Cartier Love Wedding Band Diamonds review: worth it or skip?

What the Cartier Love Wedding Band Diamonds does well

The headline: love band with diamonds. The details: Metal: 18k gold; Stones: Diamonds; Size: 44-66; Closure: None. In our list it is the pick for: love band. It usually sells for $3,500–$6,500 in the US.

Wedding favorite.

The trade-offs

Good: iconic. Not so good: pricey. Read the skip-if line before you spend: skip it if you want plain.

What to buy instead

Instead, consider the Boucheron Quatre Ring ($3,000–$6,000): four-motif ring. Better if you want distinctive.

Instead, consider the Cartier Trinity Ring Large ($4,500–$6,000): large Trinity. Better if you want bold.

Instead, consider the Pomellato Nudo Ring ($2,500–$5,000): coloured stone ring. Better if you want colour.

Before you buy

Size: get sized at a jeweler, in the afternoon, at normal temperature; many rings cannot be resized. Profile: low-set stones and smooth bands suit daily wear and do not snag. Metal: platinum is durable for diamond settings; 18k gold is softer and shows scratches.

Buyer tip

Check if a ring can be resized before buying: eternity and some sculpted rings cannot be resized at all.

Buying in Europe: gold jewelry in the EU and UK is often hallmarked (750 for 18k gold). Ask for the hallmark and, for any diamond over about 0.3 carats, a grading report from GIA, HRD or IGI.

Luxury prices move in a different rhythm from everyday shopping. The great houses (Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Rolex) raise prices once or twice a year, often in January and in spring, and almost never discount their icons. Seasonal pieces, colors and many shoes, coats and knitwear drop 30–50% in the end-of-season sales in January and from late June. Watches from brands such as Omega, TAG Heuer, Longines and Breitling, and most fragrance, see the best prices around Prime Day and Black Friday. Judge any deal against the usual price we show.

Buy from the fashion house, an authorized retailer or a reseller that authenticates and guarantees every piece, and keep the receipt, the dust bag, the box and any warranty card: they matter for repairs and for resale. Swiss watches carry a 2- to 5-year international warranty when bought from an authorized dealer, and buyers in the EU and UK also have a legal guarantee of at least two years on new goods.