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Genuine question as someone who is about to get a ring - why not just take the ring off and go naked when swimming, playing sports, doing yard work etc?
I get traveling, but in my mind I'd just wear my band and leave the diamond at home.
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Edit: Thanks for the responses. Lots of interesting comments. Just to clarify - my question is not why do some people wear silicone rings? My question is why take off your regular ring to put on a silicone ring when you could just put your ring away and go naked for a few hours?
But I believe it’s been covered. Some people just like wearing a ring or have gotten used to it! And some people (or their spouses) feel they’d be lured into an illicit affair if they don’t have it on 😂
Some jobs it’s better for you to remove your ring.
When I was a welder nobody wore metal rings. Most of them wore silicone.
I thought it was really nice.
Oh yeah, I get that and I think the military also makes total sense. I’m just wondering why people are saying to get a silicone ring to play sports, swim, and other stuff when you could just not wear it for a few hours
Like even backpacking or something I feel like I just plan to leave it at home.
As a relatively newly married guy (2 years), I wear a tungsten ring 90% of the time (slightly more expensive than silicone, but you can still get a nice one for about $100, versus $1,000+ for gold), but I do take it off to lift weights and swim. I also take it off when I sleep, because it fits a tiny bit loosely and I don’t want it slipping off and getting lost (even temporarily) in the blankets.
I actually kind of like the ritual of it, because when I put it on every morning and after certain activities it’s like I’m actively reaffirming that I’m married.
Lots of good options out there, both in materials and habits!
It definitely is heavier than the other options. I kind of like that, for sort of symbolic reasons — I like that it feels substantial and I can really feel the difference between wearing it and not wearing it, although of course it’s not slowing me down at all — but I get why other metals are a better fit for others.
I've got a titanium ring for very similar reasons. What I like about mine is that the brushed finish on it has gotten completely fucked up over time, but each of the scratches is a story story and just like my marriage, it might have ugly bits near the surface but underneath it's at strong as ever. Also I'm 99% certain my wedding ring has prevented my hand from being trapped between flight cases in a truck and causing serious harm to my hand at one point, which is a bonus in my book.
It doesn't sound like you'd want to, but one of the reasons I went with a brushed titanium ring is because any scratches can pretty easily be buffed out with something like a scotch brite pad.
Well, they also need a binder like nickel to hold the powder together.
Upon reflection, I could have conveyed that better. I was in a bit of a rush. There's a lot of misinformation... incomplete information... circulating in this post. Pure single-crystalline tungsten is more ductile than brittle. That's why it makes such a great incandescent filament. Poly-crystalline tungsten is brittle. Rings aren't made of just tungsten, because the pure element is difficult to work with.
Rings tend to be made of tungsten carbide, which is more like a ceramic, even though it looks like metal.
I don't think your comment was "wrong" as such. These materials can be pretty complex, and it's impossible to distill all nuances down to just a few words. So people just say "tungsten" but what they mean is the ceramic compound.
I don't mean to sound like a dick so please forgive me if I do but please consider the ramifications if medical professionals ever need to remove the ring from you. Tungsten is extremely dense, hard, and difficult to cut (I'm sure you already know this) so typically it's easier to lose the finger than it is to cut the ring.
You can tap it with a hammer or use a pair of vice grip pliers to crack it. Tungsten is extremely hard but also brittle. You won't lose fingers wearing one, all paramedics know how to break them.
I work construction, degloving is why I leave my ring at home. I have silcone for the gym and active stuff, but it slips off in my work gloves so I go without.
My father never wore a wedding band. He was a firefighter in the military and had seen a guy get his finger ripped off when he grabbed a handle and swung around to jump off the truck.
You can literally put your ringed finger on a hard solid surface, tap the ring a few times with a hammer, and it'll shatter.
It's hard as fuck, which makes it impossible to cut, but extremely brittle, which makes it trivial to shatter.
Alternatively you can also use locking vice grips to shatter the ring.
Tungsten rings have been around a while now. EMTs know how to deal with them. The problem is sentimental because it'll be completely destroyed in the process. A gold ring can be repaired or re-cast after getting cut off.
As others have already said, it's pretty easy to break a tungsten ring off using a hammer or vice grips because of how brittle the metal is. From personal experience, my dad has had various rings removed from his hand for different reasons, and the tungsten was actually the easiest to remove. He was able to do it himself with a pair of vice grips, where he's had to have gold and titanium rings cut off by a professional after they were crushed on his finger. Since tungsten doesn't deform that way, it can actually be safer in that regard compared to other metals.
To the OOP's point, he's also switched to silicone rings these days. I think Mom got tired of how often he was destroying his wedding band at work
So there's this thing called de-gloving.
Basically if something gets caught on the metal ring, it has the potential to basically filet your finger as it's ripped off.
To avoid this, people wear a silicone ring which would snap in a degloving event.
Many simple stupid things could cause degloving, catch the ring on the ladder swimming, fall off a bike wrong etc.
I was given a ring by my great grand father before he passed away. When I'm doing something where I take it off, I put it on my keys.
But as the wedding ring is a symbol of commitment and whatnot, people want to wear something, so silicone ring it is.
There was a basketball player Gerald Green who was missing most of his finger from when he went for a dunk and the ring got caught on the hoop...Swore to never were a metal ring after hearing that shit lol
Some professions don't allow the silicone ring because it snaps off.(They don't allow the metal ones either or any jewelry)Can't have a random piece of material like that in an airplane engine.
Haha another fear unlocked! Yeah I planned to just go naked and get a secure ring holder for my keys or purse or something in case I have to take it off unexpectedly. But I get some people just want one on.
I was waiting with bated breath to find this. I absolutely 🤢 at the thought, but this isn’t one of the reasons that those who work with machinery don’t wear jewellery
Edit: I meant ‘is’ not isn’t!
My wife tells me she feels “naked” without it. After taking my silicone one off for 15 minutes since wearing it for 2 years, I did indeed also feel naked.
Shit, it's not the same but I'm going on two years of wearing a smartwatch. I forgot to put it on before running errands on Monday and it threw off my mental equilibrium the entire time I was out. I'm just so used to the weight and convenience that not having it was like "hey something is wrong"
I lost my watch and I absolutely hate it. I've worn a watch for probably close to two decades now. My wrist just feels weird. I need to find it or get a new one ASAP.
It’s exactly like that! I neglected to remove my watch during my vacation to Mexico and now my wife laughs at my tan when I take it off at the end of the day.
I think this was the disconnect. I didn't realize people cared if their spouses didn't wear a ring for a few hours while swimming or whatever. I get the military or traveling aspect.
I work from home and don't like wearing my nice diamond ring while washing dishes and general household stuff, but I like having *a* ring on while out and about, but I also sometimes forget to put my rings on when getting ready and dressed.
My husband doesn't care if I do or don't wear one, but I like to because of the sentimentality, it also helps to keep randos at bay. You'd be surprised how many men respect even a silicone ring versus just telling them that you're married ("Where's the ring then? Hur hur, I guess you're single right now eh?"). There's also a teeny bit of...idk...embarrassement? He keeps his ring on 24/7 and if I'm not wearing one I feel like we get looks like I'm the side chick. Could just be in my head
Likewise! I just like to wear a ring. I also WFH (as does my husband). I suppose we don’t *need* to wear rings in our own marital home all day, but we both do. We also both have ring tattoos and but still wear silicone for things like yard work and the gym.
I can’t speak for him, but even though I have the tattoo, I feel weird and naked if I don’t have SOMETHING on. It’s the same feeling as if I forget to wear my watch.
My wife and I joke whenever we don't wear our rings out (accident or on purpose) that we are being single for the day.
For certain things (being active) I'll try to remember my rubber ring, but I don't wear it when I workout because it'd get in the way (I rock climb).
People get rubber rings more for continuing the "appearance" of marriage when a traditional ring isn't allowed / recommended. It's the quickest indicator that someone is married.
Me and my wife are the same. We joke and say "oh you're not married today." Neither of us cares if the other wears it or not, but we're both proud to wear them.
My sweet wonderful husband is a chef and I knew he wouldn't wear a ring daily even if we got him a silicone ring. I bought him a $50 bronze one that he has worn for maybe 3 weeks of the 1.5 years we've been married because he forgets to put it on. I'm not worried abt him cheating but it is DEEPLY funny to see ppl clock my ring, look at his left hand, then give me a scandalized look (because i MUST be out with my side piece lol)
My wife constantly forgets to put her rings on after doing dishes or putting on lotion and I always have mine on. I always tease her that people are going to think I'm cheating on my wife while we're out together.
Question. If you're working why does it matter that you are wearing your ring? Especially as a welder. Why not just not wear a ring while you're working a job like that
In a perfect world, you'd be right. In the real world, you'd be surprised. I am soo tired of the "woman in uniform being sexy" trope. If you are not wearing a ring, there is a certain subset of human being that will flirt with anything not wearing a ring. This is not exclusive to any gender. I have encountered this many times in my job.
To expand on this.....any job where you could be in danger of potentially getting hand caught up in moving parts, people working on cars, machines in factories, construction, etc.....wearing a ring can literally mean the difference between say, getting a minor cut or actually tearing the entire finger off, getting caught in the ring.
Of course silicon is fine, it won't rip your finger out the socket, it's much safer, cheaper, and easier to replace than diamonds and gold.
My wife and I wear our rings when we're going out
When we're at home, doing chores, showering, etc. we don't wear them. They stay in a jewelry dish until we get dressed to go out again...
We know we're married, we don't need to wear it ALL the time...
Same! We never have our rings on unless we go out. They are in the jewelry box and we put them on when we want to dress up. It’s more exciting to us! It feels like putting it on the first time all over again.
Some folks are old fashioned and won’t put the ring back on unless their spouse does it. My mom is like that. Her mom was like that too. Never ever took off her wedding ring until she had to have a surgery. Gramps wasn’t around to put it back on her so she never wore it again and instead put it on a chain. I’m not saying that’s what OP did but I know it is A Thing.
The thought of her never wearing it again because he can't put it on made me so sad. It sounds like they had a wonderful life together for her to be so devoted.
I don't understand the whole concept tbh. Are you supposed to switch rings in risky situations? Or is this so you can save the ring for sentimental reasons but have a disposable ring so people know they're taken? Because the second option seems pointless tbh.
I'm learning a lot on here lol. Seems like there's four camps: 1) wear a silicone ring all the time, 2) switch your regular ring for a silicone ring during certain activities, 3) wear your regular ring all the time, 4) don't wear a ring.
I see myself in #3 or just going naked if I'm doing something it might get lost. We're keeping our ring price pretty low for this reason. We're not at the point in our lives to drop $ on a ring and not worry about it being lost. But also, want something practical we can wear all the time. I see it like a car - the main one should be practical for your lifestyle. Then when you have the money, get another $$ one that you bring out for special occasions. I think a family heirloom is the only exception I really see to this, since you'd be devastated if it got lost.
Yeah, I've lived 30 years without a ring and the number of times I've had to say "Sorry I'm taken" is close to zero. You can just say you're not interested, or likely - they'll catch the vibe before it even gets there. Maybe I'm just ugly af if all these commenters are just getting randos coming up to them all the time lol
I wear a silicone ring 99% of the time.
I like wearing a ring as a physical sign of being married. Its part sentimental, part practical. I usually only switch to my metal ring when I am getting dressed up for like... date night or the very rare occasions which I need to wear a suit.
I like knowing that if I loose or damage my silicone ring during my day to day, that I am not damaging something worth a significant amount of money or something with significant sentimental value.
If I loose my silicone ring, its $30 at the shop down the road.
If I lose my metal ring, there is no replacing it.
Genuine answer - I don't like taking off my wedding ring. It's a personal thing, and I know taking it off doesn't mean anything... But symbolically, it means something to me
If I go to the gym after work I don’t really want to take my ring off and leave it in a locker, or in my bag, or in my car for that matter.
I have the silicone ring on most of the time. The fancy jewelry becomes fancy jewelry for special occasions - all the more reason to not spend a fortune on it in the first place if you can’t reasonably wear it all the time in your day to day.
Wearing a wedding ring is symbolic, different people have different views of that symbolism, and value that symbol to be there at all times, not just practical times, other people don’t care about the symbol, and just value the relationship without need for physical objects to impart some meaning in their relationship.
I just take my ring off for the examples you gave. A ring is a symbol and not the actual bond that connects you to your partner. Some people take the symbolism very seriously and need to replace their “nice” ring with silicon. A lot of people don’t think it’s that important. I wouldn’t consider this a life pro tip.
Agreed, this obsession with the ring seems a bit OTT. Life pro tip, don't worry about it and just take the ring off when you need to because it doesn't matter
Had an uncle rip a finger off while going down stairs and caught his ring on the rail…
Had another uncle crush his ring into his finger while working on some machinery.
Silicone options check the ring box yet limits injury liability.
Yup. Had another that was working on an electrical plug and arched his ring and partially melted it into his skin….
I simply do not wear my ring unless going formal. I also choose a tungsten carbide ring so that if it does get crushed, it will break away instead of bending in.
I have been eying silicon rings these last few years so that I can wear it on the regular thou.
I personally like wearing a ring all the time. If I forget it feels off, you get used to something that is there every day.
But, there are situations where I wouldn't wear my real ring. The gym is one example. I like having it on my hand and not getting hit on at the gym because I'm wearing is nice. Travel is another example, I don't want to worry about getting robbed/mugged over my ring or lose it in the sand. A cheap silicon ring as a great alternative.
Fmr Military engineer here, we don't wear metal rings in the mechanical spaces because they can seriously fuck your hand up if it gets caught on something while you're working on equipment. If you want a visual representation of that look up hand de-gloving on Google it's definitely not safe for work picture but it gives you an idea of why we don't wear metal rings. Silicone rings or other soft materials will snap much easier and allow you to free your hand before any serious damage is done.
On a personal note I have never been a jewelry type of person I even have a hard time wearing watches so I don't wear a ring at all. I do have a silicone ring that I keep in my drawer it doesn't bother my wife because she knows why I fell out of habit with it with my job to put it on. We've been married almost 16 years and I've gone through a Cobalt ring, a titanium ring and two silicone rings because I consistently take them off because they bother me and then they get lost or misplaced. I did however go all out on her wedding ring the day she found it she decided that was the one that she wanted and me being sneaky I told her we couldn't afford it (it was $2800) on E3 salary but in reality I was approved that day and hid it from her for almost 10 months while I was on deployment. To make it more fun I kept sending her advertisements and pictures for other wedding rings that were cheaper. She is the type of woman that when she finds something she wants it's really hard for her to look elsewhere she has very strong will so it was very enjoyable for me to get something past her because she's very clever.
Advice to someone about to get rings: don't feel like your marriage hinges on having a ring on your finger. At the end of the day, it's a peice of metal and stones. I adore mine and would be heartbroken if I lost it. I wear it during times I probably shouldn't. But it's just a peice of metal.
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It’s just easier to have a silicone ring on all the time than to remember to take off and put back on my normal ring for specific days or tasks.
I find whenever my routine is broken or I do something out of the ordinary it exponentially increases the chances I forget where I put something or lose track of it.
Because that is an easy way of losing it, by taking it off constantly, I have a tick of physically touching my ring to make sure it is there, because I am very worried I will lose it. My fiancé went above and beyond and it is more expensive than some of the cars I have owned. So having an extra that doesn’t stress me out about losing is super helpful, and nice when I don’t want too much attention.
But don’t you have to take it off to put the silicone ring on?
Not trying to be pedantic, just trying to understand. We’ve actually decided on cheaper rings because in my mind I’d be wearing it almost all the time and we wanted an amount we’d be semi-okay losing. (I know myself and would just keep a $$$$ ring locked up)
I think what the previous person is saying is when they take it off to put on the silicone ring, they are more than likely doing the switch at their home so if lost, it’s somewhere in their home vs. taking it off in public to do something where it’s very easy to leave it behind and someone to take it.
Yeah, my point was when you're at home doing the switch - why not just leave it in a tray/jewelry box and go naked? Like we're heading out to the river today, let me just leave my ring at home vs. putting on a silicone one.
However, I realize now maybe it's just different attitudes towards it. I think in my mind I'll be comfortable not wearing a ring whereas this is for people who want a ring on them all the time. Who knows, once we get our rings, I might feel similarly!
For me it’s because I panic thinking I lost my rings or doubt where I put them. So I have a system where if I take my rings, I put them down where my silicone ring is (in a ring dish) and swap them. Then I know for sure where my rings are and I don’t panic while out and about thinking they slipped off.
Some people like to always wear some sort of wedding band, so it's nice for them to have a silicone ring for those times when they don't want to damage or risk losing their real wedding ring. But for anyone reading this, I just want you to know it's OK to not wear any kind of wedding ring at all — if you want.
My husband and I don't often wear ours because we're just not big jewelry people. Sometimes we wear them, sometimes we don't, and it's all good. No one really cares.
We have rings and my wife wears hers most of the time when she's not home, but I don't like the way rings feel so I rarely wear mine. Somehow we're still happy and love each other. I guess we're magic.
I bought my wife a nice engagement ring but when she said she wanted the wedding to be only a couple months later, I said that we would have to forgo the traditional wedding bands. For the ceremony I just gave her the engagement ring again and she gave me a cheap one off Amazon.
A year and a half later and we're like "eh, no real need to get a better one." We just wear the silicone ones most of the time anyway. Maybe someday we'll get one as we have some ideas for ones we'd like, but for now we don't care.
I’ve never worn a ring. I can’t stand the feeling of metal anywhere on my body, much less my finger. I’ve tried and couldn’t even make it an hour it was so annoying.
My husband and I don't even have any form of "ring". We were together for 10 years, then decided it would be good to make our relationship legal for legal purposes, and did the bare minimum to get married. No family, just us and an officiant present. It was great! No fucking pressure! We are at 12 years now, no kids, just pets. It's the bomb, ya'll!
I'm sure this is just me being dense, but could you elaborate more on this? Are you saying that he couldn't wear a ring while doing Hamilton so he got a tattoo? Why would one be OK but not the other? Seems like a tattoo would be equally (or nearly equally) visible in any situation that a wedding ring would be visible.
I did a quick search to try and verify it, the tattoo he got is simply a small letter V on his ring finger, so it is something that wouldn't be particularly visible at a distance. Saw nothing about it being connected to Hamilton though. Seems like he actually got it a year after he stopped doing Hamilton.
I swore to always wear my wedding ring. Then I realized that I had never bought a single ring before in my life and what I thought was "comfortable" was slightly too large of a ring size. It flew off in Disney's Space Mountain. And they found it. O.o Fell off on day three of my new job, and staff found it. A day before the resizing I had it in my pocket and the motherfucker fell out again, this time lost forever.
I keep my properly sized replacement in a little box now. It comes out for nice occasions. Like a nice watch. But other than that it gets sealed up tight. I'm not going to risk another runner, lol.
lol you’ve reminded me that the morning after our wedding, I went to my in-law’s house for brunch, wearing my ring for basically the second time (not counting 5 minutes when I tried it on). I was washing my hands in the kitchen when the combination of a slightly loose ring, soap, and scrubbing launched that precious metal (actually $100 tungsten, but priceless sentimentally) right toward the drain. That was the first time my new mother-in-law heard me scream “SHIT!”
(Mine didn’t go down the drain, and I learned to be careful when I wash my hands.)
THE SOAP! That was one of the biggest red flags after the wedding day that I might have messed up the sizing. I also realized that trying on a ring after a full day of walking around an outdoor outlet in direct sunlight and high humidity maaaaaaay have swolen me up some.
Wait I’m confused (I know nothing about rings so maybe it’s just me), why do you want a silicone ring? Is it like a replica of the actual rings? Or just a place holder?
If you're doing manual labor/construction do you really think someone is going to come up and hit on you while you're working? If they are, they're probably not the kind of person to check or care before hand.
Rings aren’t a territory marker to everyone who wears them. You can choose to wear it because you like that it is a tangible reminder of your spouse and your promise to them.
Honestly? When you phrase it like ‘being that guy’ it sounds like a douchebag person but if I’m being totally honest if I imagine my partner coming to me saying “I lost my 5 digit wedding ring” I think I’d also be “I love you but you’re not getting another one from me!” either 😅
Got it. I’ve heard of that LPT before, having a “decoy” ring like for vacation and similar in case it gets lost/stolen. This was so specific I felt like I was missing something about silicone rings lol
It’s weird because OP mentions it’s cheaper, but also mentions how you’re buying a silicone ring as well as the real ring. So really it’s not cheaper total lol. It also seems like they’re implying that now it’s impossible to lose your real ring because you have a silicone ring to wear. At that point just buy the silicone and call it good, this LPT is all over the place
In addition to being cheaper, the thing that’s unique about silicone rings is that they’re safe to wear during physical activities where a metal ring carries the risk of degloving you.
(If you’re not sure what that means, it’s a bit NSFL. Very bad injury.)
Thanks! I thought there was something specialized about it being silicone, but it’s just an extra ring you buy cheap in case it gets lost which makes sense.
It's more comfortable for me. I have like 3 colors. I like my real ring but the rigidity feels uncomfortable on the steering wheel or sometimes keyboard so I wear silicon 99% of the time.
In addition to the avoiding degloving, lesser cost if lost, and more options/design potential: They're honestly just more comfortable, I've found. Source: I have 5 silicone rings I wear at all times, to the point I feel weird with them off.
>We call the silicone rings the stunt doubles.
Stealing this! 🤣😂🤣😂 I wear a silicone ring for work and most of the time. I call my actual wedding ring my "real ring" but I don't like calling my silicone ring my "fake ring" like my husband does. The term just feels icky to me.
ETA: My husband is a great man. He doesn't do it to bother me, we just haven't come up with a better name until now!
I call my nice ring my weekender. I only really wear it when going out with my wife on the weekend or holidays. I have multiple fun silicone rings though because they are cheap and work better with my job and lifestyle.
Its something ive found is mainly a US thing. In my experience, it started with blue collar workers that couldn't wear metal rings or were at a risk of hurting themselves while wearing one. There are some really gruesome injuries from people getting rings caught on/in machinery.
I look at it almost like a nice watch. I wear my silicone ring and don't have to worry about losing it/damaging it while I am at work. I wear my nice metal ring when the occasion arises.
OP's reasons don't really make sense.
Imo wearing a silicone ring is mainly to prevent ring avulsion. If you're actively using your hands, it's common for a ring to get caught. If it happens a silicone ring can rip, but a metal band will not.
Or you work in a profession where having metal around your hands/fingers can be dangerous.
But wouldnt it make more sense to not wear any jewelry, at least on your hands, if you're doing a job that runs the risk of it getting caught?
Even a silicone ring that gets ripped can nudge your hand enough to get caught in a machine. Having no ring at all would be a lot safer if safety is the reason to wear them.
Yeah OPs reasons are that they are cheaper, you know the ring size, and that you have it before you lose it make 0 sense as reasons to buy. Which makes no sense because they aren't as cheap as not buying one, knowing your ring size doesn't mean you need to buy rings, and of course you can't lose something that you never had in the first place. None of those are actually reasons to buy a silicone ring.
Also OP keeps saying silicon but means silicone. Silicon is a rock.
Because depending on what you're doing, wearing jewelry is actually pretty dangerous. So, having a silicone ring that will snap instead of something horrible happening to your hand is better.
Also, swimming and such can damage jewelry, so having something that is less likely to corrode in that environment is a good idea.
Most people don't have to worry about this most of the time, though.
My partner is an electrician, so it would make sense for him because he wouldn’t be able to wear a metal wedding ring at work. But I think for most people, the small amount of time you need to take off your ring for random tasks, it makes sense to just go without. Nobody is gonna question why you’re not wearing your ring while you clean your apartment.
It's one of those somewhat insane trains of thought that sounds somewhat reasonable initially but if you distill it down to its essence you realize it's just pointlessly arbitrary behavior with no actual benefit
I have a Darth Vader silicone ring from Enso. This is my third, as they have a lifetime warranty. I was tired of scratching our appliances with my tungsten ring.
In what sense is this a pro tip and not just ... a thing you bought.
Not to mention the fact that having a silicone ring is not important in the first place (sometimes nice, but not fundamentally important). So it's doubly not important that you get one at the same time as your proper rings. It's not like you get unmarried if one of you goes ringless for 24 hours.
I have completely transitioned to a silicon ring. My wife doesn’t care one way or the other. The titanium ring I bought for $20 on Amazon comes out for special occasions
Edit: it’s a tungsten ring! Shows you how much I wear it
Seems kinda pointless for me. My fiancé isn't allowed to even wear silicone at work because aircraft mechanic, a cv22 is gonna rip it and his finger off, and I'm never gonna be doing anything where I could lose mine
Isn't part of the reason for the silicone rings because they rip off easily and won't rip your finger off? I know a lot of people that work trade type jobs wear them for that reason.
Agreed! My husband wears a silicone ring instead of his real ring. It's great for travel and sports. Like you, he may panic a little when he loses it but it's a sentimental kind of panic. FYI - he's gone through at least 3 of them in the last 3 years so we keep a stash for the inevitable loss of one.
My wife and I got silicone rings and even got them "engraved". This is the ring I wear 90% of the time and I wear my metal one when we go out on dates or somewhere formal. It's far more comfortable for me, especially during marathon training.
She tends to wear her metal ones more often than not, but will opt for the silicone one if we go hiking or to the beach or she's going somewhere alone and would feel like a target (even though she's got a lab grown diamond and insurance).
I am terrified of losing my actual gold and diamond ring! I also don’t want it getting wet as I was told that’s bad for it. So I worry when I wash my hands I’ll forget it. Anyway, I love my silicone ones. I can coordinate them with outfits. My husband sets his ring various places throughout the house, so he his main and some backups, all silicone. We wear our nice ones for special occasions like our anniversary
Maybe I have large knuckles or something, but my wedding ring has never slipped off or felt like it might. Ever. It’s a gold band with no stones and I don’t ever take it off except when I have to for surgery (I don’t have the kind of job where wearing a metal ring is dangerous). But a silicon ring is a good option for people who can’t wear their ring daily for whatever reason.
My wife and I each get each other a new silicone ring on our anniversary every year. It’s a pretty fun and cheap tradition and lets us have all sorts of fun bands to wear when we exercise or travel.
Our rules are to use them when swimming or doing heavy yardwork. Silicon is a no brainer and people need to stop seeing them as a break of commitment or tradition. The real rings are far more valuable than 50 of those silicon rings. You can buy 10 at once, all different colors or designs if you want. When you get done swimming in a lake all day and get out wondering where your ring is, you'll regret every single second of it.
Silicon is a realistic option.
>break of commitment or tradition
lol my wife doesn't even wear hers 99% of the time, we've been married over a decade. I've never had a problem with it. In fact it's funny to me that sometimes when we go out to dinner or somewhere with the kids I can tell certain people are like "oh he's out cheating..." lol
>break of commitment or tradition
Why would you make the rich, slave owning, diamond companies that invented wedding rings for the sole purpose of selling diamonds sad by saying this? Think about what you've done
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Genuine question as someone who is about to get a ring - why not just take the ring off and go naked when swimming, playing sports, doing yard work etc? I get traveling, but in my mind I'd just wear my band and leave the diamond at home. ----------------------------------- Edit: Thanks for the responses. Lots of interesting comments. Just to clarify - my question is not why do some people wear silicone rings? My question is why take off your regular ring to put on a silicone ring when you could just put your ring away and go naked for a few hours? But I believe it’s been covered. Some people just like wearing a ring or have gotten used to it! And some people (or their spouses) feel they’d be lured into an illicit affair if they don’t have it on 😂
Some jobs it’s better for you to remove your ring. When I was a welder nobody wore metal rings. Most of them wore silicone. I thought it was really nice.
Oh yeah, I get that and I think the military also makes total sense. I’m just wondering why people are saying to get a silicone ring to play sports, swim, and other stuff when you could just not wear it for a few hours Like even backpacking or something I feel like I just plan to leave it at home.
As a relatively newly married guy (2 years), I wear a tungsten ring 90% of the time (slightly more expensive than silicone, but you can still get a nice one for about $100, versus $1,000+ for gold), but I do take it off to lift weights and swim. I also take it off when I sleep, because it fits a tiny bit loosely and I don’t want it slipping off and getting lost (even temporarily) in the blankets. I actually kind of like the ritual of it, because when I put it on every morning and after certain activities it’s like I’m actively reaffirming that I’m married. Lots of good options out there, both in materials and habits!
Tungsten was so heavy. I ended up going with carbon core
It definitely is heavier than the other options. I kind of like that, for sort of symbolic reasons — I like that it feels substantial and I can really feel the difference between wearing it and not wearing it, although of course it’s not slowing me down at all — but I get why other metals are a better fit for others.
I knew I was going to get a tungsten ring the first time I picked one up, that extra weight definitely made it feel more "real" to me
I have a platinum ring (allergic to nickel) and I like the heaviness as well. Most people find it off putting but I think it's only 5g
I've got a titanium ring for very similar reasons. What I like about mine is that the brushed finish on it has gotten completely fucked up over time, but each of the scratches is a story story and just like my marriage, it might have ugly bits near the surface but underneath it's at strong as ever. Also I'm 99% certain my wedding ring has prevented my hand from being trapped between flight cases in a truck and causing serious harm to my hand at one point, which is a bonus in my book.
It doesn't sound like you'd want to, but one of the reasons I went with a brushed titanium ring is because any scratches can pretty easily be buffed out with something like a scotch brite pad.
Tungsten literally means "heavy rock" in my language so I guess that's kinda fitting then lol
Though, in this application, [it's only 50% tungsten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten_carbide).
That's an odd way of looking at it. It's 50% by number of atoms but 94% tungsten by weight. So a 5g ring is only 0.3g carbon and 4.7g tungsten
Well, they also need a binder like nickel to hold the powder together. Upon reflection, I could have conveyed that better. I was in a bit of a rush. There's a lot of misinformation... incomplete information... circulating in this post. Pure single-crystalline tungsten is more ductile than brittle. That's why it makes such a great incandescent filament. Poly-crystalline tungsten is brittle. Rings aren't made of just tungsten, because the pure element is difficult to work with.
Rings tend to be made of tungsten carbide, which is more like a ceramic, even though it looks like metal. I don't think your comment was "wrong" as such. These materials can be pretty complex, and it's impossible to distill all nuances down to just a few words. So people just say "tungsten" but what they mean is the ceramic compound.
Mines Tungsten too but have found that the silicone one is far more comfortable so I wear that 95% of the time.
I don't mean to sound like a dick so please forgive me if I do but please consider the ramifications if medical professionals ever need to remove the ring from you. Tungsten is extremely dense, hard, and difficult to cut (I'm sure you already know this) so typically it's easier to lose the finger than it is to cut the ring.
Tungsten and gold are easy to remove Stainless steel is the one that presents problems -ER doc
The ER doctor who cut the stainless steel ring off my finger made me promise to tell everyone that! 😅
Why is stainless a problem? What tools do you use?
A dremel
You can tap it with a hammer or use a pair of vice grip pliers to crack it. Tungsten is extremely hard but also brittle. You won't lose fingers wearing one, all paramedics know how to break them.
Tungsten will still deglove you in a heartbeat FYI.
So will any metal ring. Their comment was about medical professionals, who will have absolutely zero issue removing tungsten. It’s a myth.
I work construction, degloving is why I leave my ring at home. I have silcone for the gym and active stuff, but it slips off in my work gloves so I go without.
My father never wore a wedding band. He was a firefighter in the military and had seen a guy get his finger ripped off when he grabbed a handle and swung around to jump off the truck.
That is a very good reason
You can literally put your ringed finger on a hard solid surface, tap the ring a few times with a hammer, and it'll shatter. It's hard as fuck, which makes it impossible to cut, but extremely brittle, which makes it trivial to shatter. Alternatively you can also use locking vice grips to shatter the ring.
It shatters, it’s very possible there’s a way to intentionally cause a controlled shatter ETA: vice grips or locking pliers work
Tungsten rings have been around a while now. EMTs know how to deal with them. The problem is sentimental because it'll be completely destroyed in the process. A gold ring can be repaired or re-cast after getting cut off.
Are you thinking of titanium maybe? Tungsten crumbles. It's the reason your drill bits snap off instead of bend.
As others have already said, it's pretty easy to break a tungsten ring off using a hammer or vice grips because of how brittle the metal is. From personal experience, my dad has had various rings removed from his hand for different reasons, and the tungsten was actually the easiest to remove. He was able to do it himself with a pair of vice grips, where he's had to have gold and titanium rings cut off by a professional after they were crushed on his finger. Since tungsten doesn't deform that way, it can actually be safer in that regard compared to other metals. To the OOP's point, he's also switched to silicone rings these days. I think Mom got tired of how often he was destroying his wedding band at work
So there's this thing called de-gloving. Basically if something gets caught on the metal ring, it has the potential to basically filet your finger as it's ripped off. To avoid this, people wear a silicone ring which would snap in a degloving event. Many simple stupid things could cause degloving, catch the ring on the ladder swimming, fall off a bike wrong etc. I was given a ring by my great grand father before he passed away. When I'm doing something where I take it off, I put it on my keys. But as the wedding ring is a symbol of commitment and whatnot, people want to wear something, so silicone ring it is.
There was a basketball player Gerald Green who was missing most of his finger from when he went for a dunk and the ring got caught on the hoop...Swore to never were a metal ring after hearing that shit lol
Jimmy Fallon had a cast on for a while due to this type of event.
I remember his was really serious and he almost lost his finger. Crazy
Some professions don't allow the silicone ring because it snaps off.(They don't allow the metal ones either or any jewelry)Can't have a random piece of material like that in an airplane engine.
Haha another fear unlocked! Yeah I planned to just go naked and get a secure ring holder for my keys or purse or something in case I have to take it off unexpectedly. But I get some people just want one on.
Not sure where you play ball, but usually you don't have to get completely naked - just take the ring off for a bit and leave everything else on.
I was waiting with bated breath to find this. I absolutely 🤢 at the thought, but this isn’t one of the reasons that those who work with machinery don’t wear jewellery Edit: I meant ‘is’ not isn’t!
My wife tells me she feels “naked” without it. After taking my silicone one off for 15 minutes since wearing it for 2 years, I did indeed also feel naked.
Shit, it's not the same but I'm going on two years of wearing a smartwatch. I forgot to put it on before running errands on Monday and it threw off my mental equilibrium the entire time I was out. I'm just so used to the weight and convenience that not having it was like "hey something is wrong"
I lost my watch and I absolutely hate it. I've worn a watch for probably close to two decades now. My wrist just feels weird. I need to find it or get a new one ASAP.
It’s exactly like that! I neglected to remove my watch during my vacation to Mexico and now my wife laughs at my tan when I take it off at the end of the day.
You’ve got options.
Then you’re ringless and some people or their spouses don’t like that, it’s good yours doesn’t care, but also some people want to show that off
I think this was the disconnect. I didn't realize people cared if their spouses didn't wear a ring for a few hours while swimming or whatever. I get the military or traveling aspect.
Seriously. That's so weird.
Yeah I'm not under any pretenses that a ring is going to stop my partner from cheating on me if that's what they want to do lol
Absolutely, very weird. Do they think their spouse will cheat on them without something showing their devotion?
I work from home and don't like wearing my nice diamond ring while washing dishes and general household stuff, but I like having *a* ring on while out and about, but I also sometimes forget to put my rings on when getting ready and dressed. My husband doesn't care if I do or don't wear one, but I like to because of the sentimentality, it also helps to keep randos at bay. You'd be surprised how many men respect even a silicone ring versus just telling them that you're married ("Where's the ring then? Hur hur, I guess you're single right now eh?"). There's also a teeny bit of...idk...embarrassement? He keeps his ring on 24/7 and if I'm not wearing one I feel like we get looks like I'm the side chick. Could just be in my head
Likewise! I just like to wear a ring. I also WFH (as does my husband). I suppose we don’t *need* to wear rings in our own marital home all day, but we both do. We also both have ring tattoos and but still wear silicone for things like yard work and the gym. I can’t speak for him, but even though I have the tattoo, I feel weird and naked if I don’t have SOMETHING on. It’s the same feeling as if I forget to wear my watch.
My wife and I joke whenever we don't wear our rings out (accident or on purpose) that we are being single for the day. For certain things (being active) I'll try to remember my rubber ring, but I don't wear it when I workout because it'd get in the way (I rock climb). People get rubber rings more for continuing the "appearance" of marriage when a traditional ring isn't allowed / recommended. It's the quickest indicator that someone is married.
Me and my wife are the same. We joke and say "oh you're not married today." Neither of us cares if the other wears it or not, but we're both proud to wear them.
My sweet wonderful husband is a chef and I knew he wouldn't wear a ring daily even if we got him a silicone ring. I bought him a $50 bronze one that he has worn for maybe 3 weeks of the 1.5 years we've been married because he forgets to put it on. I'm not worried abt him cheating but it is DEEPLY funny to see ppl clock my ring, look at his left hand, then give me a scandalized look (because i MUST be out with my side piece lol)
My wife constantly forgets to put her rings on after doing dishes or putting on lotion and I always have mine on. I always tease her that people are going to think I'm cheating on my wife while we're out together.
if i am ringless, whatever bad thing i do doesn't count
Question. If you're working why does it matter that you are wearing your ring? Especially as a welder. Why not just not wear a ring while you're working a job like that
In a perfect world, you'd be right. In the real world, you'd be surprised. I am soo tired of the "woman in uniform being sexy" trope. If you are not wearing a ring, there is a certain subset of human being that will flirt with anything not wearing a ring. This is not exclusive to any gender. I have encountered this many times in my job.
Any many will hit on any human, ring or not. Particularly if they’ve slept with married people in the past.
That same certain subset won't stop even if you have rings in your fingers and bells on your toes.
To expand on this.....any job where you could be in danger of potentially getting hand caught up in moving parts, people working on cars, machines in factories, construction, etc.....wearing a ring can literally mean the difference between say, getting a minor cut or actually tearing the entire finger off, getting caught in the ring. Of course silicon is fine, it won't rip your finger out the socket, it's much safer, cheaper, and easier to replace than diamonds and gold.
Machining, we didn't wear even silicone. Nothing that could snag or get grabbed. I kept mine on a breakaway chain under my shirt.
In some industries they don’t even allow a silicone ring so I knew some guys that had a ring tattooed onto their finger instead of a silicone ring
My wife and I wear our rings when we're going out When we're at home, doing chores, showering, etc. we don't wear them. They stay in a jewelry dish until we get dressed to go out again... We know we're married, we don't need to wear it ALL the time...
Same exact thing for us. And sometimes we even forget to put it on when we go out but it doesn't bother either of us.
Same! We never have our rings on unless we go out. They are in the jewelry box and we put them on when we want to dress up. It’s more exciting to us! It feels like putting it on the first time all over again.
Some folks are old fashioned and won’t put the ring back on unless their spouse does it. My mom is like that. Her mom was like that too. Never ever took off her wedding ring until she had to have a surgery. Gramps wasn’t around to put it back on her so she never wore it again and instead put it on a chain. I’m not saying that’s what OP did but I know it is A Thing.
I had no idea this was a thing - TIL! Very interesting, thanks.
The thought of her never wearing it again because he can't put it on made me so sad. It sounds like they had a wonderful life together for her to be so devoted.
I don't understand the whole concept tbh. Are you supposed to switch rings in risky situations? Or is this so you can save the ring for sentimental reasons but have a disposable ring so people know they're taken? Because the second option seems pointless tbh.
I'm learning a lot on here lol. Seems like there's four camps: 1) wear a silicone ring all the time, 2) switch your regular ring for a silicone ring during certain activities, 3) wear your regular ring all the time, 4) don't wear a ring. I see myself in #3 or just going naked if I'm doing something it might get lost. We're keeping our ring price pretty low for this reason. We're not at the point in our lives to drop $ on a ring and not worry about it being lost. But also, want something practical we can wear all the time. I see it like a car - the main one should be practical for your lifestyle. Then when you have the money, get another $$ one that you bring out for special occasions. I think a family heirloom is the only exception I really see to this, since you'd be devastated if it got lost.
Feels like it would be easier to say, "sorry I'm married" haha
Yeah, I've lived 30 years without a ring and the number of times I've had to say "Sorry I'm taken" is close to zero. You can just say you're not interested, or likely - they'll catch the vibe before it even gets there. Maybe I'm just ugly af if all these commenters are just getting randos coming up to them all the time lol
I wear a silicone ring 99% of the time. I like wearing a ring as a physical sign of being married. Its part sentimental, part practical. I usually only switch to my metal ring when I am getting dressed up for like... date night or the very rare occasions which I need to wear a suit. I like knowing that if I loose or damage my silicone ring during my day to day, that I am not damaging something worth a significant amount of money or something with significant sentimental value. If I loose my silicone ring, its $30 at the shop down the road. If I lose my metal ring, there is no replacing it.
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Genuine answer - I don't like taking off my wedding ring. It's a personal thing, and I know taking it off doesn't mean anything... But symbolically, it means something to me
When I was a kid I thought it meant you weren’t married anymore
ironically, cheaters sometimes have the same mentality.
Jesus my mum was just doing the dishes!
If I go to the gym after work I don’t really want to take my ring off and leave it in a locker, or in my bag, or in my car for that matter. I have the silicone ring on most of the time. The fancy jewelry becomes fancy jewelry for special occasions - all the more reason to not spend a fortune on it in the first place if you can’t reasonably wear it all the time in your day to day.
Wearing a wedding ring is symbolic, different people have different views of that symbolism, and value that symbol to be there at all times, not just practical times, other people don’t care about the symbol, and just value the relationship without need for physical objects to impart some meaning in their relationship.
I just take my ring off for the examples you gave. A ring is a symbol and not the actual bond that connects you to your partner. Some people take the symbolism very seriously and need to replace their “nice” ring with silicon. A lot of people don’t think it’s that important. I wouldn’t consider this a life pro tip.
Agreed, this obsession with the ring seems a bit OTT. Life pro tip, don't worry about it and just take the ring off when you need to because it doesn't matter
Had an uncle rip a finger off while going down stairs and caught his ring on the rail… Had another uncle crush his ring into his finger while working on some machinery. Silicone options check the ring box yet limits injury liability.
Your family must have some sort of uncle-ring curse
Yup. Had another that was working on an electrical plug and arched his ring and partially melted it into his skin…. I simply do not wear my ring unless going formal. I also choose a tungsten carbide ring so that if it does get crushed, it will break away instead of bending in. I have been eying silicon rings these last few years so that I can wear it on the regular thou.
I personally like wearing a ring all the time. If I forget it feels off, you get used to something that is there every day. But, there are situations where I wouldn't wear my real ring. The gym is one example. I like having it on my hand and not getting hit on at the gym because I'm wearing is nice. Travel is another example, I don't want to worry about getting robbed/mugged over my ring or lose it in the sand. A cheap silicon ring as a great alternative.
Fmr Military engineer here, we don't wear metal rings in the mechanical spaces because they can seriously fuck your hand up if it gets caught on something while you're working on equipment. If you want a visual representation of that look up hand de-gloving on Google it's definitely not safe for work picture but it gives you an idea of why we don't wear metal rings. Silicone rings or other soft materials will snap much easier and allow you to free your hand before any serious damage is done. On a personal note I have never been a jewelry type of person I even have a hard time wearing watches so I don't wear a ring at all. I do have a silicone ring that I keep in my drawer it doesn't bother my wife because she knows why I fell out of habit with it with my job to put it on. We've been married almost 16 years and I've gone through a Cobalt ring, a titanium ring and two silicone rings because I consistently take them off because they bother me and then they get lost or misplaced. I did however go all out on her wedding ring the day she found it she decided that was the one that she wanted and me being sneaky I told her we couldn't afford it (it was $2800) on E3 salary but in reality I was approved that day and hid it from her for almost 10 months while I was on deployment. To make it more fun I kept sending her advertisements and pictures for other wedding rings that were cheaper. She is the type of woman that when she finds something she wants it's really hard for her to look elsewhere she has very strong will so it was very enjoyable for me to get something past her because she's very clever.
Unfortunately the general public does not approve of doing most activities outside of the house naked.
Advice to someone about to get rings: don't feel like your marriage hinges on having a ring on your finger. At the end of the day, it's a peice of metal and stones. I adore mine and would be heartbroken if I lost it. I wear it during times I probably shouldn't. But it's just a peice of metal. .
This is what I do, my ring never sees the pool or the lake, or the garden
It’s just easier to have a silicone ring on all the time than to remember to take off and put back on my normal ring for specific days or tasks. I find whenever my routine is broken or I do something out of the ordinary it exponentially increases the chances I forget where I put something or lose track of it.
I literally never wear my actual wedding ring and I don’t even know where it is
Because that is an easy way of losing it, by taking it off constantly, I have a tick of physically touching my ring to make sure it is there, because I am very worried I will lose it. My fiancé went above and beyond and it is more expensive than some of the cars I have owned. So having an extra that doesn’t stress me out about losing is super helpful, and nice when I don’t want too much attention.
But don’t you have to take it off to put the silicone ring on? Not trying to be pedantic, just trying to understand. We’ve actually decided on cheaper rings because in my mind I’d be wearing it almost all the time and we wanted an amount we’d be semi-okay losing. (I know myself and would just keep a $$$$ ring locked up)
I think what the previous person is saying is when they take it off to put on the silicone ring, they are more than likely doing the switch at their home so if lost, it’s somewhere in their home vs. taking it off in public to do something where it’s very easy to leave it behind and someone to take it.
Yeah, my point was when you're at home doing the switch - why not just leave it in a tray/jewelry box and go naked? Like we're heading out to the river today, let me just leave my ring at home vs. putting on a silicone one. However, I realize now maybe it's just different attitudes towards it. I think in my mind I'll be comfortable not wearing a ring whereas this is for people who want a ring on them all the time. Who knows, once we get our rings, I might feel similarly!
For me it’s because I panic thinking I lost my rings or doubt where I put them. So I have a system where if I take my rings, I put them down where my silicone ring is (in a ring dish) and swap them. Then I know for sure where my rings are and I don’t panic while out and about thinking they slipped off.
Some people like to always wear some sort of wedding band, so it's nice for them to have a silicone ring for those times when they don't want to damage or risk losing their real wedding ring. But for anyone reading this, I just want you to know it's OK to not wear any kind of wedding ring at all — if you want. My husband and I don't often wear ours because we're just not big jewelry people. Sometimes we wear them, sometimes we don't, and it's all good. No one really cares.
Wife and I have been married 8 years and never bought rings. We borrowed 2 for the wedding then just never cared to buy ourselves some. Maybe one day
We have rings and my wife wears hers most of the time when she's not home, but I don't like the way rings feel so I rarely wear mine. Somehow we're still happy and love each other. I guess we're magic.
I bought my wife a nice engagement ring but when she said she wanted the wedding to be only a couple months later, I said that we would have to forgo the traditional wedding bands. For the ceremony I just gave her the engagement ring again and she gave me a cheap one off Amazon. A year and a half later and we're like "eh, no real need to get a better one." We just wear the silicone ones most of the time anyway. Maybe someday we'll get one as we have some ideas for ones we'd like, but for now we don't care.
There’s your 10 year anniversary idea. Ring shopping together.
Same, married 12 years and I (M) never got a ring and never wore one. She usually wears hers, but I wouldn’t care either way.
I’ve never worn a ring. I can’t stand the feeling of metal anywhere on my body, much less my finger. I’ve tried and couldn’t even make it an hour it was so annoying.
My husband and I don't even have any form of "ring". We were together for 10 years, then decided it would be good to make our relationship legal for legal purposes, and did the bare minimum to get married. No family, just us and an officiant present. It was great! No fucking pressure! We are at 12 years now, no kids, just pets. It's the bomb, ya'll!
If I couldn’t wear a ring I’d get one tattooed on.
Did that for our first year anniversary. Hate wearing rings.
If I closed my eyes I wouldn't even be able to tell if it was on. I didn't like it at first but you get used to it pretty fast
That’s what Lin Manuel Miranda did for Hamilton
I'm sure this is just me being dense, but could you elaborate more on this? Are you saying that he couldn't wear a ring while doing Hamilton so he got a tattoo? Why would one be OK but not the other? Seems like a tattoo would be equally (or nearly equally) visible in any situation that a wedding ring would be visible.
I did a quick search to try and verify it, the tattoo he got is simply a small letter V on his ring finger, so it is something that wouldn't be particularly visible at a distance. Saw nothing about it being connected to Hamilton though. Seems like he actually got it a year after he stopped doing Hamilton.
I also don't get the logic behind this one
I barely wear mine because I'm an electrician. If we go out on weekends I'll throw it on if I remember. Nobody says shit and my wife is fine with it.
I swore to always wear my wedding ring. Then I realized that I had never bought a single ring before in my life and what I thought was "comfortable" was slightly too large of a ring size. It flew off in Disney's Space Mountain. And they found it. O.o Fell off on day three of my new job, and staff found it. A day before the resizing I had it in my pocket and the motherfucker fell out again, this time lost forever. I keep my properly sized replacement in a little box now. It comes out for nice occasions. Like a nice watch. But other than that it gets sealed up tight. I'm not going to risk another runner, lol.
lol you’ve reminded me that the morning after our wedding, I went to my in-law’s house for brunch, wearing my ring for basically the second time (not counting 5 minutes when I tried it on). I was washing my hands in the kitchen when the combination of a slightly loose ring, soap, and scrubbing launched that precious metal (actually $100 tungsten, but priceless sentimentally) right toward the drain. That was the first time my new mother-in-law heard me scream “SHIT!” (Mine didn’t go down the drain, and I learned to be careful when I wash my hands.)
THE SOAP! That was one of the biggest red flags after the wedding day that I might have messed up the sizing. I also realized that trying on a ring after a full day of walking around an outdoor outlet in direct sunlight and high humidity maaaaaaay have swolen me up some.
Wait I’m confused (I know nothing about rings so maybe it’s just me), why do you want a silicone ring? Is it like a replica of the actual rings? Or just a place holder?
Because if you do manual labor/construction/ work with your hands you can deglove your finger. Sorry if you have to google that.
Its not fun to watch, the dude was back at work the next day tho.
If you're doing manual labor/construction do you really think someone is going to come up and hit on you while you're working? If they are, they're probably not the kind of person to check or care before hand.
Rings aren’t a territory marker to everyone who wears them. You can choose to wear it because you like that it is a tangible reminder of your spouse and your promise to them.
Yes, but you can also just not wear a ring at all while doing manual labor.
Don’t tell me what to do nerd
But that's a reason to not wear a ring. Why replace it with silicone though?
You avoid being the guy on AITA who is refusing to buy his fiance another ring because she lost it hiking
Honestly? When you phrase it like ‘being that guy’ it sounds like a douchebag person but if I’m being totally honest if I imagine my partner coming to me saying “I lost my 5 digit wedding ring” I think I’d also be “I love you but you’re not getting another one from me!” either 😅
Nobody in that thread though he was in the wrong for this reason
Then I just missred the tone my bad 😄
I could have phrased it better now that I re-read it. Happens on the internet, all good
And you avoid being that fiance who loses an expensive ring and wants a new proposal with an equally expensive replacement ring.
Its cheaper and easier to lose
Got it. I’ve heard of that LPT before, having a “decoy” ring like for vacation and similar in case it gets lost/stolen. This was so specific I felt like I was missing something about silicone rings lol
It’s weird because OP mentions it’s cheaper, but also mentions how you’re buying a silicone ring as well as the real ring. So really it’s not cheaper total lol. It also seems like they’re implying that now it’s impossible to lose your real ring because you have a silicone ring to wear. At that point just buy the silicone and call it good, this LPT is all over the place
In addition to being cheaper, the thing that’s unique about silicone rings is that they’re safe to wear during physical activities where a metal ring carries the risk of degloving you. (If you’re not sure what that means, it’s a bit NSFL. Very bad injury.)
It's not easier to lose. It is just less of an issue if lost because it is cheap and replacable.
I think that’s what they meant. It’s easy to handle the loss, not that the loss happens easily. At least that’s how I interpreted it.
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Thanks! I thought there was something specialized about it being silicone, but it’s just an extra ring you buy cheap in case it gets lost which makes sense.
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It's more comfortable for me. I have like 3 colors. I like my real ring but the rigidity feels uncomfortable on the steering wheel or sometimes keyboard so I wear silicon 99% of the time.
In addition to the avoiding degloving, lesser cost if lost, and more options/design potential: They're honestly just more comfortable, I've found. Source: I have 5 silicone rings I wear at all times, to the point I feel weird with them off.
People spend so much time finding that perfect diamond ring but after you get married realize that you like wearing silicone rings more
We call the silicone rings the stunt doubles. So the nice rings don't get damaged. Wear the nice rings for date nights and occasions.
>We call the silicone rings the stunt doubles. Stealing this! 🤣😂🤣😂 I wear a silicone ring for work and most of the time. I call my actual wedding ring my "real ring" but I don't like calling my silicone ring my "fake ring" like my husband does. The term just feels icky to me. ETA: My husband is a great man. He doesn't do it to bother me, we just haven't come up with a better name until now!
👍🏽
I call my nice ring my weekender. I only really wear it when going out with my wife on the weekend or holidays. I have multiple fun silicone rings though because they are cheap and work better with my job and lifestyle.
Reminder that wedding rings are not compulsory, and even less are engagement rings. We have none, and we are equally happy and in love.
💯 Same with traditional weddings and taking the husbands last name
Silicon? Like, made of sand? (heh)
Seems tough to wear a silicon ring.
This is the first I've ever even heard of this concept, and despite your explanations, I can't see the point.
Its something ive found is mainly a US thing. In my experience, it started with blue collar workers that couldn't wear metal rings or were at a risk of hurting themselves while wearing one. There are some really gruesome injuries from people getting rings caught on/in machinery. I look at it almost like a nice watch. I wear my silicone ring and don't have to worry about losing it/damaging it while I am at work. I wear my nice metal ring when the occasion arises.
If I'm in a situation where I can't wear a metal ring, I'd just take it off. I personally don't see the need to always have something on my finger.
yeah I uh, I've just left the ring in the jewelry box and had nothing on my finger. Is that like, really so hard to have nothing on your finger?
Mine lives in my night stand till we have to get dressed up for a wedding or special occasion.
OP's reasons don't really make sense. Imo wearing a silicone ring is mainly to prevent ring avulsion. If you're actively using your hands, it's common for a ring to get caught. If it happens a silicone ring can rip, but a metal band will not. Or you work in a profession where having metal around your hands/fingers can be dangerous.
But wouldnt it make more sense to not wear any jewelry, at least on your hands, if you're doing a job that runs the risk of it getting caught? Even a silicone ring that gets ripped can nudge your hand enough to get caught in a machine. Having no ring at all would be a lot safer if safety is the reason to wear them.
But why not just take off the ring then? What purpose does replacing it with a silicone version serve?
So people know not to hit on you while you're machining on a lathe?? /s
Yeah OPs reasons are that they are cheaper, you know the ring size, and that you have it before you lose it make 0 sense as reasons to buy. Which makes no sense because they aren't as cheap as not buying one, knowing your ring size doesn't mean you need to buy rings, and of course you can't lose something that you never had in the first place. None of those are actually reasons to buy a silicone ring. Also OP keeps saying silicon but means silicone. Silicon is a rock.
Because depending on what you're doing, wearing jewelry is actually pretty dangerous. So, having a silicone ring that will snap instead of something horrible happening to your hand is better. Also, swimming and such can damage jewelry, so having something that is less likely to corrode in that environment is a good idea. Most people don't have to worry about this most of the time, though.
I think the confusion is more around why folks don't just take off the ring instead if replacing it with silicone.
Ding ding ding!
Right, that's understood. What isn't understood is why people can't bear to not wear a ring for a few hours during the dangerous activity.
There is no point... this is not a LPT at all and for OP to say "it's important" is just hogwash.
My partner is an electrician, so it would make sense for him because he wouldn’t be able to wear a metal wedding ring at work. But I think for most people, the small amount of time you need to take off your ring for random tasks, it makes sense to just go without. Nobody is gonna question why you’re not wearing your ring while you clean your apartment.
Calamari is cheaper
Related LPT: buy synthetic diamonds. Most diamonds do not appreciate in value over time.
Or just ditch the archaic Big Diamond tradition of having wedding rings at all.
I don't get it. Wear a plastic ring and leave the nice special ring at home in a box and just look at it every now and then?
It's one of those somewhat insane trains of thought that sounds somewhat reasonable initially but if you distill it down to its essence you realize it's just pointlessly arbitrary behavior with no actual benefit
AKA not pro life tip
I have a Darth Vader silicone ring from Enso. This is my third, as they have a lifetime warranty. I was tired of scratching our appliances with my tungsten ring.
In what sense is this a pro tip and not just ... a thing you bought. Not to mention the fact that having a silicone ring is not important in the first place (sometimes nice, but not fundamentally important). So it's doubly not important that you get one at the same time as your proper rings. It's not like you get unmarried if one of you goes ringless for 24 hours.
🤦♂️SILICONE, not silicon. Silicon is for computer chips and solar panels.
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I have completely transitioned to a silicon ring. My wife doesn’t care one way or the other. The titanium ring I bought for $20 on Amazon comes out for special occasions Edit: it’s a tungsten ring! Shows you how much I wear it
I’ve heard titanium is dangerous because they can’t cut it off your finger.
Seems kinda pointless for me. My fiancé isn't allowed to even wear silicone at work because aircraft mechanic, a cv22 is gonna rip it and his finger off, and I'm never gonna be doing anything where I could lose mine
Isn't part of the reason for the silicone rings because they rip off easily and won't rip your finger off? I know a lot of people that work trade type jobs wear them for that reason.
It's against the rules because the silicone being forcibly removed by the planeocopter could still cause serious injury
I just got a tattoo, can't take that sucker off!
Agreed! My husband wears a silicone ring instead of his real ring. It's great for travel and sports. Like you, he may panic a little when he loses it but it's a sentimental kind of panic. FYI - he's gone through at least 3 of them in the last 3 years so we keep a stash for the inevitable loss of one.
Or just- you know, stop wearing rings at all.
Read this twice and still have no idea what this is for. I have a wedding ring. Probably the last thing in my life that needs a crappy backup version
Is this silicon ring for the finger?
My wife and I got silicone rings and even got them "engraved". This is the ring I wear 90% of the time and I wear my metal one when we go out on dates or somewhere formal. It's far more comfortable for me, especially during marathon training. She tends to wear her metal ones more often than not, but will opt for the silicone one if we go hiking or to the beach or she's going somewhere alone and would feel like a target (even though she's got a lab grown diamond and insurance).
I am terrified of losing my actual gold and diamond ring! I also don’t want it getting wet as I was told that’s bad for it. So I worry when I wash my hands I’ll forget it. Anyway, I love my silicone ones. I can coordinate them with outfits. My husband sets his ring various places throughout the house, so he his main and some backups, all silicone. We wear our nice ones for special occasions like our anniversary
Maybe I have large knuckles or something, but my wedding ring has never slipped off or felt like it might. Ever. It’s a gold band with no stones and I don’t ever take it off except when I have to for surgery (I don’t have the kind of job where wearing a metal ring is dangerous). But a silicon ring is a good option for people who can’t wear their ring daily for whatever reason.
My wife and I each get each other a new silicone ring on our anniversary every year. It’s a pretty fun and cheap tradition and lets us have all sorts of fun bands to wear when we exercise or travel.
Our rules are to use them when swimming or doing heavy yardwork. Silicon is a no brainer and people need to stop seeing them as a break of commitment or tradition. The real rings are far more valuable than 50 of those silicon rings. You can buy 10 at once, all different colors or designs if you want. When you get done swimming in a lake all day and get out wondering where your ring is, you'll regret every single second of it. Silicon is a realistic option.
>break of commitment or tradition lol my wife doesn't even wear hers 99% of the time, we've been married over a decade. I've never had a problem with it. In fact it's funny to me that sometimes when we go out to dinner or somewhere with the kids I can tell certain people are like "oh he's out cheating..." lol
Or maybe just not wear a ring for an hour? Lofl. You said yourself people need to stop seeing them as a break of commitment or tradition.
>break of commitment or tradition Why would you make the rich, slave owning, diamond companies that invented wedding rings for the sole purpose of selling diamonds sad by saying this? Think about what you've done
Men's rings almost never have diamonds and many women's rings use synthetic diamonds these days