Eternity Bands 101: Everything You Need to Know
You’ve just gotten engaged and now you’re shopping for wedding bands–enter eternity bands. Eternity bands are the most popular style of wedding band and we’re going to tell you why.
What is an Eternity Band?
An eternity band is a style of wedding ring featuring stones that wrap all the way around the band. This style of wedding band symbolizes everlasting love, hence their name. This style of wedding band is popular for those who want endless sparkle and brilliance from every angle.
Eternity bands can be stacked with engagement rings or worn on their own. If you choose to wear your band stacked with your engagement ring, make sure you choose a low-profile setting so the ring can sit flush and/or the stones don’t get scratched by your engagement ring!
Keep in mind, eternity bands cannot be resized. Because of the continuous ring of stones, resizing cannot be done without having to create an entirely new band. If you’re worried about resizing issues, consider a three-quarter band; three-quarter bands give you the same amount of sparkle and brilliance as an eternity band with a resizing safety net.
Round Eternity Bands
The most common diamond shape for wedding bands, in general, is round. With all the different setting styles for eternity bands, round diamonds are the most likely to be chosen due to their symmetry and ability to match any engagement ring shape.
Pave and Prong Settings
Round diamonds are most popularly set two ways: pave or prong. Pave refers to diamonds inlaid into the metal in a single continuous row and held in by tiny beads. This is a low-profile design that lays close to the hand and minimizes the appearance of metal from the side. Prong set refers to diamonds that stand out above the base of the band as opposed to pave where it is set into the band itself.
Our most popular pave band is our delicate pave eternity band. This style sits flush with any engagement ring and can be used as a spacer band, wedding band, worn alone, or stacked with other delicate bands. Pave bands can actually be made in any size.
Prong set wedding bands are reserved for stones over .50 carats. This setting style allows you to see more of the profile of the stone. Depending on preference, you can choose between closed basket, open basket, or U-Shape settings. Prong set bands can also be made with alternating size stones.
.90ct Round Diamond Close Basket Band
1.35ct Round Diamond U-Shape Band
4.50ct Round Diamond Prong Basket Ring
Compass and Snowflake Bands
If you’re looking for a band with a little bit more character but don’t want to compromise on the round shape, consider a compass-set or snowflake band. Compass bands have prongs that are set east to west whereas snowflake bands feature stones set into individual, six-prong settings.
Petite Round Diamond Compass Eternity Band
1.65ct Round Diamond ‘Snowflake’ Band
Bezel and Channel Set Bands
Bezel settings refer to bands in which the diamonds are held in place by a rim of metal. This is more of a vintage look and will usually feature hand-etched milgraining or beading to add to the retro appeal. A common bezel style is an alternating band with alternating diamond sizes.
1.59ct Round Diamond Wide Bezel Band
Alternating Size Diamond Bezel Set Eternity Band
Another vintage style is the channel set eternity band. In this type of wedding band, the diamonds of the band are held by the walls of metal on each side. There are no prongs holding the stones.
1.00ct TW Channel Set Diamond Band
Fancy Shape Eternity Bands
Fancy shapes are everything except round cuts. The most popular fancy shape bands are emerald cut and oval. Keep in mind these will always be more expensive than round diamonds because matching these fancy cuts for size, dimensions, and quality is a large task.
Super Low Profile Emerald Cut Eternity Band
2.85ct Oval Diamond Eternity Band
Other popular fancy shape bands are radiant and pear. Because of the pear’s unique shape, they can be set in multiple different ways: east to west, north to south, and angled.
Pear Shape Diamond ‘North-South’ Eternity Band
2.20ct East-West Pear Shape Diamond Eternity Band
8.67ct Radiant Cut Lab Diamond Eternity Band
Lab-Grown Diamond Eternity Bands
Just recently introduced is our LAB Wedding Collection: an entire line of wedding bands made exclusively with lab-grown diamonds. At the date of publication, we currently only have oval, emerald, round, and radiant cut lab-grown eternity bands. However, pear and cushion lab-grown eternity bands are coming soon (if not already available for purchase by the time you read this!)
5.9ct Emerald Cut Lab Diamond Trellis Band
5.8ct Round Lab-Grown Diamond Close Basket Eternity Band
6.20ct Oval Lab Grown Diamond Individual Basket Band
Other Types of Eternity Bands
Diamonds aren’t the only stones you can set into an eternity band. At Lauren B, we offer a variety of gemstones that can be set into engagement rings, wedding bands, and custom fine jewelry.
The most popular diamond alternative for wedding bands is sapphire. If you want a band with sapphires all the way around, look no further, we have you covered!
Pave Sapphire Black Rhodium Band
If you’d rather have a mix of sapphire and diamond, consider one of our many options of alternating sapphire and diamond bands.
Sapphire and Diamond Shared Prong Eternity Band
*also available in rose gold with pink sapphires or white gold with rubies
Sapphire and Diamond Shared Prong Eternity Band
If you’re looking for a standalone ring, consider this tapered sapphire and diamond band.
Sapphire and Diamond Tapered Band
Other popular options for gemstone eternity bands include bezel set sapphire and ruby bands.
Design Your Dream Wedding Band at Lauren B
No matter what kind of ring you want, we can custom design it for you at Lauren B! Book an appointment with a design consultant to get started, or browse all our bands for inspiration.
