as ‘Z’ in colour are less valuable than those such as D-H (the ‘best’ white diamonds), other coloured diamonds, referred to as ‘fancy’ colours are rare and valuable.

Fancy colours include reds, pinks, blue, green, yellow, champagne and cognac (yes, we are talking about diamonds)! These are graded separately to white diamonds and are usually very expensive, due to their rarity.

                       Colourless(D-F) Near Colourless(G-I) Faint Yellow(J-M) V. Light/Light Yellow(N-S) Yellow(T-Z)

Choosing the metal for you wedding rings is an entirely personal choice. There are many metal available to brides and grooms, with 18ct yellow gold being the most popular. So what are the differences?

Gold

Gold is one of the most popular and versatile metals for wedding jewellery. There are two things to consider when choosing gold for your wedding jewellery. They are carat (or karat) and colour.

Gold Carat

Gold carat refers to the gold content within the jewellery item. The carat measures the amount of pure gold in proportion to other metal alloys used when making gold into a final metal. The higher the amount of pure gold used in the composition, the more expensive the item.

The most common forms of gold jewellery in Australia are 9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold. 9ct gold contains 37.5% pure gold, 14ct contains 58.5% pure gold and 18ct contains 75% pure gold. Because gold is a relatively soft metal, the more pure gold added, the softer the jewellery. 18ct gold is not usually used in men’s wedding rings for this reason.

Gold Colour

Gold jewellery comes in an array of colours, with the most popular being yellow, white and rose. The alloys that are mixed with pure gold are what give it its colour.

Mixing pure gold with alloys including copper and zinc makes yellow gold.
Mixing pure gold with copper makes rose gold.
Mixing pure gold with silver and palladium makes white gold.
Providing that the carat is the same, yellow, white and rose gold all contain the same amount of gold. 

Platinum

Platinum is a very white, strong, very longwearing metal, and unlike gold is used in an almost pure form (approximately 95% pure platinum) in jewellery. It is a very expensive metal, costing almost double the price of gold.

Platinum is becoming increasingly popular for both men and women as a choice for wedding bands.
Its brilliant white appearance and strong, durable properties make it a great choice.

Titanium

Titanium is the strongest and hardest natural metal on earth. It is white/grey in appearance and is yet another popular choice when it comes to wedding jewellery.

Titanium is lighter than gold or platinum and is less prone to scratching and denting. It is therefore an excellent choice, especially for men. It is also 100% hypoallergenic.

One disadvantage to titanium is that it is unable to be soldered and therefore once a wedding band has been made, you will be unable to have it re-sized in the future.

Tungsten

Tungsten Carbide is yet another strong durable metal, and an excellent choice for men’s wedding bands.
It is less prone to scratching and denting than gold and will maintain it’s shiny appearance for a long time without the need for polishing.
Tungsten is grey/white in colour.

Possibly the most difficult decision to make when choosing an engagement or wedding ring is deciding upon the style.
With so many styles on the market, it would be impossible to list all that are available to soon to be brides and grooms.
Ideally when it comes to choosing your style of engagement and wedding rings, you should consider the following:

• Decide upon whether or not your would prefer a ring with or without diamonds or gemstones
  If the answer is ‘with’ stones, consider the shape that you prefer:
  • Round (Brilliant cut)
  • Square (Princess cut)
  • Oval
  • Rectangular (Emerald cut)
  • Marquise
  • Pear
  • Heart
    The list goes on ….
• Decide upon the style of setting that you prefer:
  • Bezel set
  • Channel set
  • Prong set
  • End set
  • Bar set
• Decide upon a solitaire or multiple stone setting
• Decide on the colour of metal
  • Gold
    • Yellow
    • White
    • Rose
  • Platinum
  • Titanium

• Decide on the shape/style of the band
  • Rounded
  • Flat
  • Pinched
  • Detailed
  • Engraved

With these considerations taken into account, you should be able to find a style to suit you. You should also consider that your chosen design is:

• Comfortable to wear
• Practical
• Able to withstand everyday wear
• Looks good
• Designed and made well and holds any diamonds or precious gems securely

Keep in mind that it is always possible to have your rings custom made and designed specifically to suit your needs. Speak to your jeweller in regards to your individual requirements.

In addition to your engagement and wedding bands, you will more than likely consider wearing other pieces of jewellery on your wedding day.

From tiaras and headpieces to necklaces, earrings and bracelets, there are some magnificent bridal accessories to suit every bride. You may wish to read The Bride Guide’s section on ‘Accessories’ to find out more specific information in regards to what to wear. In the mean time, there are some golden rules to consider when it comes to planning your bridal jewellery.

Golden Rule Number 1:

Choose your wedding dress before your accessories.
In order to ensure that your wedding accessories complement your dress, it is vital that you choose your dress before your accessories. There is no point in purchasing an old fashioned, traditional style necklace, only to discover that it doesn’t match your modern day designer gown.

Golden Rule Number 2:

Don’t overdo it!
If there’s one thing that can overshadow the beauty of the bride, it’s over-accessorising. Over-accessorising may not only look out of place, but it can also detract from beauty of the gown and the bride wearing it.

If your dress is simple in nature, then yes, by all means go ahead and experiment with a few items to accompany your gown. If however, it is more elaborate, consisting of intricate detail such as extensive hand-sewn beading, then you may want to ‘dress down’ on the accessories. Perhaps a simple necklace, or a matching bracelet and earrings set, on their own, may suffice.

Golden Rule Number 3:

Consider the style of your wedding and wedding gown.
When choosing your accessories, try to maintain a common theme or style. If the style of your wedding and your wedding dress are traditional in nature, ensure that your accessories complement them by following suit. Traditional accessories may include pieces with details of gold and ivory pearls, for example.

On the other hand, a modern accessory may be bolder in nature with features detailing silver, crystals or rhinestones. If your dress has features including gems, stones or pearls, ensure that your accessories follow suit. Wearing crystals set in silver will most likely not complement an ivory gown with pearl detailing. On that note, traditional ivory or cream gowns will be best accompanied by ivory pearls or beads and gold undertones, whilst white gowns will go better with accessories detailing crystals, rhinestones, white pearls, and silver undertones.

Golden Rule Number 4:

Consider the neckline of your gown.
Accessories will also look more in place when they follow the neckline of your wedding dress. For example, a necklace that drops down in the form of a Y or V, or heart shape will go well with a similarly shaped neckline. Fuller, bulkier pieces, or those that drop down, will best accompany a strapless gown where there is greater skin exposure. In the case of a halter neck or high neck gown, the ideal way to accessorise is with chandelier style earrings or an eye-catching headpiece or tiara.

Golden Rule Number 5:

Feel comfortable.
Despite all that is listed above, possibly the most important factor to take into account is to ensure that you’re comfortable with your accessories. Find something that reflects your personal style as well as that of your gown. If it doesn’t sit properly, or is uncomfortable to wear, then don’t buy it just because the sales assistant has commented that it looks great.

With all of these handy tips in mind, you should dazzle your groom and wedding guests as you head down the aisle in style!