Combining Style and Function: The Tactical Wedding Band

The Tactical Wedding Band

When it comes to representing a lifelong commitment, the greatest wedding rings seem like an extension of you. They express your relationship and your individual style as a partnership. While wedding bands are generally worn in conjunction with engagement rings, they can also be worn on their own for a more casual look. A flexible band provides a lot of options and value. We used our skills and understanding of the jewelry industry to assess the top wedding bands. We have alternatives to suit different preferences, budgets, and ring materials.

As with many fine jewelry purchases, where you shop is critical—buy from independently verified jewelers with strong reputations, outstanding customer service, and, preferably, lifetime warranties on purchases. Blue Nile, our top overall option, fits all of these requirements, and we suggest their Riviera Pavé Diamond Ring. However, because wedding bands are particularly personal, we included some designs that garnered excellent points in our assessment and may better meet your individual requirements. Just a reminder that while this guide is mostly focused on women's styles, we also examined the top men's wedding rings and included additional buying recommendations at the conclusion.

Best Affordable Wedding Band

Price range: $40 to $10,000 | Custom options: No | Virtual advisors: No | In-home try-on: No | Return policy and warranty: Free 365-day returns with no warranty specified | Financing: Yes

Quince's low-overhead business approach allows them to sell beautiful jewelry for a fraction of their competitors' pricing while focusing on sustainability and quality. Their wedding rings are constructed of genuine gold and carefully sourced diamonds. Quince's affordable prices and simple mix-and-match designs make it an excellent option for an anniversary ring stack or engagement ring paring.

The reviewers read, "I adore this ring. The little diamonds provide a great bit of shine. True to size (if you're in between sizes, size down because the band is narrower). —Quince

Best Diamond Wedding Band

Beautiful Eternity Ring That Truly Shines

Price range: $320 to $17,500 | Custom options: Yes | Virtual advisors: Yes | No in-home try-on | Return policy and warranty: Free 30-day returns and lifetime warranty | Financing available: Yes

Eternity rings are designed to be worn as a symbol of eternal love, as depicted by the continuous band of jewels. This design can be worn alone or combined with an engagement ring or even a second eternity band. Brilliant Earth offers more than 100 eternal designs, including platinum, white, yellow, and rose gold settings. Aside from diamonds, you may add gemstones (sapphires, emeralds) in a range of cuts, such as round, baguette, bevel, and pear. As an added benefit, Brilliant Earth's designs include exclusively recycled precious metals and sustainably sourced materials Also, send in your old fine jewelry to be recycled for shop credit.

What the reviewers say: "I wanted a clean ring to go with my engagement ring, and this one is ideal. It pairs well with my band (Demi). I also enjoy how it is completely wrapped so I don't have to worry about it sliding about." —Brilliant Earth

Best Pavé Wedding Band

More Diamonds For More Sparkle

Ranging from $128 to $3,700 in price; no custom choices; virtual advisors available; no at-home try-on Financing is available. Return policy and warranty: Free 30-day returns and a two-year warranty

Pavé is another common setting for wedding rings, in which many jewels are arranged so closely that no metal is seen. Since the stones are often tiny, the ring's ability to reflect light can be enhanced by their numerous tiny facets. Mejuri was established to celebrate exquisite jewelry for all times—not just presents or special events. They provide contemporary sustainable diamond pavé alternatives that look well alone or together with other rings.

According to the reviews, "My husband bought me this as a gift for our fifth wedding anniversary." It complements my engagement ring well as well as a wedding band. The ring is exquisite and of remarkable quality. The craftsmanship is exquisite, especially given the cost. —Mejuri

While some wedding bands are made to draw attention to certain engagement rings, others are meant to be worn alone for a minimalistic yet eye-catching style. Here are some alternatives from which to select: For instance, eternity bands have stones that completely round the ring. Conversely, plain wedding bands are usually constructed of platinum or solid gold in different widths without any stones, and curved rings are designed to suit an engagement ring set in the middle or an emerald cut.