4 minute read
Which hand, and why
The fourth finger of the left hand in Britain, the right hand across much of Europe, and a Roman anatomical mistake behind both.
In Britain, the fourth finger of the left hand
The wedding ring goes on the fourth finger of the left hand, counting the thumb as the first. It is worn below the engagement ring, closer to the hand, so that it sits nearest the heart in the traditional framing and, more practically, so it is put on first at the ceremony.
That is the convention, not a rule, and plenty of people wear it elsewhere for reasons of work, comfort or preference.
Where the tradition comes from, and why it is wrong
The Romans believed a vein ran directly from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart, and called it the vena amoris. There is no such vein. Every finger is served the same way.
The belief outlived the anatomy by about two thousand years, which is a reasonable summary of how most wedding traditions work.
It is the right hand across much of Europe
Germany, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Denmark, Austria and Greece all place the wedding ring on the right hand. In several of these the engagement ring is worn on the left and moves across at the wedding.
If you have a connection to one of those countries, wearing it on the right is not a deviation from tradition. It is a different one.
When two rings share a finger
An engagement ring and a wedding ring worn together will rub. If one is significantly harder than the other, the softer one loses. A platinum engagement ring against a 9ct gold band will wear the gold.
Two solutions work. Match the metals, or fit the wedding ring so it does not sit flush against the engagement ring's setting. A shaped or fitted band, cut to follow the profile of the engagement ring, does the second properly.
