Wedding rings are one of the few purchases where people have almost no reference point. Most buyers have never bought one before, will only buy one once, and have no idea whether £400 is a bargain or a warning sign.

So let us put real numbers on it, explain exactly what you are paying for, and show where the money actually goes.

What drives the price of a wedding band

Four things account for almost the entire cost.

The metal, and how much of it there is. Precious metal is sold by weight. A 6mm wide, heavy-profile band contains roughly twice the gold of a 3mm slim one, so it costs roughly twice as much in raw material. Platinum is denser than gold, so the same ring in platinum weighs more and costs more again.

The gold purity. 9ct gold is 37.5% pure gold; 14ct is 58.5%; 18ct is 75%. Higher purity means more gold in the ring and a higher price, with a richer colour.

The diamonds. A plain band has none. A half eternity has stones across the top. A full eternity has them all the way round, which can easily triple the cost.

How it is made. A mass-produced casting costs less than a hand-finished ring. Hand-setting each stone takes a skilled jeweller real time.

Real prices from our own collection

Rather than vague ranges, here are actual CarbonstoneUK prices so you can see how the factors above translate into money. All are hand-made in solid gold or platinum with lab-grown diamonds. These figures are correct at the time of writing.

Ring	Style	Price
Stackable Rose Cut Wedding Band	Slim stacking band	£489
Baguette Cut Half Eternity Band	Half eternity, baguette stones	£672
Minimalist Round Cut Wedding Band	Simple everyday band	£687
Curved Round Cut Wedding Band in Yellow Gold	Shaped to fit an engagement ring	£707
Stackable Round Cut Full Eternity Band	Stones all the way round	£707
Stackable Emerald Cut Three Quarter Eternity Band	Three quarter set, emerald cut	£1,074
Stackable Emerald Cut Eternity Band	Full eternity, larger stones	£2,121

The pattern is clear. A well-made plain or lightly set band sits in the £480 to £700 range. Adding stones across the top pushes you towards £700 to £1,100. Setting stones all the way round, in larger cuts, is where prices climb past £2,000.

General guidance on the wider UK market

Away from our own collection, the following ranges are typical of what you will find from UK jewellers. Treat these as guidance to help you budget rather than as quotes, because weight, width and workmanship vary enormously.

Type of wedding band	Typical UK guide price
Plain 9ct gold, narrow	£150 – £350
Plain 18ct gold, medium width	£400 – £900
Plain platinum, medium width	£600 – £1,400
Diamond-set half eternity, lab-grown	£500 – £1,200
Diamond-set half eternity, mined stones	£900 – £2,500
Full eternity, lab-grown	£700 – £2,500
Bespoke or shaped-to-fit band	Varies with design and metal weight

Why lab-grown diamonds change the sums

A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond. It has the same chemical composition, the same crystal structure and the same hardness as a mined one. The difference is where it was formed, not what it is. A laboratory recreates the conditions found deep in the earth over a matter of weeks rather than millions of years.

Because supply is not limited in the same way, a lab-grown diamond of the same size, colour and clarity costs considerably less than a mined equivalent. For a wedding band, which often carries a row of small stones, this is exactly where the saving shows.

What that means in practice: your budget buys either better metal, a wider band, more stones, or simply a smaller bill. Every CarbonstoneUK centre stone comes with a free IGI certificate, which is an independent laboratory report confirming the stone’s grading, so you can see precisely what you have bought.

How much should you actually spend?

You will find “rules” online suggesting a set fraction of income. Ignore them. There is no correct amount, and none of these figures come from anything more solid than marketing.

A more useful way to think about it:

Spend enough that the ring survives daily wear. This is the real threshold. A very cheap band is usually cheap because it is thin, hollow, or plated rather than solid. It will bend, wear through, or lose its colour within a few years. Solid gold or platinum in a sensible weight is the point at which a ring becomes a lifetime object.

Do not stretch for stones you will not see. On a narrow band, the difference between small stones and slightly larger ones is barely visible on the hand but very visible on the invoice.

Budget for the pair. Two rings, not one. Many couples forget this and end up rushing the second choice.

Leave a little for sizing and insurance. A resize typically runs £40 to £150 depending on metal and setting, and insuring the ring is worth doing from day one.

Browse the full range in our wedding rings collection, or look specifically at our baguette cut designs if you like the clean, architectural look of rectangular stones.

Costs people forget

The ring price is not always the final figure. Watch for:

• Engraving inside the band, typically £20 to £60
• Resizing if the fit is not right, £40 to £150
• Insurance, either added to home contents or as a specialist policy
• Rhodium re-plating on white gold, roughly every two to four years, £30 to £60
• Delivery, which is free and fully insured with us, but is not free everywhere

Frequently asked questions

Is a more expensive wedding ring better quality?

Not automatically. Much of the price difference between two similar-looking rings is metal weight and brand markup rather than craftsmanship. Ask what the ring weighs, what carat the gold is, and whether it is solid throughout. Those answers tell you more than the price tag.

Why are some wedding bands under £100?

Usually because they are plated, hollow, or made from a non-precious metal such as tungsten, titanium or stainless steel. These can look good initially but generally cannot be resized or repaired, so they are replaced rather than kept.

Should the two partners’ rings cost the same?

There is no reason they should. Different widths, metals and stone settings naturally produce different prices. Set a budget for the pair together and split it however suits you.

Is platinum worth the extra over white gold?

It depends on how you value maintenance. Platinum is naturally white and never needs re-plating, and it develops a soft satin patina rather than wearing away. White gold is lighter and cheaper, but needs rhodium re-plating every few years to stay bright. Over twenty years the costs move closer together.

Do wedding rings hold their value?

Treat a wedding ring as something to wear, not an investment. Any jewellery sold second-hand fetches far less than its retail price, because you paid for design and craftsmanship as well as materials. The scrap metal value is only a fraction of what you spent.

Set a budget you are comfortable with, insist on solid precious metal, and let the stones follow from there. Every CarbonstoneUK ring is hand-made to order in solid gold or platinum from our workshop in North Harrow, London, with free insured UK delivery, 30 days to return it, and bespoke designs at no extra design cost.