Eternity Rings Explained

When it comes to diamond jewellery, there can be mixed messages. For example, you’ll often see cut being referred to as the shape of a diamond, whereas really it doesn’t mean this at all, and is more to do with the finish of a diamond.

There are essentially two sides to the diamond industry. There’s the very technical side, where stones are traded, and then there’s the consumer facing side, where technical language tends to be watered down so that it’s more amenable to the public.

You might be in the dark about eternity rings. Here are the typical misconceptions about eternity diamond rings:

That they represent a specific anniversary. Of course it’s up to you how your celebrate your anniversary, however an eternity ring isn’t called an eternity ring because it represents a certain passage of time, (whether or not your marriage feels like eternity is a matter for your own conscious!)

On a similar note, some people think that an eternity band is where you add diamonds to represent each year of a marriage. Again, this is a pretty neat idea, however it doesn’t explain why eternity rings are called eternity rings.

Yet more people imagine that an eternity ring is defined by the number of stones that it carries. However, this would mean that eternity rings are something relatively specific, when in fact they are a fairly general branch of diamond jewellery.

So, what are they?

Eternity diamond rings can be explained and defined very simply. Eternity rings are where the diamonds go all away around the band, to create a vision of eternity. Of course, setting diamonds in this way can be deeply symbolic, and so they are the perfect gift for wedding or anniversaries, anything that chimes with the idea of eternity.

Full versus Half Eternity

There are two kinds of eternity ring. On the one hand, you have full eternity rings. This is where the diamonds stretch all away around the band, so these are true eternity rings. They create a remarkable aesthetic, however are more expensive than their counterparts, because there are more diamonds.

Half eternity rings, as the name suggests, is where diamonds stretch halfway around the band. For many, this is a very cost effective alternative to the full version. Also, you don’t necessarily miss much of aesthetic, as from the right angle a half eternity will look just as flashy as full eternity.

Choosing quality

A ring of glorious diamonds is obviously a very wonderful thing. Also, how these stones are set also makes a real difference. You will want the diamonds to be close together, comfortably so, with no gaps, but also no overlapping. Whilst the criteria of a diamond ring is the same, i.e. diamonds that go around the band, there are several styles and looks of ring to choose from.

So, next time you ask for an eternity ring, be aware that you’re asking for one of the most wonderful kinds of jewellery that there is.