Metal finishes

High polish is the metal brought to a mirror. Brushed is fine lines worked into the surface, running around the band, which turns the mirror into a soft, low sheen. Matte, done by sandblasting, is an even frosted surface with no shine. Hammered is the surface tapped all over with a rounded hammer, so it is covered in small soft facets.

On a band the finish goes on the outside. The inside, against the finger, stays polished, and so do the head, the prongs and any setting, so the stones stay bright and the metal around them stays smooth.

High polish is the classic: bright, reflective and the easiest to match with an engagement ring. Brushed and matte read as quieter and more modern, and they look good beside a polished ring. Hammered has a handmade look and catches light from every side.

A polish shows fine scratches first, and polishes back to new. Brushed and matte hide fine scratches, but daily wear slowly burnishes them where the band rubs, so over the years they drift toward a soft shine; Sara can refinish them. Hammered hides everyday marks best.

Stone-set eternity bands are finished polished, so the metal around each stone stays bright.

High polish for anyone who loves a bright band and does not mind an occasional polish. Brushed or matte for a quieter look, and for hands that are hard on rings, since fine marks blend in. Hammered for a ring that looks made by hand and wears its everyday marks well.

Any finish works at any width, but it shows more on a wider band: on a 2 mm band a brushed or hammered surface reads as a soft texture, and from 4 mm up it becomes a feature of the ring. The Design Studio shows each finish on the outside of a band in every metal, at any width.

A finish changes nothing about the weight or the size of a band. In the studio it is a picture of the idea, and Sara confirms the final finish with you.

The finish is a small part of what a band costs: the metal and its weight, the width and any stones set most of it. A texture that takes more hand work, like hammering, adds a little to the making.

Clean any finish in warm water with a drop of dish soap and a soft brush, and dry it with a lint-free cloth. A polished band can be polished back to a mirror; a brushed, matte or hammered surface can be refinished when wear has softened it. Bring the band back to Sara and she will tell you which it needs.