It is summer and wedding season is at its prime! I have already been to 2 weddings this spring and cannot wait for a couple more that I will have the honor of attending in the summer. One of the most significant events during the wedding is the exchange of the wedding ring. The ring that we put on for the first time the day we get married and for most us, never take it off. The wedding ring– the perfect circle – with no beginning and no end is the symbol of the eternal love that two people share from the moment they commit themselves to each other in marriage.

In this month’s feature of ‘Meaning of Jewelry’ we caught up with Alexandra Pulido who got married earlier this year. In addition to learning what special meaning Alexandra’s wedding ring has for her, there is also some advice for future couples who may want to create a custom wedding ring.

We asked Alexandra the following questions –

When did you start thinking about what kind of style you want for your wedding band? Did you already have something in mind from the beginning?

“I started thinking about my wedding band when I was in the thick of wedding planning – about 6 months before our wedding. I had an idea of what I wanted to go with since it had to be a specific shape to fit flush against my emerald cut engagement ring. My engagement ring is a vintage Tiffany’s ring – platinum with an emerald cut diamond in the center and two tapered baguettes on the side. The ring came with a plain, curved, platinum band, but in my opinion it didn’t look like it went with the ring (it just looked too modern next to this classic vintage engagement ring). I was envisioning something that had the same curved shape as the plain platinum band, but one that had a straight baguette in the middle and two tapered baguettes on the side, mimicking the classic look of the engagement ring”.

How was it for you to be a part of the process to make your band? Or would you have had your husband pick something for you?

“It was a very personal experience making my band. I’m really happy that I got to work so closely with Harvinder and my husband to create the ring I had always envisioned. I think it’d virtually be impossible for my husband to find something as unique as the band that we created since wedding bands for emerald cut rings are very hard to find – especially those that work with vintage rings”.

Any advice for future couples on how to go about the wedding band? Is it something that couples should try to work on together? Was it stressful to have to worry about the wedding band while also planning the wedding?

“My advice for future couples is to try to be as specific as possible with what you want. If you are getting a custom made band, bring in pictures of rings that you like to help the designer. It was a great experience designing the ring with my husband since he also has an eye for things and it was good to get another opinion. It wasn’t stressful worrying about the wedding band, especially since we started looking into it about four months before our wedding. That brings up another piece of advice to future couples – don’t wait till the last minute!”

What does your band mean for you?

“My wedding band symbolizes the happiest day of my life – getting married to my best friend. I love looking down at it and remembering that special day. I like to think that the three baguette diamonds symbolize our past as a couple (dating post-college), the present and where we are right now as a married couple, and then finally the future and what it may hold for us as a family”.

How did you feel when you first saw your wedding band complete the way you had envisioned it?

“I was SO happy! The band was so shiny and beautiful and it looked like it had been sold with my engagement ring – it was seriously exactly what I wanted! Most people assume the two rings were sold as a set and I’ve received many compliments on how unique the ring looks”.

Any special stories regarding the band from your wedding day or since the wedding?

“Our photographer and her assistant both complimented me on the ring – they said they hadn’t seen anything like it before and that it had photographed beautifully”.

Anything more that you would like to share?

“I would just like to thank Harvinder for the amazing job she did helping design my ring. I know I was very particular throughout the whole process and she was very patient with me! She also made it very easy to meet up with her to go over the wax proofs – either at my home or work. I’d recommend HCM to any of my friends, family, or colleagues at work if they’re looking for a wedding band or engagement ring. The quality of the ring was truly exceptional, matching the same clarity, quality, and size of the baguettes on my engagement ring. Thank you so very much for creating the band I will be wearing forever!”

It was truly a pleasure working with Alexandra in making her wedding band that would fit and look perfect against her vintage engagement ring. We cannot stress her advice of being as specific as possible of your vision of the finished product enough. Alexandra shared many photos and drawings which helped us be on the same page and enabled us to deliver the ring that she wanted! We also cannot agree more with her advice of not making the wedding ring a last minute thing. Get your wedding band done early like Alexandra did and spend that time envisioning wearing it on your BIG day versus stressing about still having to get it made.

We love Alexandra’s vision of the ring as a symbolism of her relationship as her past, present and the future to come in addition to the circle of love the wedding ring itself stands for. We truly wish Alexandra and her husband the happily ever after of their dreams!

Cheers! And please don’t hesitate to share the meaning behind your jewelry pieces!