My Wedding Band
When I got married I wanted to wear a titanium ring, similar to the one here. The first thing you will notice is that the price of the ring is around $50, which means it's basically worthless. However, this is exactly what I intended when I bought it. I had four requests for a wedding band: cheap, tough, light, and simple.
I have never understood the urge for someone to purchase an expensive wedding band on their finger. I've heard people mention how much it costs, or was appraised for, but all of that tells me that these people have one foot out of the door in their marriage. The value of a ring should not be determined by someone outside of the family (i.e. an appraiser) because there is no way to quantify sentimental cost. Instead, a ring simply has replacement value and yet, if someone's $1,000 platinum wedding band was lost and then replaced, it is still not the same wedding band that they were married in, so what is the point? The reason I wanted a ring that was virtually worthless is that the ring is purely a symbol for the marriage, and it is that symbol that adds value to the ring, not the particular type of atoms that make it up.
Speaking of atoms, since I intend my marriage to last a very long time, I did not want to deal with any maintenance issues that arise over the decades. Titanium is one of the hardest metals that still looks lustrous enough for jewelry. If I had chosen gold or platinum, I would need to deal with issues arising from denting or flaking of the metal and that can cause a lot of weakness in the ring over decades of wear and tear. So far over the past 2 years I have not caused one scratch, nick or dent on the titanium. Titanium is also one of the lightest metals (for its strength) which means I can wear this ring and forget that it is around my finger. I had previously tried platinum rings and I was amazed at how noticeable the weight was (add the price of platinum and it was a no-go).
My wedding band is also exceedingly simplistic: a simple pipe-cut ring. Hell, it could even have been cut from a titanium pipe for all I know. I didn't want anything ornate because that is not who I am and, while design is in the eye of the beholder, I wouldn't want to wear something that I may find ugly in just a decade's time.
So that's it, I wear a simple wedding band that is worth nothing except to myself and my family. And that is exactly the way it is supposed to be.
PS: There is one "issue" that arises when people talk of titanium wedding bands. If an accident occurs and your finger swells, the band simply can't be cut off of your finger easily, like gold or platinum. This has been debunked.
Image Source: Titanium Era