By STEVE LYON

Staff Writer

How much do I love thee?
Let me count the carats in that wedding ring first.

One of the most endearing, enduring and perhaps expensive symbols of marriage is the bride and groom's wedding rings.

Every bride would like a nice one-carat rock on her finger, but young couples starting down the road of matrimonial bliss typically don't have the earning power yet to buy truly spectacular bling. But think twice about shopping for the cheapest price because scrimping doesn't pay off in the end, either, according to one Fallon jeweler.

"You're going to get what you pay for," Les Wilke, owner of Goldminer Jewelry, said about any wedding ring that costs less than $100.

"When it comes to buying a wedding ring, you have to think of quality for life."

One way to get started is by setting a budget for his and her rings. The Diamond Information Center suggests spending two months salary as a good benchmark. If you make $24,000 a year, two months equals $4,000.

Once a budget has been established, the next decision is whether you want to buy wedding rings "off the rack" or straight out of a jeweler's showcase or go with a custom order.

Custom wedding rings can sparkle with the buyer's personality and may come with more sentimental value. Typically couples decide what style of settings they want and then what stones they like - diamonds, sapphires, rubies, whatever. Maybe a couple of sapphires on the side with a nice diamond in the center for her. Or maybe just a single diamond in a solitaire setting is the simple elegance she's looking for.

The sky's the limit when it comes to buying diamonds, with a 1-carat stone costing as little as $2,000 to way over $20,000 depending on the grade, clarity and quality, how it's cut and other variables, Wilke said.

Another advantage of going with custom rings is the opportunity to pick a setting that will let the wearer upgrade in the future. A young couple may only be able to afford a quarter-carat diamond now, but may want a full carat in the future. Custom ring settings can allow for future insertion of a larger stone.

"They really need to look at the construction of a ring to last a lifetime," Wilke said.

Some couples may opt for his and her wedding bands, another popular choice. Again, spend a little more for quality, Wilke said, because with quality comes longevity. A 1 millimeter gold band is not going to last nearly as long as a more expensive 2 millimeter gold band. A 14-Karat plain gold band can be purchased for $120 and up. Wedding bands can be engraved for the couple as well, adding a personal touch.

White gold is more popular than yellow gold right now, and because of the alloys in the metal a 14-karat gold ring will last longer than an 18-Karat ring, Wilke said. Gold has shot up in price to around $540 an ounce, which also affects the cost of wedding rings. Platinum is not a popular choice right now because of its high cost, around $1,000 per ounce, Wilke said.

"For a platinum band, you're going to pay twice the amount of a gold band," Wilke said.