ETERNITY BAND GUIDE

 

 

Choosing the perfect Eternity Band can be a challenging task considering the limitless customizations for settings, diamonds, gemstones metals and sizes. We hope that this guide can make the process a little easier!

If you are interested in finding a custom eternity easy and affordable we are here to guide you through the process. Simply contact our jewelry experts at 800.397.1926 or through our Live Chat in the bottom right corner.

So how do I pick an Eternity Band?

1. Pick a Stone Shape
2. Choose a Metal
3. Decide on a Setting Style
4. Get the Size Right the First Time
5. Enjoy your Sparkly New Eternity Band

What is an Eternity Ring?

Eternity rings, also called eternity bands, are a type of band where diamonds are set closely together along the full length of the band. Although traditionally given as anniversary gifts, Eternity bands are increasingly being used instead of women’s wedding bands or as “push-present.” With the recent trend of ring stacking, eternity bands also make extraordinary gifts for any special occasion and remind someone of your unfaltering love.

Step 1: Pick a Stone Shape

 ROUND     CUSHION     RADIANT     PEAR      ASSCHER

 

 EMERALD     OVAL        PRINCESS     MARQUISE   HEART

Are you planning on pairing your eternity band with an engagement ring or wearing it as a standalone piece? If you are planning on on using your eternity band as a wedding band, we recommend you pick a similar stone shape and style as your engagement ring in order to maximize the beauty of both. If you are looking for an eternity band as a standalone ring then let it shine on its own! Although round stones are the most popular choice for eternity bands, other shapes such as Emerald, Princess and Cushion can offer a different look and be equally breathtaking.

Step 2: Choose a Metal

Gold

Gold has been the most common choice of jewelry for centuries. It’s durable, available in multiple colors and affordable. 100% pure gold is 24 karats and is too soft to be used in jewelry. Instead, gold is combined with other metals to increase its durability and impart it with various colors. White gold is made by combining it with zinc while yellow gold is made by combining it with nickel, which is important to those with allergy concerns.

14K GOLD

• Metal mix that is 58.3% gold, 14k gold is scratch resistant and easy to polish, making it a classic choice with great value.
• White gold is almost always "Rhodium plated." Rhodium adds an extra protective layer around your gold and gives the metal a whiter color. Rhodium makes your diamond appear brighter when it's new, but will slowly wear off depending on how often you wear it. At minimum, we recommend you re-plate white gold every couple years.

18k Gold

• Easy to repair and polish, 18k gold is richer in color and more expensive than the14k gold.
• Metal mix that is 75% gold, it is often reserved for special occasion pieces. 
• Although most will have no durability issues with 18k gold, it is important to note that the higher gold content makes 18k a softer choice of metal.

Platinum

Platinum is a naturally hypoallergenic white metal that will last a lifetime.

• Unlike white gold, platinum does not need plating and will maintain its color for years with minimal polishing over the years.

• Due to its rarity and 95%-100% purity, platinum is the most expensive metal option for an eternity band.

Should you Match Metals?

Do you plan on stacking your eternity bands with your engagement ring? Matching the metals of your engagement ring and eternity band is a guaranteed way to make your bands sparkle! Matched metals will make your bands look like one impressive piece of jewelry. They will also keep your ring looking brand new for longer. Mismatched metals can rub against each other, causing your ring to lose its luster faster than normal.

Still, it can be hard to resist the unique beauty of a mismatched set. We see white gold and rose gold sets all the time! .If you do choose to mix metals, make sure to take your ring in for regular maintenance at least once a year. This will keep your eternity band looking as good as new.

Step 3: Decide on a Setting Style

Besides the stone shape and metal type, the setting style will be the next biggest piece of your eternity band’s look. Even though Wonder Jewelers can make any custom design of your or your significant other's dreams, most bands fall into the following styles:

U-Shaped Prong Setting:

Also known by it’s nickname “Uternity,” each diamond in this setting shares a prong with its neighbors to reduce the amount metal needed. This minimal approach allows for maximum light exposure and beautiful sparkle from the individual diamonds

Regular Prong Setting: 

This classic setting remains the most popular style, especially for cut cornered shapes like Emerald and Asscher cut diamonds.  As opposed to the shared prongs of the uternity style, diamonds in regular prongs are individually set for extra security. This is especially important with larger diamonds. The classic prong setting will look great alongside most rings!

Trellis Setting: 

Considered to be a more elegant and sophisticated setting, Trellis prongs criss cross each other to create attractive Y shaped patterns. Similar to shared prongs, Trellis style settings provide a high amount of light exposure for the diamonds creating superb sparkle.

Channel Setting: 

A channel setting is formed by two “walls” of metal which hold the diamonds in the center of the band. The diamonds are set inside a small groove in the side walls of the band, creating a unique “floating diamond” look. Although this setting is most popular for diamonds cut with a square shape such as princess, radiant and cushion, it also looks very elegant when set with round diamonds.

Pave Setting:

Pavé, from the French word meaning “To Pave,” is a setting style where small diamonds are closely-set to give your eternity band an upscale diamond-encrusted look. There are limitless variations of Pavé settings, depending on the numbers of stones set and in how many rows. More complex designs can have hundreds of diamonds in rows of three or more!

Although it was once near-impossible to set eternity bands with so many stones, advances in technology coupled with skilled jewelers enables us to set diamonds in a “micro pavé” style. Micro pavé diamonds are each less than 1.00 mm in diameter, making the use of a microscope necessary.

Small stones are exponentially less expensive than their larger counterparts, making pavé a popular way to add a lot of sparkle for a reasonable price.

Step 4: Get the Ring Size Right the First Time

Eternity Band Ring Size

Unless you are getting a half or three-quarters eternity band, it is important that you get the perfect ring size the first time around. Since full eternity bands have such closely set diamonds along the whole band, resizing it can be near impossible. To ensure you get a perfect fit, we recommend you follow the following tips:

1. Plan on wearing your eternity band with other rings? Make sure to size for the part of your finger that it will sit on. Different parts of the same finger can have different widths.
2. Although online ring sizer tools are a good place to start, we recommend going into a local jeweler to get an accurate size. This is especially true of eternity bands, which are hard to resize.
3. When in doubt, size up a bit. Unlike an engagement ring, an eternity band will sparkle from any angle even it it spins on your finger.

Can an Eternity Band be Resized?

Although it is not possible to resize an eternity band in most cases, a skilled jeweler can sometimes resize a band ¼-½ size up or down under the right conditions. In general, it is easier and more common to re-size down than to re-size up.

• To increase the size of an eternity band, the band needs to be thick enough to enable your jeweler to shave/polish a small amount of metal from the inner surface of the band. If your jeweler determines that doing so would compromise the integrity of the ring, it cannot be resized.

• To decrease the size of an eternity band, the jewelers must add a small metal arch or balls to the  to the inner surface of the band.

We understand that finger sizes can change over time. Our fingers swell in the summer or when we start a family and shrink in the winter. If you buy your eternity band with Wonder Jewelers, we promise to not only work with you on a design that fits perfectly the first time, but also to ensure it’s something you can wear happily for a lifetime.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Sparkling New Eternity Band

Final Design Tips

When buying Eternity bands, customers are often tempted to “go big or go home,” and choose an eternity band with large diamonds. While going for a high total carat weight can be beautiful, make sure not to overshadow other rings like your engagement ring. We recommend choosing an eternity band that is both impressive on its own (as they are often worn) but also compliments your main ring.

We hope this guide was helpful with your search for a new eternity band. If you still have questions or want to learn about what Eternity Bands Wonder Jewelers has to offer, contact us at 800.397.1926.