﻿Ultimate Guide to Rings [0:00:00]
Pop quiz. Were you aware the ancient Egyptians believed
the ring finger had a vein that ran through it all the way to the heart?
This belief carried on for over a thousand years, and is the reason
that wedding rings are worn on that finger. And did you know that English monarchs wore
special coronation ring that showed that they were spiritually wed to their country?
Boom, boom, boom, boom. Intro. [Music]
So, let's start things off with the most common metals you're going to see rings made from.
First up, on the list we have yellow gold. There are other variations of gold,
I’ll talk about in a few minutes. But, yellow is going to be the natural color of gold
and the one that's most prominently used in the jewelry industry.
Now, we can debate all day why is gold still valuable today. In fact, if you
guys want to jump down there in the comments and get out of control, I would love it.
But, let's talk about the malleability, the functionality, and simply when it comes to a
usability perspective, gold is great for metals because of what it can do. It can be adjusted,
it can be shaped, and it's something that historically we recognize very easily.
In summary, gold is here to stay when it comes to rings, and is a great choice if
you're looking to just get started with men's jewelry. You want to pick up a wedding ring,
you want to pick up a signet ring, you want to get a class ring, gold is a great option.
Now, what is rose gold? You're going to hear this term used out there. This is going to be a reddish
gold, and it gets this because it has copper basically thrown in and mixed with the gold.
So, this is not going to be a 24 karat gold, but the amount of copper is going to basically
increase the hardness and it's going to affect the color. You'll also see sometimes
with this silver and other metals put in to adjust the color. But, yes, this is going to be redder
in color, and I think it's actually a great look. Now, what is white gold? Is it actually gold? Yes,
it is. It's a gold alloy. So, that means there are other metals inserted. Basically,
we've got palladium, very common to see this. And we're going to have a coat of rhodium going over
it. It's going to give it that nice silver look. In the last 20, 30 years, white gold has become
very popular especially with men. They want the silver look, but they don't want silver.
They want something that's a little bit higher end, hence, the white gold. But,
white gold for a lot of guys, they just feel that silver works better with their cool tones.
Now, gents, really quick. All the rings in today's video are brought to you by today's sponsor,
Manly Bands. So, gents, if you're in the market for a ring, if you're getting married, if you
just simply want to add some style to your hand, you want to check out what Manly Bands have.
What I love about these guys, they've got all these unique materials. In fact, check
this out. They've got diamonds, they've got wood, they've got deer antler, friggin dinosaur bones,
meteorite. Yeah, guys, meteorites from space. And, of course,
they've got the usual suspects when it comes to metals like titanium, tungsten, and gold.
Now, throughout this video, you're seeing a lot of styles, but let me show you my favorites,
the ones I had sent to me the ones I inspected and I absolutely love.
First up, we've got the CEO. This is made from tungsten. It's 14 karat gold plated.
It's got a brushed center beveled edges. It is just a beautiful scratch-resistant,
just great-looking simple ring. Next up, we've got the Rockstar. This one
right here made from tungsten. It has a black plated sleeve with sides, 8 millimeters wide.
It's got that domed design with a brushed finish. It's just a beautifully very comfortable ring.
Next up, we've got the Baller. This one right here, just straight black tungsten. I love the
overall design, the simplicity. It's just a good looking ring. Oh! And their comfort fit design
makes these rings incredibly comfortable. Next up, we've got one I didn't expect to like
as much as I do, and it's called the Journeyman. So, this one is really unique. It's got an inlay
of genuine turquoise, deer antler, and Koa wood. It's 18 karat gold plated and it looks amazing.
Next up, I’ve got the Champion. This one is using black zirconium with a 1 millimeter
inlay of 14 carat solid rose gold. It's got this really cool flat design with a laser finish.
Next up, I’ve got the Wildcard. This one here is in black zirconium and it's got a 5
millimeter inlay of authentic coral and rock polished finish. And I love how they
pay attention to all the small details. That beveled finish to me just completes the look.
Another thing I love about Manly Bands, they're ring sizers. These guys are designed to make it no
hassle easy for you. So, you go onto their website and you get the ring sizer and they make it so
easy to find out exactly the size that you need. I also like how they give you all these different
ways to buy it. So, if you want something that's just right there on the website, you like the look
of it, you're ready to go, you want your ring in a matter of days, boom, they've got you covered.
But, if you want something a little bit more let's say made to order, you want your initials,
you want special messages, you want to make a small adjustment on the ring, they've got
you covered there. And if you want something 100% custom, well, they've got that as well.
They've also got fast free shipping, a one-year warranty, and 30 days return or exchange policy.
Gents, I’m linking to Manly Bands down in the description of today's video with the best deal
you're going to find out there on the web. The next drawing material I want to talk
about is tungsten, and, guys, love tungsten. Why? Because it's so hard, it's so tough.
Now, there are some drawbacks to this. It is brittle. It's very difficult to rework to recut.
So, this is something once basically the ring is formed, you're pretty much not going to resize
this thing. That being said, this is going to be one of the hardest metals you can get out there
and it's also relatively affordable, so that's another good thing.
[0:05:00] Another thing that is
you can get it in a variety of colors. You can add different properties to it, different
alloys. And all of a sudden, when you add those different metals, you get different colors.
And this is a thing that people really like about this, that you're able to get
something that's going to maintain its shape, isn't going to need a lot of polishing. It's
going to be resistant to scratching and overall it's just going to be a great ring material.
Next up, we've got arguably the most luxurious metal out there,
platinum. Now, a lot of people don't really go for platinum because it looks just like silver,
so why would you pay the premium and it's going to be a lot more expensive than silver?
Really, it's because you're going to know. When you put on a platinum ring, you're going to feel
the difference between silver. It weighs almost twice as much that material right there that
element is much denser, so this is something when you put it on you're going to know.
But, for most people, they're going to think, oh, maybe it's white gold, most likely it's silver.
You'll know it's platinum, but otherwise the properties it's going to look just like
silver. But, a lot of people just really like platinum, and if it's your thing, go for it.
Now, if you're talking about platinum, you're also going to hear about palladium. And this
one right here is a lot harder than platinum and used to actually be a lot less expensive. But,
its price has shot up over time and now, you'll see in some circles actually can cost even more.
And that's why I’m not really going to recommend it. I mean, it's a good material and if you can
find it out there on a great deal, go for it. But, you'll see palladium used out there, it's just
going to be harder, it's going to look just like platinum, but in my opinion it's not as valuable.
Next up, let's talk about titanium. In my opinion, one of the better materials out there for rings.
So, why? Titanium is going to be hard, not as hard as tungsten,
but a lot harder than gold. And what's great about this is how lightweight it is.
Not going to be for everybody, some people really want a heavy ring. But,
for a lot of people that just want something functional they want it lightweight,
then titanium is going to be where it's at. Next up, we've got Damascus steel. If you're
familiar with weapons, you'll probably know about Damascus steel. It's been around a long time,
used in weapons. You don't see it used in jewelry too much nowadays, but there
are some companies still making it. So, check out this ring right here.
I love the look of it. And what I also like about it it's going to be harder than gold,
it's going to be harder than silver, it's going to be harder than a lot of the other
materials that we're going to see out there. And because of that, it makes a great ring.
Another great thing, it’s also relatively affordable. You can also get a really nice luster
on this and it's durable. So, if you're looking for a unique material, check out Damascus steel.
Now, what about carbon fiber rings? So, many of these are not metals, some of them use
metal properties. But, the point here is this is actually using a fiber design. Basically,
you've got long strands, they're interwoven and so we get a lot of great things.
First up, lightweight. This is going to be in many cases lighter than titanium.
On the other hand, it's going to be incredibly tough, very hard, very durable.
Now, there are a lot of advantages to carbon fiber. First up, it looks cool. Next up,
it's relatively inexpensive and it's made from materials that can actually be found
relatively easily. One of the bad things about carbon fiber is there's not much change up in
different styles, different options out there. Next up, let's talk about silicone rings. Now,
a lot of guys, I don't -- why would I ever get a silicone ring? Because you're an active guy,
you're maybe a mechanic, you work around equipment that could grab your ring and really damage
your hand. So, silicone rings have a purpose. Now, they are going to be relatively expensive
because, hey, it's a polymer. This is going to include silicone with I think mixed with oxygen,
hydrogen, and other elements. Point being is this is something that's easy to manufacture,
and I think is a great option for an active man that wants a ring that's going to be forgiving
and could get caught on something. Now, I know in today's video, gents,
I didn't cover silver, copper, zamak, wood, meteorite. Guys, guess what? In the article
down in the description of today's video, I go into a lot more detail. Those support articles
over at my website, realmenrealstyle.com, that's where I really get deep into the material.
These videos I do a quick overview. So, if you want more information,
again, go down into the description of today's video and go check out that support article.
Now, let's talk about the various types of rings out there. And, really,
rings are all about function. So, we think about the wedding ring, probably
the most common ring most of us are familiar with. We see this on both men and women.
But, whenever you enter the contract of marriage whether it be through the church whether it be
through, you know, just your society. Point being is it is a contract. That's initially
why weddings were out there, why people got married because they were combining two families.
Love didn't really have much to do with it. Nowadays, though it is something that's been
romanticized, it's become more love, although there are many countries where
arranged marriages are still very common. Point being is the ring symbolizes that you're in a
contract with that other individual and that you've made a commitment.
Now, you're also going to see engagement rings. Not very common with men, but very common with
women, and that's basically a symbol that the courtship has started. And that you know there's
eventually a point which you're going to, you know, the families are going to come together.
Now, let's talk about affiliation rings. These, I think are really interesting,
and you're going to see class rings out there. Very common, maybe you went to Texas A&M or you
went to the Citadel, you graduated from the University of Southern California and you
wanted to get a ring to symbolize, hey, I graduated and I’m part of this fraternity.
And that's what really it's about, it's about symbolizing to others that you're part of the
club. Anyone that has been to Texas A&M knows that they love their rings because it's a really big
thing between Aggies. And, it's something that, you know, it's I get it, fraternal orders. If you
guys are masons, you know about the mason ring. [0:10:02]
And I kind of alluded to this, but you're also going to see out there signet rings. These are
oftentimes worn on the pinky or the smaller fingers, and they basically have a crest on
them. This crest can be used for a signature, it can be used for identification purposes. But,
basically signet rings show affiliation. Another type of affiliation ring is going
to be a family ring. And, again, this is going to be within a smaller group
that you're symbolizing, hey, this is something that's been passed on from family to family.
And this meant a lot more going back because certain families wielded a lot of power.
And, actually, having that ring it could be used as a signature. In fact, if you know your
papal history, the pope for over 500 years wore a ring - various popes - and they would actually
always sign a document with that ring. Now, you're also going to see art and
design rings. And these are worn oftentimes simply because somebody wants to have fun.
They want to add a bit of style, they want to add a bit of character to their hands.
You know, musicians, they bring in these rings because they know that,
hey, when you're playing the guitar, people are paying attention to your fingers, they see the
rings with the skulls. You know, it fits with the message they want to send, and that's really what
this is about. It's about sending a message to other people that you've got a bit of style,
that you're into this and people pick up on it. Now, what about stones? In men's rings,
you're not going to see stones as commonly used as you do in the women's side. But,
diamonds by far are going to be the most common stone that we see in men's rings.
And this makes a lot of sense, they've been marketed very hard by the diamond
industry they are considered to be very valuable. They're universally
recognized as basically the go-to gems. Now, what about ring fingers and the
meaning behind it? Well, gents, I’ve got you covered with this video right here,
where I take each finger and I break out the meaning of wearing a ring on it. I go
into the history, I go into the details. Yeah, you want to watch this video. Go check
it out, guys, click right here. [0:11:43] End of audio