The jewellery industry was heavily restricted during the Second World War – metals were needed for war production or to pay for essential imports and the manufacture of new gold or platinum jewellery was prohibited from 1942, with the exception of wedding rings. The government appreciated that allowing the sale of wedding rings was essential in order to maintain civilian morale and to cater for the hastily planned weddings of soldiers who were about to embark. A contemporary commentator explained that the ‘social implications of the wedding ring are obvious. Every woman in these islands who marries expects to have one and denied the public symbol of wedlock few indeed would brave the slings and arrows of their outraged neighbours’.

The ‘Utility’ scheme was introduced in Britain in 1941 to allow consumer goods to be made using the minimum quantity of scarce materials and to ensure that resouces were allocated fairly.Wedding rings were added to the 'Utility' scheme by the Board of Trade in February 1942. ‘Utility’ designs aimed to combine economical production with pleasing and effective design - wedding rings could be of plain design only and not facetted or ornamented in any way. Restrictions on the civilian use of gold, meant that only the 9 carat standard was permitted and ‘Utility’ rings could weigh a maximum of two pennyweights (about 3 grams) and cost no more than one guinea, including Purchase Tax, introduced in 1940 at 33% and by 1947 set at 127% for jewellery. Even though the manufacture of new wedding rings was allowed, jewellers struggled to keep up with public demand and couples were often faced with a long wait for a ring or chose to buy a second hand one. Demand was exacerbated by a growing number of men, about to be separated from their new brides by war, choosing to wear wedding rings.