Ring Shopping

I have to find a suitable wedding band for Groom.  I'm thinking something sturdy and definitely a comfort fit band.  Men's rings have come a long way from the thin gold past of our parents' day. There are those fancy braided looking things, miniature diamond encrusted, or even that 'man' engagement ring look.  Groom inherited one of the latter, and it is beautiful, but very noticeable and probably not something he can wear everyday.  Maybe we'll use it in the ceremony, but even that might be a bit much. 

I just realized that I have not included a picture of my ring, or even blogged about rings for that matter. My camera is out of commision, so once it gets working, I'll post a picture.  While we were looking at engagement rings, what feels like forever ago, the sales consultant was telling us the benefits of white gold over platinum. Price and durability being the top two.  Platinum shows dings and looses it luster quickly while white gold tends to hold on to the shine or masks the dings.  In addition, white gold is also considerably less expensive than platinum.  This was all fine and good until we asked what would happen if I were allergic to nickel.  She stopped her pitch and said to Groom, "Sorry, but platinum is the only way to go."  I felt bad, but realized that he'd budgeted for the extra $1000 or whatever it was.  Luckily my ring is so ornate that I don't want to wear an additional wedding band with it, so he's not buying me a second ring.  

Since all this happened, I've found out that there are ways around the having to buy platinum. Titanium is an option, but you have to like that industrial and not shiny look. This seems to be more an option for men's bands since they like scratching up brick with out making even a scratch on their bands!  Another option is a gold band with a platinum setting (gold is usually very soft and many jewelers won't set stones in it).  The higher the karat, the softer it is...still pretty and goes with an Indian girl's gold sets, but I find that I don't wear my Indian gold that often...I am not entirely sure that my mom ever takes it out of the safety deposit box.  It's like a treasure hunt every time we open that thing up!

Anyways, if your finger or ears turn green or swell up or get all itchy, you might be allergic to nickel. I can't wear fashion earrings for more than a few hours and any other nickel containing jewelry makes my skin break out into a rash.  It's not pleasant and kind of sad when someone buys you something you want to wear all the time!  Since I've never fulfilled my stereotype of attending medical school, I would recommend checking in with a dermatologist to see what your options are. Maybe there's a cure or pill or shot or something.  Although really, why bother, just don't wear white gold and spring for the platinum. It's a girl's second best friend next to that rock in the center, right? I kid.  Groom is my best friend, the rock is just icing.