go for the chiseled ring

I got a compliment a few days ago on my wedding ring. "This old thing?" I felt like asking, but the truth is that my ring still sparkles as much as it did on the day we were married. It's pretty surprising, as I haven't ever had it professionally cleaned, and I never take it off to do any type of work. From housework to yardwork and everything in-between, my ring stays on. I'm one of those people whose finger has a permanent dent around it because the ring has become a permanent fixture. I'm not one of those loser husbands who never wears his ring because it is "uncomfortable" or because he feels like a wedding ring isn't "manly" enough. Bah!

So why does my ring still look good? I'm not really sure. Most wedding bands tend to get dull over time, either from a lack of cleaning or just because metallic finishes wear over time. Mine doesn't have any jewels encrusted in it to enhance the shine. It's just got a pattern etched into it, almost like it was chiseled into it. Then on the flat parts, it has a brushed finish. So the etched parts always seem to sparkle through the brushed finish. My wife and I are not fans of yellow gold, so we opted for white gold. I can't complain after our 10+ years of marriage.

So, word to the wise: If you want your wedding ring to still look nice and shiny after a decade or more, get yourself one with a brushed finish and chiseled patterns in it. Or if you're too "manly" and you want your ring to get dull and less noticeable over time, don't. But if you're that type of guy, you probably won't wear it anyway, so who cares?