When Jolene Riley asked her boyfriend Ben McDowell to bring her back a penny from Afghanistan as a sentimental gift, she got more than she bargained for. Ben turned an authentic Afghan coin into a beautiful ring in a touching gesture that saw the two get engaged immediately. Now Bay Rings, the leading custom ring retailers in the UK, are speaking out to more couples in order to encourage them to create their own personalised, individual rings ahead of the big day.

A spokesman for the company, which specialises in gold, silver, titanium and platinum wedding rings, says, “The heartrending gesture from a serving soldier to his girlfriend was a wonderful example of how custom rings can be more meaningful and powerful than standard shop-window style pieces. At Bay Rings, we can personalise rings by offering engravings and a range of different stones in order to make a ring truly personal and unique to a couple. We’re speaking out to all men wondering how on earth they’re going to find a special ring for their ideal woman – we urge them to get creative and allow the ring to do the talking for them!”

Bay Rings is the online subsidiary of a well-known jewellery provider – their online-only store means that they can pass on incredible cost savings to their customers. Rather than spending thousands on custom rings, customers can reduce their outlay to just a few hundred pounds, for a high-quality personalised ring that will stand the test of time.

Their selection of rings is expansive; from platinum bands to the more intricate Russian and Celtic rings, there is a wide selection to choose from. Each and every ring can be customised with engravings that come in a multitude of different fonts; whether you want something bold and traditional, or a more contemporary, elegant script, Bay Rings delivers. There is also the possibility of adding hearts, double hearts, arrow-pierced hearts and infinity symbols, to add a truly romantic touch to the band.

Taking their cue from the serving soldier, all men are now being urged to pour their heart into the creation of their future wife’s wedding ring. Whether they want to mould their own from a precious coin, or simply personalise it using Bay Rings’ value customisation services.

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Nobody wants to have a similar wedding to a friend or a member of the family, but there are limited ways in which to make the wedding ceremony unique.  Moreover, many distinctive elements available such as live music or releasing doves are extremely expensive.  Most couples can’t afford these added extras when their budgets are already stretched to the max just by accommodating all their guests.

A special way to honour the wedding vows and ensure you have something exclusive to your ceremony is to design your own wedding rings.  While an extravagant wedding day is a priority for some people, the most important part of the day is the vows the couple make and the commitment to marriage.  The rings are the outward symbol of this love and commitment which you will wear forever; therefore we believe the wedding rings are one of the most important elements of a wedding and a marriage.

Wedding rings are cherished for eternity, so what better way to signify your love for each other than creating a bespoke ring? Knowing that you are the only couple in the world with those exact unique rings will reinforce your relationship and make your wedding day distinctive and special.  Designing your own bespoke wedding ring is:

• Personal and individual – you will be personalising your vows, wedding ceremony and long lasting marriage by creating your own individual wedding ring.
• Easy – rather than shopping around for months for your ideal design, simply describe to the jewellery the style of ring you would like.  Designing a bespoke ring is the easiest way to buy your perfect wedding jewellery.
• Affordable – purchasing a unique ring has a reputation for being pricey, but in fact it doesn’t have to cost any more than buying a normal wedding ring.  Budget jewellers Bay Rings provide an affordable bespoke ring service for couples planning on getting hitched, and guarantee to be cheaper than other providers.

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• Carat – This is the standard term used for the weight of a diamond. Generally speaking, the more carats, the better!
• Clarity – This means the absence of internal inclusions and external blemishes on a diamond. These are ranked in ‘Grades’, and go from Flawless to Included.
• Colour – This may seem simple, but actually this term refers to the lack of colour in a diamond. The less body colour the diamond has, the more valuable it is considered.
• Court – Court-shaped wedding rings are curved on the outside and on the inside for a highly comfortable fit.
• Cut – The proportions, finish and symmetry of a diamond. It can also refer to the shape of the diamond (round, pear, oval, etc.) – more about this later!
• D-Shaped – These rings are flat on the inside and curved on the outside; often the cheapest type of wedding rings.
• Flat / Flat Court – Flat rings are entirely flat both on the inside and the outside, while Flat Court rings are the inverse of Court rings – flat on the outside and curved on the inside for a comfortable fit.
• Scintillation – It’s likely that the bride-to-be is going to be most preoccupied with the scintillation of her wedding ring. It means the reflections of light caused by a diamond’s movement – or, in other words, how sparkly it is!
• Semi-Mount – This is usually more relevant for engagement rings than wedding rings. It refers to a ring sold with only the side stones, allowing for the centre stone to be sold separately, accounting for size, shape and colour of the stone.
• Setting – This is where the diamond sits on the ring. The term also refers to the materials used to hold the diamond in place, also known as ‘blanks’ or ‘mountings’. There are many different settings – cathedral, prong, bezel, channel, bead and cluster, to name but a few.
• Shank – This is the part of the ring that encircles the finger.
• Solitaire – A single stone set on a ring. This is the most common type of ring, and shows off beautiful stones to perfection.

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1.   Quotes or Lyrics

Many couples will often say that there is a specific lyric or quote that means a lot to them as a married pair. Whether it’s from ‘their’ song, a line from a romantic movie, or even just a private phrase between the two of them, many people then choose to have this engraved on the inner side of their wedding ring, to make it truly personal and individual. Even if there isn’t a specific lyric or quote that you might get engraved, you can pick a poignant line from your wedding vows, or even just a generic phrase – ‘I Love You’ and ‘I Do’ are among the most popular.

2.   Birthdates or Birthstones

A marriage is an alignment of two people’s lives, so many people want to depict this by adding a symbol of their birth to their wedding ring. Some people get Roman numerals engraved to symbolise their birthday, whereas some prefer to use birthstones to give it an individual characteristic that is personal to them. If you want to get two birthstones set into the ring to symbolise both yourself and your partner, be sure that they don’t clash!

3.   Names

This one seems fairly obvious, and it’s one that we always suggest to our clients when they ask us what personalisation methods we could recommend. Nothing could be as simple as getting your new husband or wife’s name engraved on the inner side of a ring. If there isn’t room, perhaps some initials or a nickname, which would also be an intensely private and personal addition.

4.   Dates

If the idea of a birthdate doesn’t appeal, why not choose an anniversary instead? The first time you met? The date of your wedding? The first time you said ‘I love you’ to one another? Whatever your personal date indicates, it will be with you forever if it’s engraved on the inside of your ring – and there’ll be no excuse for forgetting this important anniversary!

5.   Children

Many people who get married already have children, and they want them to be as involved in the process as possible. After all, a wedding in this circumstance is not just about man and wife, it’s about uniting an entire family. Why not engrave your children’s birthdates on the inner circle of the ring, or get their birthstones added for the ultimate personal touch? That way the entire family is represented in a single piece of jewellery, a token not only of marital love, but also maternal or paternal devotion.