The Complete Guide to Rolling Rings & Cartier Trinity Rings
Are you interested in getting yourself one of the most iconic ring designs in the world? A ring that women have loved and cherished for generations? A timeless piece that will never go out of style and can be worn day in and day out? The Rolling Ring and the Cartier Trinity Ring?!
Well, you’ve come to the right place. This is everything you need to know about the popular Trinity Ring.
In this Rolling Ring and Cartier Trinity Ring Guide, we will cover the following:
- What is a rolling ring and trinity ring
- Different versions of the rolling ring
- What a trinity ring symbolizes
- History of the trinity ring
- Why rolling rings are so great
- Rolling ring sizing/resizing
- Rolling ring prices
- Where to buy a rolling ring/trinity ring
What is a Rolling Ring?
Rolling Rings, also known as Trinity Rings and Russian Wedding Bands, are a type of ring design that consists of three interlocking bands. The bands can be tri-color gold or two-toned. Moreover, the bands that make up the ring are made from solid metal, and any respectable rolling ring won’t be hollow or plated.
The Rolling Ring is unique in that it is unusually movable. Each band can roll around the finger, interchangeably, which leads to many women playing with their ring in a twiddle-ones-thumbs kind of way.
Note: “Rollling Ring” is the general term for this ring design, and “Trinity Ring” is the popularized name by Cartier.
Different Types of Rolling Rings & Trinity Ring Designs
The most classic Rolling Ring is the tri-color gold design. It consists of one 18K yellow gold band, one 18K white gold band, and one 18K rose gold band…However, there are various types of rolling rings.
A rolling ring can be two toned, using white and yellow or rose gold, or yellow gold and white gold. There are no rules for this and any metal can be used. What’s more, a popular style is pave set diamond rolling rings. The diamonds can be set in one band, two bands or all three bands. There’s even rolling rings with black diamonds and sapphires.
So, with all the different design options, rolling rings can be very diverse in appearance. The main consistency will always be three movable interlocking bands that make one ring, hence the name “Trinity”.
What does a Rolling/Trinity Ring Symbolize?
Generally speaking, each of the three bands represents one aspect of your relationship. The white gold band symbolizes “never-ending friendship”, the yellow gold band “loyalty and devotion”, and the rose gold band “true love”.
However, a trinity ring can mean anything you want, typically three aspects of your life or relationship. So, it is open for interpretation by the giver and wearer.
Russian Wedding Bands
As for Russian Wedding Bands, which will never be set with stones, the three bands signify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Trinity of the Christian Doctrine, which dates back to the 4th century. It also represents the past, present and future of the relationship in Russian marriage culture.
Note: In Russian tradition, the wedding finger is the ring finger on the right hand, not the left. Once it is put on, it blesses the marriage.
History of the Trinity Ring
The Trinity Ring actually dates back much further than the 4th century and the Christian doctrine. In fact, it is believed that the Christians adopted the symbol from Celtic culture.
In Celtic culture, the symbol is known as a triquetra or Celtic knot or Trinity Knot. The pattern can be found throughout ancient Celtic culture and art. The knot was connected to the Celtic mother goddesses, as a symbol for the meeting of the earth, ocean and sky. It was also known to represent life, death and rebirth. Furthermore, some believe it may have also represented the same meaning as the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Trinity Ring as Jewelry
In modern times, many couples chose the trinity ring for an engagement ring because of what it symbolizes. However, it wasn’t really popularized until 1924, when Louis Cartier created the now-iconic Cartier Trinity Ring. The first original Cartier Trinity Ring is the solid pink, yellow and white version. And it holds the meaning of everlasting love.
Nowadays, trinity rings are worn by single and married women. They can be a fashion piece or a wedding band.
Why Rolling Rings & Trinity Rings are so great and worth buying
First, a trinity ring should never be a hard decision. If you love it, you should absolutely get it. The Rolling Ring is such a classic piece, especially the Cartier Trinity Ring with its perennial iconicity. It is a timeless ring that will never go out of style and that you simply can’t go wrong with. After all, since it was debuted in 1924, every single generation of women has worn, cherished and loved the Trinity Ring by Cartier. It has staying power that can only be competed with by the Cartier Love Ring.
When a woman owns a Trinity Ring, she will wear it for life. With just a simple Google search and jewelry forums with women who own a trinity ring, you can see many stating they’ve owned their trinity ring for X-amount of years and they still love it as much as they did on the first day, if not, even more.
Versatility
The rolling ring is an exquisitely versatile piece. It is a piece that can, and often is, worn every single day. It goes with everything. You can wear it casually or dressed up. With other jewelry or on its own. That’s one of the beauties of the rolling ring design. It is luxurious and stunning in material and design and it will never look out of place.
Plus, it’s fun to play with…
A Ring That Never Bores – Playing with your Rolling Ring
One thing you won’t want to do is take it off, even when you sleep. But one thing you will want to do is play with it. A LOT. You may find yourself rolling it on your finger using your thumb, twirling it from one finger to the next, dangling it from the top of your finger almost unconsciously as you focus your attention on something, or even taking it off to play with it.
The design of the ring just makes it so playable, in a relaxing way.
Do Rolling Rings Scratch Easily?
With solid gold versions, when new, they will be shiny and beautifully polished. However, you can expect some light surface scratches to occur over time, as all precious metal jewelry does. That said, this is a non-issue and the only person who will notice it is you.
What’s more, with years of wearing, your ring will have a patina. The patina will give your ring a softer glow. You probably won’t notice since the change is gradual. But if you were to compare a four-year-old trinity ring that is worn regularly to a brand new one, it would be noticeable.
That said, many people prefer the patina (almost brushed-like finish) and small scratches that occur over time. It tells their story of the ring. It gives it personality. Moreover, this is inevitable with any gold ring. If you don’t like scratches, you’d be best getting tungsten or ceramic jewelry. Then again, it won’t have the same appeal as gold, of course.
All in all, we’ve never heard of someone complaining about scratches and patina on their rolling ring.
And if you really want that new look, you can have it polished.
Should you polish a trinity ring?
Polishing is not recommended. First, it wears down the metal, as you can imagine, so if you do it often, you will be making your ring thinner. Second, it will just become scratched again. There’s no way around it. So, in our opinion, there’s absolutely no need to polish or worry about scratches. Enjoy your ring in all of its patina and scratches. It’s not like a pair of sneakers that once they are too dirty they look bad!
That said, you can definitely clean it once and while with soap and water or delicate jewelry cleaner.
Hate scratches?
If you really hate scratches, go for the full diamond trinity ring, as this won’t be something you need to worry about if your ring is covered in pave diamonds.
How to wear a Rolling Ring
There are no rules for wearing rolling rings, you can wear them with other rings and you can wear it on any finger you like!
The most common finger to wear a trinity ring (for fashion purposes) is on the ring finger or middle finger (either hand). But they also look good on the index or pinky.
Stacking Other Rings with a Trinity Ring
It might seem like a ring with three bands in one isn’t so stackable, but it is! Many women stack their rolling rings with other rings, engagement rings, wedding bands.
If you have a thicker, larger trinity ring, you can wear it on its own finger. It will also look fantastic with a larger engagement ring too.
For medium and thin trinity rings, they are perfect to stack with engagement rings and various other rings.
Note: For the thinnest rolling rings, they look best when stacked with other rings. And, when stacking with an engagement ring, it will complement a dainty, smaller engagement ring best.
In any case, there are no rules for stacking. Rolling rings do look wonderful alone or stacked with other rings.
What size Trinity Ring should I buy?
First, it’s always recommended to try them on in person if possible. Typically, rolling rings will be true to size.
As for thickness/width, this depends on personal preference.
The smallest rolling rings will look best when worn with other rings, and the larger ones look great on their own. We always recommend trying them on to see how it looks and feels on your hand. At Diamonds By Raymond Lee in Boca Raton, we have all the sizes so you can come to try them on in person.
Can you resize a rolling ring?
You can definitely resize a solid rolling ring, but you won’t be able to with a pave diamond rolling ring.
Keep in mind, when resizing a rolling ring, you will be resizing all three bands, so the cost will be more than a single band ring.
On average, it will cost a few hundred dollars to resize a rolling ring.
How much does a rolling ring and trinity ring cost?
This depends on if you choose diamonds or no diamonds. Gold or platinum, new or used. Brand name or no brand name.
Cartier Trinity Rings cost anywhere from $1,000 to $40,000+. Tiffany rolling rings are similarly priced.
Private label rolling rings can range from a few hundred dollars and up as high or higher than a Cartier.
Then, you can also have a rolling ring custom made to your liking. This will depend on the jeweler.
If you are interested in a custom ring, feel free to contact us for consultation.
New vs Used Rolling Rings & Cartier Trinity Rings
Many women want the Cartier Trinity Ring new, and we believe it is worth every penny. However, if you do want to save some money, you can buy a pre-owned Cartier Trinity Ring and save a lot of money. There’s nothing wrong with getting a used Trinity Ring. It still has all the intrinsic value and if you want it to look brand new, a simple polishing will do the trick. That said, it’s only new until it’s worn, then it’s used. The same applies to buying it brand new. Because of this, a second-hand Trinity Ring can be a smart choice.
You can also save some money by getting a private label rolling ring instead of a Cartier Trinity Ring. The brand name attached to the ring jacks up the price, but it doesn’t make the intrinsic value more. However, for some women, the brand attached to the ring makes them feel good and special, which is completely understandable.
Shop Rolling Rings and Trinity Rings at Diamonds By Raymond Lee
Are rolling rings just for women?
Absolutely not. Cartier makes Trinity Rings for Men!
