Most men spend months on the engagement ring and one afternoon on their own band. That afternoon is enough, as long as you know what you are deciding. This men’s wedding band guide covers the five decisions: width, metal, profile, finish, and size and fit.
A band built for a man is a wider, heavier ring on a larger finger. Even so, the choices do not sort themselves out.
Width: The One You Notice Most
First, width. You measure it across the top face of the band, in millimetres. The men’s wedding band width range starts near 4 mm and runs to 10 mm, and one of our plain comfort fit styles comes in every width from 2 mm to 10 mm.
Width and metal are separate decisions. If a style comes in several widths, you can order it in any of its metals, so you are not trading one against the other. The same gold at 4 mm and 8 mm does give you two different rings, and a band you feel all day wears differently from a slim one.
What 4, 6 and 8 mm Look Like
Most men land between 6 mm and 8 mm. Six reads as a classic band that suits a suit and a t-shirt. Eight is bolder and heavier, which is why most wide bands use a comfort fit interior, the rounded inside that keeps the metal off the finger.
Width is also relative. A 6 mm band on a size 8 finger looks generous; the same 6 mm on a size 12 looks moderate. Judge it on the hand it will live on.
Choose the Metal for How You Wear It
Then the metal. The men’s wedding band metal choice comes down to four: 10K, 14K and 18K gold, and platinum. Gold comes in white, yellow and rose, while platinum is naturally white.
The karat is the gold content, and it sets the trade-off. 10K is the hardest wearing and the least expensive. 18K has the richest colour and is the softest. 14K sits in the middle and is the most common men’s choice. However, white gold carries a rhodium plating for its bright white, and that plating wears thin in a year or two. Platinum is the heaviest, the most expensive, and the slowest to dull.
If your hands are in tools, machines or a gym every day, choose on hardness.
Profile and Finish Come Next
The exterior profile is the shape of the outside of the band: domed, flat, low dome or beveled edge. The inside is a separate decision, and that one is the comfort fit question. Our guide to wedding band profiles covers the outside shapes, and comfort fit vs standard fit covers the inside.
Finish sits on top of both. High polish is bright and mirror-like. Satin, cross satin/brushed, wire matte, sand blast and hammer are quieter and hide the daily scratches a polished surface shows. Most men who work with their hands end up on a brushed or satin finish.
Get the Size and the Fit Right
Men’s wedding band sizes run in quarter steps from 4 to 15, and they are most often ordered between 9 and 12. Measure the finger at the end of the day, when it is at its largest. A wide band fits tighter than a narrow one at the same size, which is why a wide style is usually ordered as a comfort fit wedding band. Our guide to measuring a finger size at home walks through the method.
What a Men’s Band Costs
Price follows three things: how much metal, which metal, and whether there are diamonds. A wider band uses more metal. Platinum costs more per gram than gold, 18K more than 14K, and 14K more than 10K. A row of diamonds adds most of all.
Each product page lists a price for every metal and width, so you can price the exact band.
Matching Her Band
Your band does not have to match hers. The two approaches that look deliberate are the same metal in widths that suit each hand, or one design made in two widths so the profile and finish line up. Our post on matching your partner’s band covers the second one.
Final Thoughts
A men’s wedding band guide comes down to five decisions: width, metal, profile, finish, and size and fit. None of them lock the others, so take them in any order that suits you, as long as all five are settled before you order.
Every band is made to order in New York’s Diamond District, in the metal, width and finish you pick. Browse wedding bands, or men’s wedding bands for the men’s styles.
Reviewed by
25karats Jewelry Specialists
