Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and an inscription on the inside your wedding rings is a way to make your ring truly yours. So, it might seem like a no brainer that you’d want to mark this memorable moment in time by getting your wedding rings engraved.

But believe it or not, there are some very important factors to consider before committing to an inscription that will make a big difference to your choices. Here are the most important ones to think about before giving the nod to your jeweller and getting your engagement or wedding rings engraved.

1. Wedding Band Width

It’s a truth universally accepted by experts that 3mm band is the minimum width for engraving. Some jewellers might let you push it to 2mm, but you might not be happy with the end result.

The reason is that the thinner the band, the more difficult it is to engrave, and the inscription on the inside may end up too small to be legible.

2. Does Engraving Devalue A Ring?

Precious metals like gold and platinum are valued by both the carat and the weight. So, it follows that if you remove some metal through engraving, then you then take away from the overall weight and therefore the value too.

3. What About Resizing?

There is a chance that for whatever reason, you or your other half may need to have your ring resized. Unfortunately, if it’s after you’ve had your wedding rings engraved, resizing could interfere with an existing inscription. To get your wedding ring resized you may need to remove the inscription and get it redone if it’s quite long.

Outlets can charge a flat rate for engraving, and the price will depend if the inscription is done by machine, or hand. As most rings hold between 15 and 30 characters, depending on the font, getting a new inscription isn’t prohibitive, but wiping away the engraving to make way for a fresh one will remove more metal from your ring (again reducing its weight and value), not to mention that it might potentially weaken its structure.

4. Laser Engraving Vs Hand Engraving

Different engraving methods offer more choice of fonts and symbols, as well as style and size, so do shop around if you want something that’s not run of the mill. An engraver that uses a laser machine can offer you a greater choice of fonts and symbols, than one with a less precise machine, or an engraver who works by hand.

5. Choose Your Font Carefully

The general rule of thumb with getting your wedding rings engraved is the longer the inscription, the smaller the font will be. Therefore a plain font will give you room for more characters. Handwritten ‘script’ style fonts are pretty, but take up more space, and can be hard to read when small.

6. What To Engrave

If you want to include special symbols or characters, then this can really only be achieved with a laser machine. More generally, the date of your big is always a nice idea, even if only so neither of you has any excuse for forgetting your anniversary. But of course anything from initials to a short romantic phrase are also popular when getting wedding rings engraved.

Click for ideas for unique inscriptions to personalise your rings!

We also have details on how to match your engagement ring to your wedding band as well as a list of recommended jewellers here.