Wedding rings/bands for men

[GandK]

We, too, are ringless.

When I'm in uncomfortable social situations and want the comfort of a ring, I wear a ring my grandmother left me on that finger.

G never bothers.

[akratic]

I like the idea of the wedding band tattoo:



Can't lose it or damage it, don't have to worry about taking it off during exercise, etc. I like the finality of it as well, and I imagine it doesn't cost much.

[Kriegsspiel]

I like that that dude has finger-hair. I thought I was the only one.

[slsdly]

I wear a stainless steel ring that they give Canadian engineering graduates; they say the point of it is to serve as a reminder of our duty to the public, to the next generation of engineers, and to uphold high standards. That's what I remind the younglings if they thank me for advice on job anyways. I'm not sure encouraging "pass it forward" works but I try on occasion.

In a similar vein, I'd prefer something modest for a wedding ring. It is supposed to be reminder of a vow, just like the engineering ring. An inflated monetary value is a distraction from that purpose. I know if I found myself in an argument with a partner that I need to spend 2 months salary on the ring(s), my first thought (valid or not) would be I have made a terrible mistake in character judgement .

I like the idea of the wedding band tattoo:

Can't lose it or damage it, don't have to worry about taking it off during exercise, etc. I like the finality of it as well, and I imagine it doesn't cost much.

Now that is clever. My rational half is all for it save for my general visceral reaction to tattoos .

I like that that dude has finger-hair. I thought I was the only one.

Let us rejoice in our newly founded brotherhood, sir.

[jacob]

I know if I found myself in an argument with a partner that I need to spend 2 months salary on the ring(s)

Nah, that's the standard of the plebes. We wealthy types 'should' to spend 1% of out net worth ;-P

[vexed87]

I went to some jewellers over the weekend, some of the prices were truly eye-watering. Unfortunately there were no stiff drinks offered by the sales staff so I had to promptly walk out of several jewellers.

Having seen and felt platinum in person now, I still do not see what all the fuss is about. I never understood the desire to wear precious metals. Perhaps another pointless status symbol which can be swiftly cleaved from the wedding budget! I think I will opt for a titanium or stainless steel ring. They both seem nice and light, while I liked the platinum's density, I fail to see how anyone can justify paying 10 times the cost of a stainless steel equivalent.

I understand that titanium is 3 times stronger than SS, but slightly more expensive of the two, so as durability is my main concern, this seems to be the best compromise.

At least I now know my ring size, so will be able to order online, but I will keep an eye out for auctions of precious metals in case a bargain crops up.

[Linnie]

I literally just got back from selling my wedding rings to the antique store! My advice would be to check out kijiji, the pawn shops and antique stores! They gave me a fraction of what was paid for them so I think that is where you can get some great deals. They were beautiful rings and I hope they make someone else very happy.
Actually my first advice would be to think long and hard about getting married. Make sure you are not buying into the mainstream culture of "this is what you do". With 50% ending in divorce; that is a huge risk with all your assets. - and your heart too!

[reepicheep]

Before you order rings online, get your finger measured at 2 different places and take the average.

Husband's ring is just slightly too big for him; we could have gone a quarter size down. These steel and titanium rings are much more difficult (impossible?) to resize than the softer metals.

[vexed87]

They may not be re-sizable, but they are inexpensive!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1508947 ... pe=gallery

[Chad]

This is a tradition I wish we would just put to bed. I don't like wearing any jewelry and I don't want to buy an overpriced common rock attached to an almost completely useless type of metal for her.

[sshawnn]

I dislike jewelry and tattoos for myself. In this case The lesser of the evils is a small thin, non-ornamental black stripe hangs out under my own, thick finger hair. It was under a hundred bucks.

[Peanut]

@vexed87: Platinum is kind of cool because it is so dense that you will never lose any of the metal, unlike gold. And if it gets damaged in some way it is easy for the jeweler to reshape it, although this is pretty true of gold too.

I agree with jennypenny that you can look at jewelry as an investment from an ERE perspective. That’s even a phrase in that business, ‘investment-grade jewelry,’ and although there’s obviously some element of marketing there you can make money through resale. Especially when gold is being run up. My own platinum band costs double today, less than ten years later.

@Chad: But the symbolism of the marriage ring is so romantic. Apparently there is a vein that runs from the left ring finger to the heart. That’s what I learned in Latin class, anyway.

Lol at the finger hair commentary. Isn’t hirsuteness a sign of high testosterone?

[Chad]

I don't think you can view an engagement ring or a marriage band as an investment, as you are never going to sell it. If you pay $1,000 and it's value goes up 20 times are you really going to sell it? I sincerely doubt it. Even if your wife says, "You can sell your ring." You aren't going to because it's probably a trap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F4qzPbcFiA

You will never see the return on the investment, so it can't be an investment.

[JasonR]

o

[DividendGuy]

FWIW, we did a tungsten carbide ring for me. These can be had for well under $100 and they're extremely difficult to damage/scratch. And I like the heavy feel of them.

[Peanut]

I don't think you can view an engagement ring or a marriage band as an investment, as you are never going to sell it. If you pay $1,000 and it's value goes up 20 times are you really going to sell it? I sincerely doubt it. Even if your wife says, "You can sell your ring." You aren't going to because it's probably a trap.

A trap! You sound so jaded

If we bought my ring for 1k and now it’s worth 20k, OF COURSE I might sell it, depending on, say, the following circumstances:

1) Is this an incredible (temporary) opportunity to profit or do I think it’s someday going to be worth 40k?
2) Could I use the 20k right now for a new (used) car, my kid’s college education, etc, or is this a negligible sum to me?

In other words, I’d evaluate it pretty much like any other asset. The ring itself is symbolic, as I said. A replacement ring would have the same symbolism. It’s true such things may be better understood as stores of value than investments per se, but the possibility is there.

[vexed87]

That's an interesting point peanut. I'll ponder over it some more!

[Chad]

@peanut
People can say they would sell it, but I bet you can't find someone. So, either it doesn't go up much, making it a bad investment, or they won't sell it. Either way, it's not an investment.

On top of that, if it does go up and you do sell it, what then? You can't buy another equivalent ring, as it would be the same cost. You would then have to buy one of the $50-100 rings. If that's true, why not just buy the cheap one now and invest the money in a real investment?

I'm not jaded. I'm just realistic. Obviously, not all women will do that.

[Peanut]

I have read online accounts from many women, especially older widows, who sold their old gold jewelry when gold ran up to $1800. They did it because they had less use/need/desire for it anymore and because it helped them pay for other necessary things like operations, dental work, etc. They made significant profit over what they had paid, and this was at melt value, not even estate resale.

Point is, eventually one and then both of you will die. This stuff either gets inherited and used or sold.

Re: 'real investment" point: precious metals are a means to diversify your assets. That's why some buy gold bars. Like real estate is an investment that you can live in, fine jewelry is an investment that you can wear. Whether or not these things are typically *good* investments is another matter.


Every jaded person claims that they are realistic. That's how you know they’re jaded!

[jay]

Just got married last month and the rings cost around $15 each from Amazon. We bought them with the understanding that--if the past is any indication--we would probably both lose them at least once!