Please help me find unconventional wedding rings!

October 19, 2008 2:32 PM

Cool, interesting, unusual wedding ring ideas?

Looking for rings that are cool and unusual. Here are the conditions:

- Under $100 each.We don't need diamonds/gold/or any type of -ium rings.
- The rings will not be worn on a day-to-day basis. They do need to serve in the ceremony at city hall.
- Not interested in candy ideas. It would be nice to be able to slip them on 20+ years from now..
- I am looking towards something modern and edgy, like these:
more modern
more traditional, but still modern
- Plastic is an option, but it should still have a unisex or masculine look.

Would appreciate your ideas and leads! Thanks!

posted by The ____ of Justice to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

My husband and I got tungsten carbide rings. They were each a little under $100, and since I don't like flashy jewelry, I got the same band he got -- no jewels or anything. It's very unisex-to-masculine. Tungsten carbide is a gun metal grey color.
posted by Nattie at 2:48 PM on October 19, 2008

Be sure to check out etsy. Anything from traditional to steampunk, and most of the sellers will do custom work if you find something close-but-not-quite-right. I'm a fan of this one.
posted by ferociouskitty at 2:56 PM on October 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

My wife and I have matching Titanium bands with a hammered finish (her's is one mm less wide).

They were slightly over $100 apiece, although they had many with plainer finishes for under $100.
posted by Netzapper at 3:16 PM on October 19, 2008

I love the rings from Rob and Lean on Etsy.

The Carrotbox is a blog with an endless supply of amazing, unique rings, including many non-metal ones.
posted by logic vs love at 3:26 PM on October 19, 2008 [3 favorites]

You should know that if they aren't going to be worn every day, there's a good chance you won't be able to slip them on 20+ years from now without getting them adjusted. Almost everyone's fingers widen with age - I know my mother hasn't been able to remove her wedding ring, or a few others she's been wearing for as long or longer, for years know, and I believe this is a fairly common experience. It isn't proportionate to weight gained; it's just one of the things that seem to happen, like men's ears growing. So bear this in mind when you make long-term ring plans.
posted by Acheman at 3:26 PM on October 19, 2008

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
I guess what I'm getting at here is, how about some replica Lord of the Rings Jewelry?
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:36 PM on October 19, 2008

My fiancée and I made each other's rings at a jewelry studio that offered an afternoon workshop. You might look around for something similar, although it would probably be hard to keep it under your budget.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 3:38 PM on October 19, 2008

Despite your objection to -ium, Arnell Workshop does lovely work in titanium, starting at $79 and going up from there. Mr. F and I got our rings from them (we intend them for everyday wear and so on, so we went a little high-end, but we don't regret it one bit).
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:36 PM on October 19, 2008

I just love this ring from the Etsy shop ferociouskitty linked to. A bit over budget though.
posted by peacheater at 4:51 PM on October 19, 2008

Mine is tungsten carbide, and it was on impulse (the ring, not the marriage). Hence Nattie probably could have bought a few for what we paid. However this is the first ring I have worn since my high school class ring (for all of two weeks 24 years ago). Tungsten carbide is a show stopper - people ask about it all the time, and I keep thinking of all kind of MacGyver applications for it. Good luck!
posted by TomSophieIvy at 5:32 PM on October 19, 2008

Cypher ring.
posted by Midnight Rambler at 7:06 PM on October 19, 2008

Price-wise, you can get titanium rings for 30$. Tungsten-carbide can be had for as low as 50$, and has the perk of being almost diamond-hard. Its what we went with, and I love them. Do be aware, though, that they come in two types. Some are made with nickle in the alloy, and will never tarnish, but will irritate those with allergies to that metal. The others are made nickle free, but MAY tarnish, though not like pure silver or anything.

You said plastic might be do-able, so I will also mention wood. Wood rings are very interesting and sharp looking. The price varies greatly, but a quick google turned up a site with a half dozen rings 60-70$. Ceramic rings also seem to be within your price range, though I don't remember them being available 9 months ago, when we were looking.
posted by paisley henosis at 8:51 PM on October 19, 2008

Tattooed "rings" are certainly unconventional, though maybe they don't count as "real" rings.
posted by philomathoholic at 10:55 PM on October 19, 2008

I'm getting wedding rings from fancy. We'll never wear them; they're more as tokens for us. They can engrave all sorts of things on the ring too.
posted by ifjuly at 6:19 PM on October 27, 2008