There are ten tips to follow when shopping for a wedding ring. While there are basic points to consider when purchasing all jewelry, these apply specifically to finding the perfect wedding ring.

1. Narrow Your Choices

You need to determine your preferences and make a few decisions before purchasing that jewelry. What hue of metal are you curious about? Yellow or white? What if all of your own personal accessories are in gold, but his watch is made of a white metal? You may want to look at rings that have both yellow and white gold in them. Do you want something basic or something with some zing? What about a bracelet with hued stones or diamonds?

2. Set A Budget

It will cost $125.00 to $200.00 apiece for a simple gold band set and $400.00 to $600.00 apiece for plain platinum bands. Data provided by the Diamond Information Center suggests the average price for diamond wedding bands is $742. It costs between 1 and 8 dollars per character for engraving, depending on which font you want and whether it will be hand engraved or machine engraved.

3. Start Looking Early

At least two months prior to your wedding date, start looking for your bands. This gives you an opportunity to look around and reexamine the rings that caught your attention. If you are looking to customize your ring, be ready to allow even more time. It can take as long as a month to have them engraved.

4. Think Practical

You should be practical when choosing a ring so that it will be compatible with your current lifestyle. You should keep in mind that you will wear this ring everyday. The best idea is to pick a ring that fits into your lifestyle. If you live an energetic lifestyle, such as play sports, you should avoid any wide, bulky bands and go for a round-edged slimmer ring instead. If you work with your hands you may want a simple ring that won't trap dirt. Consider platinum if you have allergies to metal alloys. Platinum's purity makes it hypoallergenic for most people.

5. Complete The Twenty Year Task

Feel free to choose your own style even if it may be different from the more common designs. However, you should be careful and make sure it's style won't fade out over time.

6. Be Wise About The Size

Since most people rarely remove the wedding bands they will go through seasons, exercise, menstrual cycles, pregnancies, and your finger will swell and contract during all of these events.

7. Inspect For Condition

Check the quality of all rings. Look to see that the inside of the ring has two marks in it- the trademark for the maker (quality guarantee) and quality mark (guarantees the metal it is made of), like 24K or PLAT. A quality mark is required for each if the ring contains two or more metals.

8. Cleaning Your Wedding Ring

Cleaning your ring is as simple as can be. Simply rub a soft lint-free cloth over a ring without stones. Chamois works particularly well. You can get rid of grease by immersing the band in alcohol. Clean tarnish with a mixture of soap, water, and a small amount of ammonia. Use a soft toothbrush and rinse. Don't forget to close the drain. Lastly, dry with a soft cloth. Soak a ring with stones in warm soapy water and use a soft brush to clean. Then rinse and pat dry.

9. Protect Your Investment

All metals including platinum are vulnerable to wear and tear; therefore it is important that you protect your investment. Avoid wearing it when doing extremely rough work or sports as such activities can scratch your rings. Also avoid wearing them when using concentrated chlorine such as bleaches, cleaners and swimming pool disinfectants as they can cause pitting or discoloration to the ring. Platinum, while being more durable over time, is softer than white or yellow gold and scratches easily. Scratches are most obvious on matte finishes. Fortunately, your local jeweler can restore your ring's pristine original glory by reapplying or changing your ring's finish or plating.

10. Wear Your Band At All Times

Many are surprised at how easy it is to misplace a ring. You have probably picked something that you won't have to remove. However, if you really need to remove your ring, put it in a place so that you will always remember where it is. Never place the ring near a sink. Even if it doesn't fall into the drain straightaway, your pet cat is sure to help it along. When you are away from home is the most dangerous time to remove your ring. Most rings are set down, lost, or forgotten when traveling. Per insurance company records, the first year someone owns a wedding ring is when the majority of losses and damages occur.