Milgrain Wedding Bands

You want a simple wedding band, but it mustn’t be completely plain. You are looking for something small to add decoration, but it must be subtle, yet effective. Then the ideal design for you will include milgrain.

Milgrain is the word used to describe a popular form of jewelry decoration made up of a thin band of texture, usually resembling tiny beads – similar to the texture found around the outside of coins – or a thin intertwined string, engraved or crafted into a metal surface. This pattern extends all the way around the wedding band.

Traditionally, the milgrain pattern is made up of two textured lines situated very close to or right on both edges of an otherwise plain wedding band. In modern times, however, many variations of this design have come into being, and milgrain is also being used in a number of other designs.

Some women’s wedding band designs incorporate more than the traditional two lines of milgrain. Designs with three lines – two along the edges and one in the middle of the band – have increased in popularity lately, and any number of milgrain lines can be used to decorate a plain wedding band. This makes the band look as though it is intricately decorated, without the added cost of special design features like carved designs or set gemstones.

A particularly attractive alternative to the traditional milgrain design is that of having the bands of milgrain made of a different colour to the rest of the wedding band. This is most popular with milgrain that resembles intertwined wires. This design gives the wedding band a two tone effect, at a fraction of the cost.

Contemporary wedding bands also make use of milgrain quite frequently, but sometimes with a bit of a twist. It is not uncommon to find only a single line of milgrain incorporated into a contemporary design. The line is either situated only on the one edge, or right in the middle of the ring.

Another common use of milgrain in modern jewelry is in two tone wedding bands. If the different metal bands run parallel to each other, quite often there is a line of milgrain engraved onto the edge of one of the metals, where it meets the metal of another colour. This design allows for the transition between the two metals to not be as harsh as they would have otherwise been.
Intricately decorated wedding bands, too, can use milgrain as part of their design. The milgrain, usually situated on the edges of the band, just frame the ring nicely, and round off the edges attractively.

A word of caution, however: if your wedding band has a milgrain design, particularly one that resembles a string like design or that is deeper than the rest of the wedding band’s surface, it can be the ideal place to collect dirt. So in the interest of hygiene and cleanness, and so that your wedding band looks its best at all times, regularly clean the band with a soft brush.