Knowing which is better between full eternity rings and half eternity rings is essential before you decide which you should purchase. Today, we’ll have a look at what the aesthetic and practical differences are between the two.
First things first: what’s the difference?
The Difference Between Full Eternity Rings and Half Eternity Rings
Full eternity rings first came about in the first half of the 20th century, designed to find ways to market smaller diamonds to a public who generally preferred rings featuring large diamonds. The full eternity features diamonds around the entirety of its band, while the half eternity only has diamonds across the outward-facing half of the band.
Full Eternity Rings
The Pros
- A big positive for full eternity rings is obviously the fact that they have a stunning spread of stones that sparkles all around the band of the ring.
- Another bonus for full eternity rings is that they suit a lot of different styles of engagement rings and wedding bands, which is useful since they’re usually given as wedding anniversary gifts.
- Since the full eternity ring is the ‘original’ ring, the antique and vintage eternity rings that are available tend to be full eternities, making the unique antique designs you can find more common in full eternity rings.
The Cons
- Full eternity rings can sometimes sit a little awkwardly on the hand alongside other rings. This is dependent on the size of the diamonds that feature on the ring, as well as the designs of the other rings being worn.
- Due to their design, full eternity rings cannot be resized, and so it is essential that you purchase the correct size for your finger. Sometimes, a full eternity can be changed by half a size, but certainly not more than that.
- Because they feature so many diamonds, eternity rings are usually somewhat expensive rings, particularly when compared to half eternities with diamonds of a similar quality.
Half Eternity Rings
The Pros
- A big benefit of buying half eternity rings is that they tend to cost less than full eternity rings, due to the distinct lack of diamonds on the back half of the ring.
- Something else that benefits the half eternity ring is that they can be resized. This means you can wear the ring your whole life and have its size adjusted accordingly as your ring size changes over time.
- Half eternity rings have the same benefit that full eternity rings do also, that being that they come in a big range of styles and sizes that can be worked well with other rings, both bridal and otherwise.
The Cons
- The overall biggest con of the half eternity ring is that it isn’t a full eternity ring. This sounds juvenile, but there truly is something special about the entire impact of the full eternity ring that just doesn’t compare to the half eternity.
- Since half eternity rings are the newer of the two designs, their aesthetics are rarely made in distinctive antique styles, unlike full eternities.
- Half eternity rings are more likely to spin on your finger than full eternities. This is totally normal and doesn’t mean that you have the wrong size ring, as your fingers will swell and shrink throughout the day. If this does happen, however, it can leave you with the plain shank facing outwards, defeating the point of the half eternity ring.
All in all, you can’t really go too wrong with either a full or half eternity, and the odds seem to stack quite evenly against one another. The half eternity is better for its cost and ability to be resized, while full eternity rings are generally sturdier and more glamorous. Which do you prefer?