The Diamond and Gemstone Wedding Ring Guide
Setting styles, coverage, stone layout and shaped-to-fit bands
Where to Begin
A stone-set wedding band has more decisions in it than an engagement ring: how the stones are held, how far they travel around the finger, how they are laid out, and how the whole thing sits against the ring already on the hand.
Most of those decisions are permanent. Coverage in particular determines whether the ring can ever be resized, which is why it is worth settling before anything else.
This guide takes them in a sensible order and is direct about the trade-offs.
16 Chapters
Read in order, or jump to whichever question you have.
Setting Styles
Nine ways stones are held, and what each costs in upkeep. Read this chapter.
Half, Three-Quarter & Full
Quarter to full, and why half is not a compromise. Read this chapter.
Carat Weight & Stone Layout
Why total carat weight is the most misread figure in jewellery. Read this chapter.
Diamond Quality
Cut, colour, clarity and carat, and where to spend first. Read this chapter.
Diamond Shapes
Twelve shapes, and which flatter which hands. Read this chapter.
Natural & Lab-Grown
What is identical, what differs, and the honest view on value. Read this chapter.
Coloured Gemstones
Sapphire, ruby, emerald and the rest, stone by stone. Read this chapter.
Width, Depth & Proportion
Nine cross-sections, and why the wrong one gets taken off. Read this chapter.
Choosing the Metal
Five metals on colour, weight, upkeep and how they age. Read this chapter.
Engraving & Personalisation
Inside, outside, handwriting, and the practical limits. Read this chapter.
Pairing With the Engagement Ring
Straight, shaped or fitted, and the measurement that decides. Read this chapter.
Shaped-to-Fit Bands
When a curve is not enough, and what fitted really means. Read this chapter.
Getting the Size Right
The full UK chart, and how to find it in secret. Read this chapter.
The Bespoke Process
Eight stages from enquiry to handover, with honest timings. Read this chapter.
Heirlooms & Reused Materials
Resetting a family stone, and reusing old gold. Read this chapter.
Aftercare & Insurance
Cleaning, storage, insurance and the annual check-up. Read this chapter.
Prefer It as a PDF?
The whole of The Diamond and Gemstone Wedding Ring Guide as a printable PDF, laid out for reading offline or taking to an appointment. Free, and yours to keep.
Talk It Through With Us
A free 20-minute call, online or in person in London. Tell us where you are up to and we will answer honestly, with no pressure and no obligation. It is usually the fastest way through a decision that feels stuck.
Round
Pear
Princess
Emerald
Oval
Asscher
Cushion
Marquise
Radiant
Heart
