While my sweetie and I DO want to exchange rings, we DON'T want to spend a lot of money on them, and we have no interest in traditional, mainstream wedding rings. We want something simple, different, and not made out of gold. We live in a town that doesn't have anything like that, so online is our best bet. But once we start looking around for wedding bands, all we find are expensive, boring, overly-decadent gold and diamond style rings… There's just too much online to know where to start! -Sara
I applaud your decision to go the non-diamond, inexpensive route for your wedding rings. Diamonds are grossly overpriced, and of course there's that whole blood diamond thing, so you're so much better off going for either a different stone or no stone at all.
First things first: are you SURE there aren't any custom jewelry makers in your neck of the woods? There's nothing more awesome than designing your own bands, and if you find a good jewelry maker they can usually work within your budget. Plus, it's cool to support a local artisan.
Here's a first tip: Don't look for "wedding rings" — they always cost more!
That said, if there really aren't any around, you're right: there are TONS of online options. Here's a first tip: Don't look for "wedding rings" — they always cost more! There's this strange phenomenon of somehow if it has to do with a wedding it costs twice as much. Seriously. This isn't just for rings, it's for dresses, flowers, suits, chair rentals, everything. It's a total racket. So when shopping online for rings, don't search for "wedding bands." Just look for rings that you like.
That said, here are a few links to get you started:
•If you want to go really kitchy, it doesn't get much better than these Silver "Diamond" Rings from the Netherlands. This is the ultimate "fuck you" to anyone who asks about your diamond ring, and at $129 and $199, they're certainly a middle finger to the bloated prices of your average De Beers solitaire.
• Titanium rings
Titanium rings are harder than gold, silver, or platinum, and less likely to dent or get dinged. They don't tarnish, and are cheaper than platinum. There are lots of options out there in the $100 range, like celtic designs or engraved bands. If you want really simple and affordable, something like these plain bands may be the way to go.
• Tungsten rings
Tungsten Carbide is the metal used for Carbide tips on saws and other cutting tools. It's not as cheap as Titanium, but really shiny and almost impervious to scratches! And as Chris Pirillo wrote about his Tungsten ring, "My wedding ring is the most ultimate wedding ring on the planet. Very strong, very tough, very durable, very scratch and tarnish resistant, very unique, very happily stuck on my finger."
• Eco rings
If you're an environmental/eco-conscious couple, you could consider getting wooden rings. They're in the $200-range and are remarkably durable and gorgeous. Another option is Green Karat, which sells ecologically responsible jewelry. Sadly, they're somewhat expensive.
• Geeky rings
Also a bit more expensive but perfect for computer nerds, you have the binary rings. Oh and of course there are Elven rings out there for the Tolkien geeks.
If you're looking for even more outlandish designs, check out The Carrot Box blog, which is dedicated to unique rings.
Good luck, Sara! And keep me posted about what you end up getting — I'd love to see pictures!
