Soldering rings together is primarily a practical answer to the problem of having two rings – engagement and wedding – rubbing against each other for long periods of time.
Over months and years, such friction causes damage to your rings. What’s more, having two rings buffeting against each other throughout your day can be bothersome and uncomfortable.
The answer – and an increasingly popular one amongst people who love their rings but want practicality as well as aesthetics – is to have them soldered together.
Soldering wedding and engagement (or any) rings together simply involves melding them together to turn them into a single piece of jewelry. It’s a relatively simple and inexpensive process that uses another metal as a soldering agent, to allow – in essence – those two rings to become one bigger one.
Soldering shouldn’t be confused with fusing. Fusing can only be achieved with ‘pure’ metals such as high-grade silver and 24k gold and involves heating the rings’ metals, whilst touching, to a heat where they both liquefy, and then cool and bond.
Pros Of Soldering Your Rings
Soldering rings has become extremely popular. Aside from the simplicity and low cost of the process, there are several practical reasons why it’s the best thing to do.
1. Soldering limits wear and tear
If you’ve spent a substantial amount of money on your wedding and engagement rings, then it’s likely they’ll be formed from precious metals. But virtually all metals are subject to damage and scarring over time, with the friction caused by daily contact and movement being the biggest culprits.
Obviously, when two hard metal objects rub against each other for months (and years) on end, the friction leads to ring damage, which can be unsightly. But having the rings soldered together completely eradicates this problem.
2. Soldering is a symbol of your union
One of the less lauded aspects of soldering rings together is that it symbolizes the act of matrimony – the idea that engagement is linked to marriage and that this bond continues throughout life and will never be broken.
3. Soldering usually means comfort
Having one (larger) ring on your finger should be more comfortable than wearing two rings that are separate and continually (if subtly) clashing together.
Cons Of Soldering Your Rings
Despite some very real positives to having your engagement and wedding ring soldered together, there are some negatives that you should consider. These may convince you that keeping them separate is the way to go.
1. Fit can be a problem
Two slim rings on your finger will move around with a degree of flexibility and freedom, as per their function when you had them sized and fitted.
But soldering those two rings together makes them – in essence – one wide ring, and the movement on your finger will be reduced in relation to this change.
It shouldn’t be a huge problem but can occasionally make for an uncomfortable and restricted fit.
2. The appearance of your ring may be an issue
As with fit, rather than having two slim rings on your finger, you’ll now have one relatively wide ring.
It’ll look wider and potentially more cumbersome and may not sit on your finger with quite the same pleasing balance as two separate rings.
Additionally, your two rings were not originally designed to be soldered together, so the contrast in appearance between the two may be an issue, especially if two metals (gold and silver, for example) have been employed in two rings.
3. They can’t easily be separated again
Another negative factor is that, without expensive and potentially harmful procedures to separate your two rings again, once the rings are soldered together, they are meant to stay that way forever. Yes, the change can be reversed, but the potential damage to your rings is a risk.
4. Soldered rings may not be life-practical
Depending on where you work and what you do, it may not be appropriate to wear two rings soldered together. If it’s likely to cause a problem, and if you’re certain only your wedding ring should be on display, then don’t get them soldered.
Are There Alternative Options?
A non-permanent option is to use a ring wire to hold your two rings together. This may prove slightly cumbersome but is a good and inexpensive choice if soldering is out of the question, or even to check if soldering might be an option for you further down the line.
What’s The Difference Between Soldering and Fusing?
Soldering is, in essence, a kind of metal gluing process, with the solder (another metal) melted and used as a bonding agent to join the metals on the two rings together. Most precious metals, including gold and silver, can be soldered.
Fusing can only be achieved with ‘pure’ metals and is achieved by heating two touching rings to their melting point. Once they cool, they are attached. The process leads to a more natural-looking finish but is also more prone to errors and irregularity of finish.
Where Can I Get My Rings Soldered?
Most reputable jewelers will solder your rings, and while home kits are available, for a thorough job with a quality finish, getting the professionals to do it for you is the only way to go.
Should I Solder My Rings?
The choice of whether to have your rings soldered together is ultimately a personal one. While the process is inexpensive and is a sound practical way to deal with issues of ring damage and discomfort caused by two rings rubbing together, soldering is not easily reversible. It will also lead to the creation of a larger ring than won’t fit as your two slimmer rings did.
Wrapping Up
Ring soldering has become extremely popular in recent years. For many, the simplicity and lack of cost in the soldering process, completed professionally at most good jewelers, is the perfect answer to the problem of two-ring damage and discomfort.
While there are negatives to the outcome, including the inevitable creation of one wider ring and a potential lack of balance in the union of the two, for most people the pros outweigh the negatives.
If in doubt, a ring wire could be a temporary option to test whether you like the look and feel of two rings becoming one. But if erosion and discomfort are a big issue with two rings, soldering is probably the best way to go.
