Weddingbee Blog

This is a cool shot by Psycrow of his wedding band and his wife’s wedding band in between the pages of Homer’s Odyssey. He presented this photo as a wedding gift to his new wife.

Check out other renditions here and here.

I saw this article on MSN linked on Pricescope and was curious what you guys thought! The conclusion of a new study, commissioned by Oxygen, found that most women would choose new technology devices over diamonds or shoes.

I’m a little confused by the article though, since it seems to be discussing two fairly unrelated issues as far as I’m concerned. The first is whether women are as technologically savvy as men (pretty much!!), and the second is a series of choices between tech purchases or luxury items. Without a comparison of whether men would prefer a digital video camera or a fishing vacation (for example) to go alongside the stereotypically “female” ideal gifts, the study seems a bit pointless to me. Even the “comfort with technology” portion of the survey doesn’t have male numbers to compare it to! I just wonder how much this has to do with gender differences and how much it has to do with a basic practical vs. luxury conflict within a given person. The clear implication (to me at least) of the article is that men are more practical and women want more frivolous things - but they don’t give us anything to back that up!

That said, I’d totally take the diamonds.

What do you think of the article? How much truth do you think the practical men vs. frivolous women stereotype has behind it?

Mr. Spider has long said that he wants diamonds on his wedding band. I thought he meant small dispersed diamonds in one of those uber modern bands like this:

Blue Nile: Platinum Burnished Diamond Band

Worried that he might be thinking more along the lines of a P. Diddy blinged out pinky ring, we went down to Chinatown this past weekend to cruise the jewelry shops for ideas. Turns out he was thinking more along the lines of a woman’s diamond band. I kid you not, he grew attached to one that looked very similar to this:

Blue Nile: Platinum Diamond Band (Men’s)

Mr. Spider has somewhat feminine fingers which was confirmed by one sales lady who exclaimed “omigod, he has lady fingers!” So you can imagine how much more feminine the above band looked on his hand. Babe, I told him gently, men with fingers like yours do not get diamond bands like that. Maybe you’re right, he agreed stretching his fingers out in front of him like he just got his nails done. Lord.

Thankfully, he quickly took interest in a few other styles sans diamonds. Who knew there are so many different styles to choose from? Mr. Spider had a grand time trying on different styles but narrowed it down to a few similar to these:

Blue Nile: Titanium Brushed Comfort Fit (only $125)

We won’t get titanium but Mr. Spider liked a few bands that had a grey tint and black outlines.

A. Jaffe: Platinum Comfort Fit

A. Jaffe: Platinum Comfort Fit

Mr. Spider really wants a platinum ring despite their tendency to scruff (my E-ring went from brand-spanking-new-shiny to what-the-hell-happened-to-your-ring in 2 months flat). Several sales people tried to convince us otherwise telling us platinum is too soft of a metal and is phenomenally more expensive than white gold but we are concerned with white gold eventually changing color.

What’s the final word, anyone know?

I’m one of those crazy people who had to get the matching diamond band to go with my pave engagement ring…

BUT - I’m not sure I’m going to want to wear the diamond band alllll the time, since gunk could get stuck in between the diamonds, I’d be heartbroken if it fell off when I was swimming, etc. So I have decided that I need to get (at least!) one other wedding band that doesn’t have diamonds, that I can wear on its own if I go camping or swimming or anywhere else I don’t quite feel like wearing the diamond band.

My favorite site for gazing at cheap options is e-weddingbands.com which has a wide variety of both men’s and women’s rings, in a wiiiide variety of prices! We are most likely going to buy Mr. Bluebell’s real wedding ring here (in titanium I think?), and I am totally picking up (at least!) one backup wedding ring! Now that I’ve gotten this idea in my head and seen how cheap they can be, I kind of want to have tons of options.

My absolute favorite that also happens to be the absolute cheapest is:

at a mere FORTY FIVE DOLLARS!!

They also have these other lovelies:

Embossed leaf band for $185

Freeform scroll band for $92

All of these (and the other really cheap ones) are in white or yellow gold, but they also have a huge number of platinum, titanium, tungsten, and two-tone bands, as well as bands with diamonds! I have not personally ordered from them before, but I have seen great consumer reviews on Pricescope which is my go-to place for anything diamond or ring related. (The forums there are extremely helpful if you are searching for information on diamonds in general, vendors, whether a specific stone is a good deal, etc.)

E-weddingbands also offers engraving and what looks like a great return policy in case you’re not satisfied. I totally feel like an ad, but I swear I just like them!!

And if you can get multiple fun wedding rings for the price of one “normal” ring elsewhere, why not have a bit of fun with it??

Are any of you getting “backup” wedding rings to wear in different situations? Are you having diamonds in your wedding band or do you want one you can wear 24-7 no matter what? What great sites have you found for browsing and/or buying rings?

In my mad scramble to make crafts, find a new makeup person, and see Mr. Caterpillar off to his first week of school, I seem to have forgotten to find a brooch for my dress.

I kind of love this one from Doyle & Doyle.

I should probably go with something less goth and less than a thousand dollars. Any suggestions?

Check out KTtheKCbride’s research on whether or not denture cleaner is safe for cleaning your engagement rings.

How do you clean your engagement rings?

HousewifeNY posted an interesting link to Blue Nile’s Recently Purchased Diamonds feature today. Check out what rocks others are purchasing in the diamond world.

I am absolutely tickled pink from all the wonderful comments I’ve received about my wedding band dilemma. I love how many different prespectives out there. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet but I am definitely going to keep everyone’s comments in mind. My little friend says thank you. Here is a slightly better picture of her:

(The side stones are heart shaped but I can’t get a clear picture for the life of me~!!)

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, my little friend aka “HOLY SHIT LOOK AT MY RING”:

(sorry the picture is a little blurry and please excuse my hairy fingers.)

Time is slipping through our hands like wet spaghetti noodles and we’re determined to knock off as many remaining tasks as possible. This week, we started shopping for wedding bands. None of the traditional bands I’ve tried fits flush with my E-ring so I’m considering a customized U-shape band:

For the first fews years, I plan on wearing both my E-ring and band together but eventually, especially after I have kids, I see myself just sporting the band. Will a U-shape band look funny on its own? I suppose I could get a traditional band later to wear on its own but then that wouldn’t be my original wedding ring . Hmm, what to do Sam I am?

What’s your take on U-shaped wedding bands?

Someone asked me where to buy the Carrie necklace earlier today, and I mentioned what a great bridesmaid gift I thought it would be. Then I just saw a commenter suggest the same idea on Miss Spider’s personal blog, so the universe is telling me to blog about it.

Get a Carrie necklace of your very own here for $145. Personalized with your name of course.

Everybody knows somebody who’s bagged the band for one reason or another. Forgot to put it on. Hate wearing jewelry. Allergic. Marriage has added a few pounds. Lost it and haven’t replaced it.

My parents don’t wear wedding rings. Most of my friend’s parents don’t wear wedding rings. And I know several married people who simply hate wearing jewelry.

Jeweler Tyler Nogai says that a woman definitely wants her husband to “look married, off the market” the first five years of marriage. But after many years of marriage, do most people just stop caring?

Do you think you will stop wearing your wedding ring one day? Would you care if your husband stopped wearing his?

(source: This Ring, I Thee Shed)

Speaking of family tradition… when my grandfather passed away last year, my mom and her sisters found these in my grandparents’ safe deposit box:

They belonged to my great-great grandmother and are both from the 1870s or 1880s. The pin was actually a gift to her from my great-great grandfather on their wedding day (and is inscribed with their initials and wedding date in 1878). We’re not sure when she received the necklace.

I’m definitely wearing the necklace, and if I can come up with a use for the pin, I might wear it (in my hair?) or have my mom wear it. In any case, I can’t imagine a more perfect “something borrowed!”

Here’s a picture of it on my neck:

And while I can’t post a picture of my wedding dress (ordered fifteen months before the wedding) for fear of Mr. Bluebell seeing it… I might as well give you a shoe teaser!

I saw these gold flip flops with gold sequins on the straps at Ann Taylor Loft that I’m not totally committed to yet. I know they sound kind of crazy, but they look like elegant sandals, and I am sooo not interested in hurting my feet or sinking in the mud on my wedding day, so I’m pretty set on it. (Plus I wear flip flops every single day that I can.) They go well enough with my dress, and I think my gold necklace will balance the flip flops out a bit, but mainly - my dress is long so I don’t expect anyone to see too much of them.

Do any of you have heirloom jewelry (or veils or dresses or anything else) you’re going to wear in your wedding?

Type NY MAG at checkout.

Miss Ant’s earlier post about diamonds reminded me of the new manmade diamonds, which may one day render DeBeers obsolete.

Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth - perfect for lasers and computer chips - so scientists have been trying to replicate their properties for decades. While pursuing those projects, Apollo cofounder Robert Linares accidentally discovered how to replicate gems.

Apollo Diamond now “grows” diamonds in a lab that are virtually indistinguishable from those mined from nature. They have plans to sell their diamonds at Tiffany - at perhaps one-third the cost of mined diamonds. Of course they’re being met with opposition by the only name in the business:

De Beers launched a public relations campaign and an education program for jewelers, all aimed at portraying mined diamonds as real and eternal - and CVD* or Gemesis** diamonds as fake and tacky.

Both Apollo and Gemesis want to market their gems as “cultured diamonds,” taking a cue from cultured pearls. De Beers is fighting that label. “It’s misleading and unacceptable,” says De Beers executive Simon Lawson. “It makes people think (manufacturing diamonds) is an organic process, and it’s not.”

Even highly trained diamond experts find it almost impossible to tell a CVD diamond from a mined one. De Beers is determined to help by making machines that can detect the slightest difference in the way the two materials refract light.

* chemical vapor deposition - the process by which Apollo manufactures their diamonds.
**A Russian company which manufactures yellow diamonds.

An Apollo manmade diamond

Would you care whether or not you had a DeBeers diamond or an Apollo diamond if it were a fraction of the cost and indistinguishable from a mined diamond?

(source: usatoday)

I’m totally digging Helen Ficalora’s flower themed bands and matching earrings. Her designs are so pretty feminine, and romantic.

Also check out her big selection of necklace charms - very adorable bridesmaid gifts.

(thanks Christine!)