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Photo Gallery
The World's Top Ten Men's Wedding Bands for
2004
In July of 2003, I completed an 18 month study
on men’s wedding bands, (see the article “The Top 10
Men’s Wedding Bands.”) In that study, I reviewed over
600 bands from 30 different companies. At the conclusion of the
study it became plainly obvious to me that while there are many
good wedding band companies, only two of them are elite: Novell
Wedding Bands and Benchmark. Not only are they the only wedding
band companies to have life-time sizing guarantees, but their customer
service and attention to detail are unrivaled. This year I asked
only ten manufacturers to submit their wedding bands and, once again,
Novell and Benchmark were the last two standing. (If I were to give
honorable mentions, Artcarved and Scott Kay would make the list—Artcarved
for a consistently good product but lack of originality, and Scott
Kay with a handsome product, but in the end, way over-priced because
of their designer label.
If you’re familiar with last year’s top ten, you’ll
recognize a few of the old faces, (Classic, Classic Millgrain, Tempered,
etc.) but there are some new categories that are going to really
turn some heads. Without further ado, the top ten men’s wedding
band list for 2004…
#10 A Tie: The Classic and Classic Millgrain: If the sole
job of the ring is to just announce you’re “off the
market” then it’s hard to beat the old Classic. The
Classic comes in any width, is half round (curved on top) and is
generally preferred comfort fit™ (inside round not flat).
The most popular width for a man is 6mm (about 1/4 inch) and most
men prefer the heavy comfort fit. ™ (Comfort fit™ is
offered in ranges from light to heavy).
The Classic Millgrain is perfect for the man who feels like the
engine on the moped of the Classic needs a little tweaking. The
beaded edge isn’t just decorative. If the ring slips out of
your hand (what the heck were you taking your ring off for anyway?)
and hits a hard surface it’s less likely to dent the metal.
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#9 Gold Tempered and Patterned:
For the first time in years, gold has made a comeback. From the
very attractive satin to the chalkboard finishes of the tempered
bands to the Cubic, In Line and mesh styles of the patterned bands,
gold is showing that it’s tired of taking second place to
platinum. With the meteoric rise of gold prices in the last year,
gold is getting back the respect of old. I won’t be surprised
if by next year five of the ten spots will go to the gold.
#8 Edwardian: Distinguished by the hand-engraved scrolled
and leaf patterns, these bands aren’t for everyone. The typical
guy has more of a minimalist attitude when it comes to a wedding
band—less is more. The Edwardian customer is more an aficionado
of detail than comfort; style than function. A popular design of
royalty, its origin, these 100% hand-engraved DaVinci’s are
for the connoisseur of fine things.
#7 The Slides: Up a slot from last year, the slides refuse
to get knocked out of the count down. If you can’t decide
between platinum and yellow gold then the Slide is right up your
alley. Constructed in two pieces (inner tube and outer shell) then
soldered together, the wearer gets the benefit of platinum or a
white gold ring with a touch of yellow or vice versa. You’ll
notice that this year’s pictorial includes two new slides:
the Hand Tooled Tempered Slide (7C) and the Classic Millgrain Slide
(7D).
#6 Tempered: The Tempered bands are offered by
all manufacturers. The idea behind them is to place a satin like
finish on the rings to make them more scratch resistant. Does it
work? It sure does! Plus, when you do eventually get a scratch on
it, the scratch blends in so the ring looks newer longer!
#5 Dual Lines: The symbolism behind the Dual Lines collection
is simple yet beautiful. Two dual lines (representing life lines)
are placed on the top surface of the ring. Each goes in the same
direction but each following its own path. The lines are there to
remind us that when we marry we should not give up our own individuality
even though we are going on a life time adventure with the one we
love. Dual Lines are a Novell inspired creation.
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#4 The Interwovens: As their title intimates, the Interwovens
are a weaving of precious metal. The most complicated and most expensive
(way over $2K) they are not only time consuming to make (in some
cases months) but a labor of love. Created to symbolize the strength
in unity when a couple comes together and invincibility should anyone
try to pry them apart. Once again, if you’re Donald Trump
or have someone give you a lot of money, you can’t go wrong
with these magnificent Novell rings. 4B, 4C, and 4D are brand new
interwovens for 2004. Interwoven 4D’s nickname is Michelin
for it’s resemblance to a tire tread. The designers of this
new ring say they created the interwoven tire tread design to symbolize
the idea that a man should “tread softly, but carry a big
stick.”
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#3 Lava: Think you’re too much to handle? Real “hot
stuff?” Then the brand new Lavas are for you. Patterned after
old volcanic eruption flows and prehistoric cave drawings, the unfinished
yet completed original works of art seem to be a favorite for the
caveman that dwells in all of us—raw, yet refined. The Lavas
are a Novell inspired creation.
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#2 A Tie: The Forever and The Inverted Wedding Band: A
Novell creation.
Each Forever ring comes out of a super-sized hand rolled pipe of
platinum (over 30 percent thicker than any other platinum ring made)
and then each ring is hand engraved with an ancient Greek X over
and over on to its surface. The Greek X represents 1,000 years and
the symbol for Chronos the God of Time. The meaning is “I
will love you for over 1,000 years; till the end of time.
Touted as the world’s most comfortable wedding band, last
year’s #1 drops to a tie for #2. Years in development, Benchmark
has always sought to make a men’s wedding ring more comfortable.
(Men’s #1 complaint is that their wedding ring quite simply
is uncomfortable to wear). If comfort is your #1 concern than the
inverted wedding band is the answer! By contouring the outer body
of the ring to two small aerodynamic curves, perspiration is allowed
to roll through the canal allowing the webbing on either side of
your ring finger to breath. It also makes it lighter. Within just
a few days you’ll forget you have it on! Not just comfortable
but a beauty to behold. When I first held it I wasn’t sure
if I was holding a ring or something that belonged in The Museum
of Modern Art.
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#1 Chiseled, AKA “Self Made Man”: Looks like
a throwback to the old hammered style wedding bands till you take
a good close look. Each of the centers of the chiseled collection
look like the artist took a hammer and chisel to a circular pipe
of platinum to give it its masculine finish. Each band is then hand
turned to produce its distinctive side wall trim. Only Novell with
their painstaking attention to detail (3 weeks to hand make each
ring) could come up with such a masterpiece. If price is no object
then Novell is the only way to go. They are the best among the best.
(All photographs were taken by
acclaimed photographer and artist Ricky Fernandez)
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