Silicone or metal wedding ring?

What is a silicone wedding ring for?

Silicone rings are made for the moments when a metal ring is a risk. A ring caught on a machine, a ladder or a climbing hold can injure the finger badly. A soft silicone band is far more likely to stretch or tear than to hold. That makes it a sensible thing to wear at the gym, on a climbing wall, in the water or at work where rings are a hazard.

They are cheap, light and come in every colour, so many people keep one in a gym bag and wear their metal ring the rest of the time.

Wedding rings for hands-on jobs: Ring injuries, nursing rules and the gym.

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What can a silicone ring not do?

Last. Silicone stretches, fades and picks up marks, so it wears out far sooner than metal. It cannot be engraved in any lasting way and it does not hold the shape or the shine of metal.

It also does not feel like a wedding ring to most people. A ring worn for decades is usually chosen to be kept, passed on or looked at. That is what metal is for.

Is a metal ring safe to wear every day?

For almost everything, yes. The risks are specific: heavy manual work, machinery, climbing, contact sports and some medical and food jobs where rules ask for rings to come off. Outside those, a well fitting metal band is worn safely by most married people every day of their lives.

If you want one ring for everything, choose a light, plain metal band. Titanium can be cut off in an emergency with a powered ring cutter, which is worth knowing.

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Which metal ring pairs best with a silicone spare?

One that is comfortable to swap in and out, so a plain band with a rounded inside. Titanium is light and hypoallergenic. Black zirconium has a harder surface for everyday knocks. Both come in widths from 4 to 10mm, so the silicone spare and the metal ring can be the same width and feel alike on the finger.

Plain titanium: A light flat court band, rounded inside.

Plain black zirconium: Black from edge to edge, satin or polished.

Where should the metal ring go when it comes off?

Somewhere fixed, every time: a dish by the bed, a zipped pocket in the gym bag or a hook by the sink. A ring put down somewhere new is the easiest one to lose. A silicone spare on the finger also stops the reflex of putting the metal ring in a pocket.

Lost or damaged wedding ring: What to do and how to replace it.