10 Popular Wedding Ring Styles for Men

The traditional choice

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Domed rings are the classic choice for men's wedding bands. The simplistic design suits the personal style of many guys, especially those who aren't accustomed to wearing jewelry and don't want to sport anything flashy. They're available in just about every metal and come in a wide variety of widths.

Flat bands are another popular choice for guys whose only jewelry is their wedding ring, but they're a bit more contemporary than the classic domed style. With their squared-off sides, these bands look sleek and modern and make a good style companion for a hipster groom with a bit more edge. Flat bands are also offered in a variety of metals and widths.

No need to choose between silver or gold with this ring.

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Fortunately, plain and simple aren't the only styles available in men's rings. There are a wide variety of patterns that are popular twists on the classic band. Two-toned rings are crafted from two different metals that work together to create a number of patterns. Woven and wave are two of the most popular. Milgrain is a tiny beaded pattern along the edges of the band that's another popular pattern most commonly found on a domed ring.

Don't let the women get all the bling in the relationship.

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Just like the ladies, sometimes men want a little bling in their wedding ring. Diamonds are the most popular gemstone, but sapphires, rubies and other precious stones are readily available as well. Rings with stones require more care than plain bands, because stones can easily get damaged or even fall out. So, if your man works with his hands, you may want to skip the embedded ice.

Sterling silver is the least expensive of all the metals, which makes it a popular choice for budget-conscious grooms. Silver by itself is a fairly soft metal, so it's mixed with other metals to make it more durable. A small bit of copper is frequently chosen for this purpose. But sterling is still more prone to dents and nicks than other metals, and it requires regular polishing because it tarnishes easily.

Although platinum can be more expensive, it's worth the extra money.

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Platinum is a silver-colored metal that's often described as white, and it holds the distinction of being the most valuable of all the precious metals. This makes it a popular choice for grooms who want a wedding band that's fashionable but more durable and more valuable than sterling silver. Besides its price tag, the only downside of platinum is that it's prone to scratches, although they can be buffed out.

Palladium is a precious metal that's known as platinum's country cousin. In the 1930s, platinum was found to be useful to our military and hard to come by, so it was proclaimed a strategic metal, making it unavailable for use in jewelry. Palladium was discovered to share many of platinum's characteristics and became popular with jewelers, especially because of its lower price tag.

The dark color of tungsten makes it a unique choice for a wedding band.

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If your groom is a science enthusiast, a tungsten carbide wedding band may appeal to his inner nerd. Tungsten is a highly durable, scratch-resistant metal that's inexpensive to boot. Its dark gray color is an interesting alternative to silver and gold, but it weighs more than silver, which could make it uncomfortable for men who don't usually wear jewelry.

Titanium is an uber-light weight metal that's also unbreakable, which makes it a great choice for active men who don't want to have to be careful with their wedding band. Its industrial finish means it's not super shiny, which appeals to some guys' no-frills styles. And it's available in ample supply, giving it an extremely affordable price tag.

Gold is the way to go if you want a look that never goes out of style.

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Gold has long been the most traditional choice for men's wedding bands, and as a result, offers many style options in rings. Gold can be polished to a shiny finish on an otherwise low-frills band, and it's a popular choice for rings you want to engrave. It's a relatively valuable precious metal but still affordable and is easily maintained, even on active hands. The only potential downside is that some skin is allergic to gold.