Talk:Wedding ring

Ancient Egyptian wedding rings

The article as it stands begins the "history" section by claiming that there are ancient Egyptian wedding rings going back 6000 years (i.e., 4,000 BC, or in the middle of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amratian_culture, very early in Egyptian prehistory.)

Its only source for this is one article, Hort (1919), "Some Traditions about Wedding Bands", in "The Irish Monthly". This is a very general, very secondary source, which does not contain the claim that there were ancient Egyptian wedding rings. The author only repeats some (unevidenced) assertions about the prevalence of scarab rings among ancient Egyptian soldiers (pp. 649-650), and says nothing about their date.

Given that the assertion about wedding rings is made here without any evidence, and that the ancient Egyptians had no formal wedding ceremony or term for "marriage" per se (see, e.g., Donker van Heel, "Djekhy and Son" (2012), p. 46 for a description of an Egyptian wedding in the Late Period), I will delete this assertion. I strongly recommend a better source be used on the history of wedding rings, more generally. 82.75.191.121 (talk) 17:02, 12 November 2020 (UTC)Nefertum

2003

• "wedding band is the traditional European" ... but it's a "wedding ring" in the UK. And what about the US? hell yes

"Girls traditionally judge the seriousness of a promise ring by its value, and the size of its gem." ... do they all? Doesn't this tie in with the feminist "legalized prostitution" argument? -- Tarquin 18:34 Jan 1, 2003 (UTC)

Yes, it's usually called a "ring" in the U.S., too. This whole article sets my teeth on edge, as much because of its sillly tone ("girls" don't get engaged/married, for example -- women do) as that its "facts" are not true, but I choose not to get involved. -- isis 18:49 Jan 1, 2003 (UTC)

The two are interchangeable and synonymous here. Ring is more colloquial and band is what a jeweler would be apt to call it. As for "girls", promise rings are not wedding rings. Calling females of high school age girls seems perfectly reasonable. --belg4mit 2006-01-15armecia lee waz here

• Handedness The whole concept of handedness ought to be broken out into a section. Much of the west wears a wedding ring on the left hand, however Russia--and at least as well--traditionally wear it on the right. See also (and link) claddagh ring which has a whole set of rules for orientation and handedness. Interestingly, the same finger for all of the above though. --belg4mit 2006-01-15

Dear pleople,

I am from Chile and we use wedding ring on the left hand.

Greetings!

widows

The e2 node on "Ring finger" [1] states: "there is a tradition of etiquette that a widow may continue to wear the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand, but should move it to the third finger of the right hand if she remarries."

Can anyone verify this? --NeuronExMachina 08:21, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Moving article

I will shortly be moving this article to "Wedding ring" as "Wedding band" is a very rarely used term. If anyone would like to comment beforehand, please do so below. Nicholas 11:32, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I wouldn't bother. It has a nice old-fashioned air, and I think 'wedding band' is still used in the related industries. I don't feel strongly about this, however, so if you do, go to. Just remember to fix all the links at 'what links here'. Quill 21:12, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Wedding Ring on a Chain?

In the Caribbean, this has come to mean that the marriage is bumpy but their is still hope. When the woman removes her wedding ring and does not wear it on the finger or around her neck on a chain this can signify that the marriage is on the rocks. If the man removes it and wears it about his neck, it may signify that he is unhappy but still married.

Can anyone verify this? — GraceWalker2 (talk) 03:39, 23 February 2021 (UTC)

Deleted sentence

I deleted this sentence because I didn't know what it was supposed to mean. If this offends someone please make it more clear before you put it back in the article.

So it commonly occurs for chaste married people not to wear a wedding ring.

hdstubbs

Gems

Removed the below... it's unencyclopedic, written in the second person, and on a page about wedding rings which no where mentions gems... only a band of metal.

Be aware of the gem`s softness before you decide on the stone. The softer the weaker. Use Mohs scale that registers the stones ability to resist abrasion

On Mohs scale 1 will be the weakest and 10 the hardest.

You should not pick gems that are softer than 7 on Mohs scale for the wedding ring.

List of the most common gems and their Mohs scale ranking:

Diamonds 10

Rubies 9

Sapphire 9

Emerald 8

Topaz 8

Aquamarine 7.5 to 8

Amethyst 7

Garnet 6.5 to 7.5

Opal 6

Jews

What about those rare Jewish betrothal rings that were shaped as a synagogue? Is that still a custom?

I've read that it was a custom for Jewish woman to wear the wedding ring on the the index finger because that was the finger with which they point to the Torah as they read. Is this true?

Not all Spain wears it in the right hand

If you understand that Aragon or the Catalan (or catalan related languages) speaking provinces (Catalonia, Valencia and Balearic Islands) are a part of Spain, all belonging to the former Aragon Crown, they do not wear their ring in the right hand, but in the left. I am from the Valencian Country and I actually wear it on my left hand.

Manel

I am "castillian" (Madrid) and wear it on the right. I also knew of the tradition explained by my countryman Manel. So Spain should be listed on both the right and the left hands.

 E.

Discussion of Men’s wedding rings in the UK?

It’s a quite modern practice for men to wear wedding rings in the U.K. They did not become common amongst British men until after the Second World War with the origins of the changing fashion coming from American influence. The words used in Anglican Church Weddings were adapted with an option for both to give rings but the original text was only for a man to give a ring to the woman.

Many married men in U.K. do not wear one and did not receive one during their wedding ceremony. There are a few typical reasons given. One is tradition, with some men regarding them as being male jewellery which has historically being regarded as inappropriate amongst the middle and upper classes and only a wristwatch and sometimes a signet ring being preferred. Amongst all classes, it is quite common that their Father, Grandfather and other male members of the family/ancestors will not have owned one. Another reason often given is safety, with men typically involved in more manual labour related occupations choosing to avoid them to prevent de-gloving and other finger injuries caused by rings. Other reasons given are to avoid loss or damage to the ring, comfort over decoration and prioritising the money spent on the Wedding and Engagement Rings given to their partner (a man’s wedding ring often has considerably more weight of precious metal than a woman's and thus costs more).

Sometimes the traditional aspect of U.K. men not wearing them have been questioned in the international press. One example being the interest in the U.S. when Prince William did not receive one during his wedding ceremony. Some commentators criticised this as a lack of commitment as they assumed they were universal as they might be in their culture. — Preceding unsigned comment added by NBHP (talk • contribs) 15:06, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Why tell everyone that one is married?

Not included in the article is why someone would want to tell other people they are married? It seems to me it is none of their business if someone is married or not. Are ring wearers bragging someone married them? Desertphile (talk) 03:43, 11 July 2021 (UTC)