When Prince William confirmed that he wouldn’t be wearing a wedding ring after marrying Kate Middleton it prompted much controversy and comment in the media. Why do men choose not to wear a wedding band?
Historically speaking, it’s only in recent years that men have started wearing wedding rings. While bridal wedding rings have been traced back to ancient Egypt, it’s only in the last half of the last century that a significant number of men began doing the same.
It was when many Western men began fighting overseas in World War II that a significant number began wearing wedding rings to confirm their relationship status and to remind them of their wife and family at home.
So why do some men decide not to wear wedding rings?
The hoo-hah created by Prince William’s ring omission confirms that today wearing a wedding ring is the norm for a man. Despite this, there are a number of good reasons why men choose not to wear wedding rings.
Men who work manual jobs can find a wedding band is a hazard.
Construction workers, medical professionals, athletes, mechanics and other tradesmen legitimately fear that their ring could become damaged in the course of their work, and choose not to wear one for this reason.
For these men, titanium wedding rings could be the solution.
Titanium isn’t a precious metal, but it has the best strength to weight ratio of any metal. They’re proving popular with those who are at risk of damaging a ring, because they are relatively inexpensive and hugely robust and hard-wearing.
Ladies rings tend to be more decorative, but precious metals like gold, silver or platinum can be added to the inlay of a titanium wedding ring to help it to match a spouse’s ring. Gemstones can even be added to titanium rings, which tend to be slightly darker in colour than precious white metals.
Titanium is a grey colour which can be darkened with a satin, brushed or matt finish. Alternatively it can have its colour changed through an anodising process, or enamelled to create stripes or patterned inlays.
But it’s not just manual workers who are refusing to wear wedding rings. Some men say that jewellery feels uncomfortable to them, but this is often because they make mistakes when purchasing a ring.
Many men make the mistake of buying the wrong ring size.
In general men tend to pick wedding rings which are too large. This can have a big impact since a loose wedding band which moves around can easily fall off and get lost or can become uncomfortable and begin to rub. Bespoke wedding rings take time to produce, so men are naïve if they think they can get a ring just a few days before the big day.
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Do you currently, or will you wear a wedding ring when you tie the knot? Let me know in the comments.
Alan
