For most newly engaged couples, it is their first time being engaged to be married, and many questions can crop up during this exciting period of time.
Things to be considered might include how to choose the perfect wedding rings, how much to spend on the wedding, who to invite to the wedding and also, how to wear an engagement ring and wedding ring together.
Steeped in centuries of tradition, the giving and receiving of engagement, wedding and eternity rings is highly symbolic.
However, confusion often arises when it comes to wearing more than an engagement ring.
So, let’s take a look at which ring to wear where.
How to wear an engagement ring
An engagement ring is used in most marriage proposals and is offered to the proposer’s partner as a symbol of their love and commitment. If the partner accepts the proposal, the ring will be placed on a finger — and a celebratory selfie will probably be taken!
Where you wear your engagement ring will vary depending on where you live in the world, but in the UK, engagement rings are traditionally worn on the ring finger of the left hand — that’s the fourth finger on your left hand, next to your ‘pinky’.
Your engagement ring will remain in place until your wedding day when you’ll temporarily take it off. You’ll return the engagement ring to your hand after the ceremony — when you have received your wedding ring.
How to wear a wedding ring
On your wedding day, you and your partner will place a wedding ring on each other’s fingers as a show of commitment in front of your wedding guests.
In Britain, both partners’ wedding rings are worn on the ring finger of the left hand.
The wedding ring replaces the engagement ring’s position on the finger, and then the engagement ring is usually placed on top. The idea behind this placement is that the wedding ring sits as close to your heart as possible.
How to wear an eternity ring
Eternity rings are popular gifts for marriage milestones — particularly from one partner to the other on the birth of a first child or in celebration of a wedding anniversary.
Therefore, as this ring is often the last of the three marriage-related rings you receive, you may be wondering how to wear an engagement ring, wedding band, and eternity ring together.
Most people in the UK wear eternity rings on their left-hand ring finger and atop the wedding and engagement rings.
In cases where this is uncomfortable or not possible due to the shape of the engagement ring, you may wish to wear the eternity ring on the ring finger of your right hand instead.
Explore your options
While the above are the traditional ways to wear an engagement ring, wedding ring, and eternity ring, you might wish to break from the norm.
Sometimes, rings don’t sit well together — especially engagement rings with a large setting or diamond when placed next to a straight wedding or eternity band.
If this is a concern for you, shaped wedding bands can sit well next to engagement rings. Another option is buying a bridal ring set, which is specifically designed to sit together.
However, you can wear your rings where they work best for you, so don’t worry too much about which finger they’re on and the order they sit in.
Top tip: Bear in mind that you may require a slightly different size in a ring that you wear at the base of your finger (such as your wedding ring) compared to a ring that you wear on top of your ring stack, nearer your knuckle.
Explore our Luxe magazine further to learn how best to care for your engagement ring.
You can shop for engagement rings, wedding rings, and eternity rings via our online shop or in-store.