Niessing Volume Twelve Iris Ring £3,524

The archetypal, classic wedding ring is so often a very simple band, and traditionally it’s made in yellow gold. But there’s no particular reason why this should be so and anyway fashion in wedding bands change. There are so many unusual wedding rings with a unique design to choose from. They can be in white gold, or ‘eternal’ platinum or a mixture of precious metals to show the way your two lives are being fused and joined together. And you can choose a matched pair and a design to express your individuality.

At Catherine Jones we have a wide selection of unusual wedding rings for both men and women made by the most innovative jewellery designers.

Niessing are a pioneering German jewellery manufacturer and defy conventions to create beautifully unusual wedding rings. The common choices of colour for your wedding band are yellow gold or the increasingly popular bright tones of platinum or white gold. Niessing however, produce unusual wedding rings in red gold, grey gold and even green gold. Their pioneering contemporary designs have produced the Aura ring in 18ct red and grey gold with the colours of the metals gradually fading from one to the other as the alloys are melded together round the band.

Andrew Geoghegan Unity Engagement and Wedding Ring set, £6,328

Award-winning British designer Andrew Geoghegan has developed the ingeniously-designed Unity Engagement Ring. The unusual wedding ring, in a contrasting or complementary metal, can be inserted in between the two bands of the engagement ring to create a wonderful unified pairing. If you love the idea of a perfectly harmonized duo there are corresponding wedding bands available for many of the incredible engagement rings at Catherine Jones.

Should you want a durable and contemporary material for a man’s unusual wedding ring, you may not have considered titanium. It’s a great choice. Titanium is very light, it is used in Formula 1 racing cars and in the Space Shuttle. It is stronger than steel and the precious metals of gold and silver which are normally used for traditional jewellery. Because it is considerably lighter it is attractive to those with very hands-on professions. Titanium has an appealing gun-metal colour and is increasingly selected for its strength, durability and affordable price. If a grey metal ring is not a sufficiently unusual wedding ring, and you would like some colour, titanium comes up trumps. By passing electric current through titanium, vibrant colours of the rainbow can be created. This Titanium Rainbow Wave ring utilizes these beautiful colours and makes a striking and unusual wedding ring.

There are more unusual wedding ring designs on our regularly updated wedding rings page. If it is simple and traditional you are looking for then we have a wide selection of gold and platinum bands in a variety of widths.

18ct Yellow Gold Rectangular Outside/Round Inside with a Matt Finish, prices start at £635

Niessing continue to hand-produce all of their jewellery, and each wedding ring is hand-made to order. These bands are forged using rigorous artisan techniques, and the end result is always a beautiful ring that will last a lifetime.

The first step is to choose a material for the wedding bands. Niessing use a wide variety of alloys, and we offer 18ct yellow gold, 18ct grey gold (a version of white gold popular in European markets) and Platinum 950.

Next, choose your shape of ring. The shape refers to the cross-section of the ring, which determines how it will sit on your finger. Some people prefer a rectangular shape; other people prefer oval ring; others find they like the appearance of an oval outside but prefer the comfort of a flat inside. The shapes available on the ring system can be seen in the image below.

Ring shapes available on the Niessing Wedding Ring System

You can choose the perfect width of wedding band. Widths start at 3mm, and rings up to a substantial 7mm wide are available to order. This can be a good way to control the cost of the band, as the wider ring, the more gold or platinum will be used.

Next, you have choice of three beautiful finishes: matt, polished or hammer-blown (beaten). You can see these in the image below.

Finishes available: from left to right, polished, matt and hammer-blown

You can also choose whether you want the ring set with a sparkling diamond or just a plain band. Diamond sizes vary depending on the widths of the ring you've ordered.

We think the Niessing Wedding Ring System is a really versatile and useful tool to find the perfect wedding ring, and we hope you agree.

A white gold twin shank wedding ring. We would recommend this to match a white gold engagement ring with a similar design of shank.

The most popular materials these days are white gold or platinum for wedding rings or bands. If you choose white gold, we recommend 18ct white gold. This is the standard alloy used in fine jewellery, offering the best combination of hardness and gold content. 18ct gold comprises 75% gold, which is naturally yellow in colour. To change this colour, the gold is alloyed with 25% worth of other metal. There is a relatively high quantity of nickel in white gold, to give it a white colour.

What are the advantages of platinum?

Platinum is a rarer element than gold, and as such is more valuable. Wedding rings made of platinum are harder than gold bands, and will stand up to the tests of time better. The most common alloy of platinum is Platinum 950, which is 95% platinum and 5% other metals.

Often, the most important consideration when choosing a wedding band material is to match the engagement ring it will be worn next to. As mentioned previously, platinum is harder than white gold. For this reason, putting a platinum band next to a gold band will wear the gold down more than the platinum.

What if I choose white gold?

In order to protect the meta of wedding rings, white gold is often plated with a substance called rhodium before being sold. This gives it a brilliant white colour, which many people assume to be the natural hue of white gold. In fact 18ct white gold has a quite grey, somewhat dull colour when un-plated. Some designers prefer to leave their white gold jewellery un-plated as they prefer this natural colouring, but this is entirely a matter of taste for the wearer.

The rhodium plating of white gold must be repeated every so often if one wants the gold to keep looking brilliant and polished. How often exactly depends on how much stress the band goes through in day to day life, but usually every four or five years is a good time to consider re-plating your white gold. This tends to only be an issue for wedding rings and engagement rings rather than pendants or earrings, because these rings are worn all day every day rather than occasionally.

One of the advantages of platinum jewellery, then, is it does not require this re-plating, so the initial higher cost can offset the need to pay for rhodium plating further down the road.

Ultimately when choosing between white gold or platinum wedding rings, try and match what you already wear, and keep in mind that the initial higher price of platinum can save money in the long run.

The Niessing Aura Ring, 18ct gold with a gradating colour

While men do not generally wear engagement rings in many parts of Europe, men’s wedding rings are considered an important part of a marriage ceremony. Traditionally these rings are gold or platinum, in solid but relatively plain designs. Often the rings will have an understated matt finish rather than the more eye-catching polished finish found on much jewellery.

The symbolism of the wedding ring is fairly obvious. A strong, simple band, the circle represents an eternity of commitment and loyalty. They are usually chosen to complement the wedding band, and consequently engagement ring, of the other partner. There are no hard and fast rules on this, however: many men are choosing increasingly unusual and innovative designs to symbolise their commitment, with a range of new scientific techniques allowing rings to be made which could not have been before.

One of our favourite manufacturers of wedding rings is Niessing. This German company is a manufactory who continue to hand-forge all of their jewellery from scratch. No production lines and robots are involved: every piece is created by master craftsmen and goldsmiths to exacting standards. The end results are solid, beautiful pieces of jewellery that will last a lifetime.

Niessing have been responsible for one of the big advances in men’s wedding rings, the Aura ring. This design employs an 18ct gold alloy consisting of gold and fourteen other metals. This secret combination allows the colour of the metal to gradate smoothly from red to yellow or grey, with a unique shimmer. This hi-tech method has been used since 2010, and continues to grow in popularity.

If gold or platinum is not your style, titanium has been a growing choice for wedding bands for men over the last few years. This metal is affordable, twice as strong as steel and half the weight, available in a range of colours, and is even hypo-allergenic to boot!
Titanium is coloured though electrolysis, so the colour is long-lasting and durable as it is a change to the colour of the metal rather than a superficial plate. Since the metal is so affordable, it is perfect for big and bold designs, which might otherwise be prohibitively expensive in gold or platinum. And since it is so light, 7mm or even 8mm rings do not feel uncomfortably heavy.

So, feel free to experiment with men’s wedding rings. Spend a bit of money on something worthwhile, and it will represent your commitment for a lifetime.

Classic and contemporary interpretations of the diamond stud earring, the perfect Christmas gift to set off any outfit. Order before Christmas Eve for free delivery and a free Georg Jensen bottle opener worth £35.

Fei Liu Silver Rose Pendant £119.00

This stunning sterling silver pendant from Chinese designer Fei Liu's new Rose collection would make a wonderful affordable Christmas jewellery gift. The elegant and contemporary pendant combines award-winning design with an affordable price point. The silver rose has an intricate lattice design in polished sterling silver. Sparkling cubic zirconia are micro-set over the pendant, glittering brilliantly whenever the wearer moves. A matching set of earrings and cocktail ring also make great affordable Christmas jewellery gifts.

SHO Splash Fringe Earrings Gold Vermeil and Amethyst £140.00

Distinctive and Affordable Christmas Jewellery

The distinctive design and excellent price of these earrings from award winning Sarah Ho's Mari collection will cause a splash! The Splash Fringe earrings feature long draping chains of silver that move whenever the wearer does. The earrings are silver with a gold vermeil and are set with a colourful amethyst.

Sphere Bangle with Aquamarine £185.00

A contemporary and affordable Christmas jewellery piece, this bracelet captures the best of Danish jewellery design. Regitze Overgaard's newest collection for Georg Jensen took inspiration from the crystal balls used in fortune telling. Aquamarine was chosen because of the traditional symbolic connection between the stone and love and happiness. Paired with sleek sterling silver, the Sphere collection is unmistakably modern, and unmistakably Georg Jensen. This sterling silver bangle features two spheres of aquamarine, the colours of the precious metal and the stone combining to create a harmonious whole.

Affordable Christmas Jewellery from Catherine Jones

Pieces available at Catherine Jones provide that rare combination of quality, originality and affordability. Click here to find a special selection of our top affordable Christmas jewellery gifts.

The spectacular pink diamond weighs 24.78 carats and is potentially flawless. Sotheby's said the pink diamond has a flaw unnoticeable to the naked eye but may be graded as internally flawless after re-polishing.

Laurence Graff won the pink diamond after competing with three other keen bidders. Mr Graff opened Hatton Garden's first retail jeweller in 1962 and rose to become the world's leading dealer in diamonds and gems. He possesses many of the worlds finish gemstones and this beautiful pink diamond will be added to his personal collection.

"It is the most fabulous diamond I've seen in the history of my career and I'm delighted to have bought it," Graff said in a statement released by auction house Sotheby's, which offered the pink diamond at its Geneva sale.

These high profile coloured diamond sales mark a surge in interest in fancy coloured diamonds. Wealthy buyers from developing countries have been buying into the high end of the market in recent years but experts say emerging middle classes particularly in India are also helping to lift prices. However a gorgeous pink diamond is not necessarily beyond the reach of the public pocket. This delicately poised platinum Columbine ring features a rare white pear shape diamond, which is artfully contrasted by a natural fancy pink diamond at its tip!

           Columbine Ring £2,698.00

        The Sun Drop Diamond

The fancy yellow diamond ranks as the largest known pear-shaped fancy vivid yellow diamond in the world, and has an excellent purity of VVS1. The Sun-Drop is yellow because there is a very small amount of nitrogen in its carbon structure. Coloured diamonds are extremely rare in nature and it is even more unusual to find a fancy yellow diamond of this size.

The magnificent fancy yellow diamond was exhibited earlier this year at London’s Natural History Museum. Jerry Hall was a lucky guest dazzled by the Cora Sun-Drop diamond when it was unveiled in the Museum’s Vault gallery in February. The rough fancy yellow diamond was discovered in South Africa in 2010, it was then cut and polished by Cora International. The fancy yellow colour is the result of traces of nitrogen trapped within carbon molecules and hardened over the course of millions of years.

“This stone has immense presence and is truly stunning,” said David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby’s jewelry department in Europe and the Middle East and co-chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland.

If a multi-million price tag is beyond your budget then why not indulge yourself or a loved one with the stunning Fancy Yellow Diamond Cherish Ring in Platinum...

Cherish Ring Fancy Yellow Diamond in Platinum £2,646.00

SHO London jewellery is modern, fashionable and fun. The quirky SHO London designs draw inspirations from a wide range of sources, including the fluid lines of the sea, traditional Chinese blessing symbols, and even Casino playing cards.

Much of SHO London jewellery is available in sterling silver, keeping it affordable for those who don't fancy the celebrity price tag. And if silver isn't your colour, you can get a luscious yellow gold vermeil coating on most of the jewellery. Combine this with a rainbow of gemstones and an array of styles, and you can guarantee there will be something perfect for you.

SHO Crop Circle Hoop Earrings Gold Vermeil £238.00

The SHO London Mari and Splash collections are now available to order. Keep checking the New Arrivals to see more SHO London collections in the following weeks.