Wedding Blog

Recently, we got serious about finding Mr. Mary Jane a ring.

After a stringent paring-down process (in which we looked at pictures of the rings and said “yes” or “no” :D), Mr. Mary Jane narrowed it down to two options:

[source for both]

OK! Two options! We could work with that.

But newly inspired by many of your comments about your own significant others’ ring searches, I of course decided I needed to take it upon myself to find a whole bunch more options to choose from. I didn’t want Mr. Mary Jane to have to settle for any old ring: he didn’t expect me to settle for mine! I wanted to find him a unique-but-stylish ring he’d really love.

It was a little easier to search this time, now that I knew his preferences a little better. I knew he wanted something more than plain, but not too flashy. I knew he was leaning toward two-tone options, and I also knew that he wasn’t necessarily opposed to a little bit of bling. He also told me he was no longer feeling the hammered/textured styles he’d liked when we originally began our search.

I found a whole bunch of styles and had him give a “yay” or “nay” to each. Here are the ones he’s now considering (in addition to the two above).

These two are pretty similar to those first two:

[source for both]

I like all four of these two-tone rings a lot. I think my favorite (of these four) is the one directly above this paragraph, but I’d definitely want it customized to a comfort-fit. That edge looks a little sharp.

These two have a little bit of bling:

[source; Thanks to commenter Kate for that link. ]

[source]

I used to be really tied to my man having some bling-bling on his ring, but I have since come to realize that it may not be meant to be. It comes down to what he wants and what fits his personality. He is unique and special, but he’s not flashy or overdone. I think these two understated diamond bands would suit him quite nicely. Of these two, I prefer the two-tone one. The geometric, symmetrical-but-flipped detailing is unique and crisp, framing the diamond perfectly.

As is my usual style, I’ve saved my favorites for last. These add a different twist to the traditional shape of mens’ rings:

[source for both]

Yum. I love both of these. They’re essentially plain bands, but they’re so much more! Their slightly squared-off edges mimic the euro shank of my ring. I worry a little about the profile of the second one: would he catch it on things? But reminds me of Mr. Hydrangea’s ring; I loved it and bookmarked it back when Mrs. H first posted about it, 6 months before Mr. MJ and I were even engaged. That said, I like the two-tone, tri-banded ring a little more. It’s two-tone. It’s modern. It’s brushed. It’s low-profile. It’s eye-catching, yet not showy. Basically, it’s pretty much a big deal.

So to recap, my three favorites from the above groups (we’ll call them the No Bling Roundies, the Blings, and the Squares) were these:

If I were tasked with picking out Mr. Mary Jane’s ring alone, I’d pick the center one. It’s a little more than the “No Bling Roundy” on the left, but not quite as daring as the “Square”. It’s got all of the elements he wants, it’s eye-catchingly different, and I think it suits his personality well. It’s also got a diamond: something I wanted him to have.

But since Mr. Mary Jane is making this decision, I do have one am I (not-so-)secretly rooting for him to choose: The triple-banded “Square”. I love how unique it is, without being big or gaudy. My main concern with the Square is the possible delicate nature of the whole thing. How well are those bands hooked together? Would they catch on things? The entire ring is only 7 mm wide, which means the bands must be under 2 mm each. Is that “tough” enough to withstand Mr. Mary Jane’s every day activities (which often include such ring-ravaging tasks grasping his leather-wrapped steering wheel, typing on his keyboard, and lifting cold beverages to his lips)? If it makes the cut, we shall see.

Mr. Mary Jane’s favorites are yet to be determined. We’re going to hit up our jewelry store soon, and hopefully we’ll be in the home stretch of this man-jewelry search!