Wedding Rings

rings strong enought to wear to work?

Question:

hi! haven’t been on in a while i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works with farm or other heavy equipment. we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to have one that won’t break at work! next year we’ll buy new ones, but for now i need info on what to shop for. he says he needs a narrow band , 14k, but not so narrow it’ll snap! any ideas? (i don’t usually wear gold)

Response:

I’ve been shopping recently… it’s amazing the useless information a person picks up while planning a wedding. This is what I learned… First, the higher the karat of gold, the softer the metal.  So, 18 karat is weaker than 14 karat is weaker than 10 karat. ( The reason for the varying strength has to do with the additional metals added into the alloy)  So, the good news is: the cheaper the grade of gold the stronger the metal. but they are much more expensive.  White gold is much stronger than yellow gold, but I’ve observed that it is about 2 times as expensive as the same piece in yellow gold.  Platinum is even stronger than white gold, and more expensive. You should expect 3-4 times the price of yellow gold. Titanium is REALLY strong (the military uses it to build state of the art aircraft) but it’s so expensive, I never bothered to price it. If I were you, I would give *serious* consideration to your FH not wearing a ring at work. If he works around machinery, there is a chance that his hand could get stuck because of the ring. I’ve heard a few horror stories about those types of accidents… people loosing fingers and hands.  I don’t want to scare you, but I felt I should point it out.  Why not buy him a chain necklace. He can keep the ring on the chain under his shirt while he is at work and wear the ring the rest of the time. Safety us so much more important. good luck

Response:

[snip various potential ring materials] >Titanium is >REALLY strong (the military uses it to build state of the art aircraft) but >it’s so expensive, I never bothered to price it.

A titanium ring is not invariably more pricey than any of those other metals.  Titanium Art Studios sells plain domed titanium bands for $175 each.  Titanium in and of itself is not *very* expensive; the cost of a Ti ring comes mostly from the labor of making each ring individually (Ti can’t be soldered in an oxygen environment, so it must be drilled out and shaped on a lathe). I do echo the point that your FH may do well to pass on wearing his ring while he works around machinery.  Better that he wear it on a chain around his neck for a few hours each day than lose a finger, a hand, or worse. Rachel and Jeremy, September 15, 2001 Rachel Ward / Isolde / Bodacious Sylph O’ Nekkidity / Wench 422 / MiSTie 91289 "A blisful lyf, a paisible and a swete, Ledden the peples in the former age."   Chaucer, "The Former Age." "Very well, the motion carries," Doug smiled. "Let it go into the record that Go West has decided, by unanimous vote I might add, to leave the world-saving to the big guys. Should the world still be imperiled at our next hot tub meeting, we shall consider a recount."  _Go West_, Chapter 12, by Jeremy Bottroff

Response:

They make rings that are called "break away".  This means that if the ring gets stuck on something it will break away more easy.  Of course that means the ring is destroyed but it saves the finger.  Some people have pros and cons about this type of ring.  I am sure you will hear about them. Pattie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> hi! > haven’t been on in a while > i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works > with farm or other heavy equipment. > we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to > have one that won’t break at work! > next year we’ll buy new ones, but for now i need info on what to shop for. > he says he needs a narrow band , 14k, > but not so narrow it’ll snap! > any ideas? > (i don’t usually wear gold)

Response:

I am a chemist, and most of our male faculty do not wear wedding bands on their hands.  Too many chemicals can react with the ring (sometimes the ring gets really hot when that happens), or if you’ve had a spill it can be hard to wash stuff off under the ring.  Some metals (mercury) can amalagamate to the gold and permanently contaminate the ring.  As the kinds of gloves that are available for us are improving in quality and the prices are coming down many of my coworkers are starting to wear their bands. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > If I were you, I would give *serious* consideration to your FH not wearing a > ring at work. If he works around machinery, there is a chance that his hand > could get stuck because of the ring. I’ve heard a few horror stories about > those types of accidents… people loosing fingers and hands.  I don’t want to > scare you, but I felt I should point it out.  Why not buy him a chain > necklace. He can keep the ring on the chain under his shirt while he is at > work and wear the ring the rest of the time. > Safety us so much more important. > good luck

Response:

> hi! > haven’t been on in a while > i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who > works > with farm or other heavy equipment.

Living as I do in NC farm country and surrounded by farms, I can say that few of the local farmers or farmhands wear rings for the simple reason that such items can get caught on machinery and do extensive damage to finger, hand or arm.

Response:

> i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works > with farm or other heavy equipment. > we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to > have one that won’t break at work!

I hate to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but the last thing he needs is a ring that *won’t* break if it’s caught on a piece of machinery. That’s a good way to lose a finger. These aren’t, unfortunately, freak "less common than being struck by lightning" accidents. How about buying him a nice ring he can wear around the house and when you go out, but asking him to take it off when he goes to work? Wende

Response:

> I do echo the point that your FH may do well to pass on wearing his ring > while he works around machinery.  Better that he wear it on a chain around > his neck for a few hours each day than lose a finger, a hand, or worse.

I just about jumped out of my chair when you suggested that the FH wear it on a chain around his neck while working with heavy equipment! <pound, pound, pound goes the heart> That chain is as much of a hazard — maybe more so — as the original ring on his finger. If it gets caught in equipment or pulled into equipment, he’d be strangled. Better he leave the ring safely at home, and bring himself safely home every night too. Wende

Response:

> Titanium is > REALLY strong (the military uses it to build state of the art aircraft) but > it’s so expensive, I never bothered to price it.

Au contraire, titanium is an abundant metal that is fairly cheap. — JF Please reply by post. I do not check this email account for messages.    http://www.newsfeeds.com       The Largest Usenet Servers in the World!

Response:

>i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works >with farm or other heavy equipment. >we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to >have one that won’t break at work!

I’d be more worried about him wearing a ring at work period. It’s easy to catch a ring in heavy machinery and rip a finger right off. Ron Ng Knows!

Response:

[snip] >but they are much more expensive.  White gold is much stronger than yellow >gold, but I’ve observed that it is about 2 times as expensive as the same >piece in yellow gold.  Platinum is even stronger than white gold, and more >expensive. You should expect 3-4 times the price of yellow gold. Titanium is >REALLY strong (the military uses it to build state of the art aircraft) but >it’s so expensive, I never bothered to price it.

      Hmmm, I guess prices vary.  I’ve most often seen the same price for yellow and white gold.       As for titanium, I’d have to agree.  I did see one website (http://www.titaniumrings.com)  a while ago when I was looking for unusual rings.  With them, the price dependedon several different factors, like what finish you get, how fancy the ring is, what width, what grade of titanium (they’ve got two) etc.  The cheapest ring was a plain band "sports" ring for $55 for 2.5-5 mm width, basic grade. That’s not bad, but the ring is fairly plain-looking, without a high polish to it.  There are other styles but they’re upwards of $100, mostly.  Depending on where one gets their gold wedding bands, that might not be a bad price in comparison. Ariane

Response:

This is a true story:     New bride complained often about the fact that hubby never wore his ring. His job demanded that he load / unload heavy objects off trucks and it often got in his way.  This went back and forth for a while…finally new hubby relented and started wearing ring to work.  His hand got stuck in the loader on the truck and his finger (along with the ring) was severed.  Now new hubby can’t wear his ring at all, and new bride feels awful.     Be realistic, if he is doing anything that it can get caught on, maybe he shouldn’t wear it while working at all. Christine (marrying Mario) September 4, 2000 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > hi! > haven’t been on in a while > i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works > with farm or other heavy equipment. > we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to > have one that won’t break at work! > next year we’ll buy new ones, but for now i need info on what to shop for. > he says he needs a narrow band , 14k, > but not so narrow it’ll snap! > any ideas? > (i don’t usually wear gold)

Response:

I know a couple who work in the building trades, and they chose simple platinum rings that wouldn’t be damaged by banging on things.  But these people don’t work with the sort of machinery that’s likely to "catch" the rings.  So… given the safety problem….  how about having a "ring" tattooed on his finger? I dunno, just an idea.  :-) Holly

Response:

thank you so much for the lesson in gold !!! my fh doesn’t work often in machinery, but on the occasion he does, i don’t think he works hard enough to catch a finger! :-> but i appreciate the advice. he asked for a ring that would fit his finger snugly for that reason. i was just worried about the strength of the ring. thanks!

Response:

ok! i get the picture. though he doesn’t work hard that often (most of his work is light),  i don’t want him losing a finger. but he has been married before and worked in more machinery than he does at his current job, so he suggested a snug ring. and i didn’t want to waste money on one that would break so easily. the reason was we couldn’t afford to replace it right away and he’d have no band. but fingers are more important. so what’s your input on the specifics of the ring that we need?

Response:

> work with the sort of machinery that’s likely to "catch" the rings.  So… > given the safety problem….  how about having a "ring" tattooed on his finger?

Now THAT is a good idea.  :-)  He could never take it off, never loose it, you could afford to do just about any design you wanted…. and it would be an added incentive never to get a  divorce… <g> heh, heh, maybe I’ll casually suggest it to my FH, just for kicks.

Response:

>i didn’t want to waste >money on one that would break so easily. the reason was we couldn’t afford >to replace it right away and he’d have no band.

Platinum is the strongest but is also expensive. You might consider a simple sterling silver band.  They’re so inexpensive that you *can* afford to replace it if it breaks.  In later years when you have the resources you can buy a platinum ring or a thick 10k or 14k gold ring. My husband wore a plain silver ring, quite thin, as his engagement ring.  It didn’t tend to catch on things because it just didn’t ’stick out’ from his finger much.  It cost about $10 or $15 and I had the jeweler who made my ring engrave our initials on the inside.  DH now wears that ring for camping or doing mucky things, in order to avoid damaging his lapis-and-gold wedding ring. Holly

Response:

>This is a true story: >    New bride complained often about the fact that hubby never wore his ring. >His job demanded that he load / unload heavy objects off trucks and it often >got in his way.  This went back and forth for a while…finally new hubby >relented and started wearing ring to work.  His hand got stuck in the loader >on the truck and his finger (along with the ring) was severed.  Now new hubby >can’t wear his ring at all, and new bride feels awful.

Neil Armstrong severed his finger when his ring was caught in heavy machinery (after he returned from the moon). Ron Ng Knows!

Response:

My father-in-law had the same concern with his job, so he wore a really plain gold band.  It was fairly thick width wise, and not super narrow. He figured that it would not damage easily.  Not only has it lasted him 26 years, but it saved him from losing his finger in machinary. Sears carries wedding bands fairly inexpensively, so you may want to check them out if you’re on a limited budget. — Theresa – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> hi! > haven’t been on in a while > i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works > with farm or other heavy equipment. > we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to > have one that won’t break at work! > next year we’ll buy new ones, but for now i need info on what to shop for. > he says he needs a narrow band , 14k, > but not so narrow it’ll snap! > any ideas? > (i don’t usually wear gold)

Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

>plain gold band.  It was fairly thick width wise, and not super narrow. >He figured that it would not damage easily.  Not only has it lasted him >26 years, but it saved him from losing his finger in machinary.

thanks for the info >Sears carries wedding bands fairly inexpensively, so you may want to >check them out if you’re on a limited budget. >– Theresa

ha! interesting! my mother says that’s where she bought my dad’s and his broke! but that was 29 years ago… just thought that was ironic! thanks tho lisa – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> hi! > haven’t been on in a while > i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who >works > with farm or other heavy equipment. > we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him >to > have one that won’t break at work! > next year we’ll buy new ones, but for now i need info on what to shop >for. > he says he needs a narrow band , 14k, > but not so narrow it’ll snap! > any ideas? > (i don’t usually wear gold) >Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Excerpts from netnews.alt.wedding: 24-Aug-99 Re: rings strong enought > : expensive. You should expect 3-4 times the price of yellow gold. Titanium is > : REALLY strong (the military uses it to build state of the art aircraft) but > : it’s so expensive, I never bothered to price it.

FH is gettting a titanium ring, and it is more expensive than gold or white gold, but less expensive than platinum. I just came from the jewler we will probably buy from and she quoted me about $400 for and 8mm ring with some special design work. It is NOT an expensive metal, but it can’t be worked with/sized like other metals that jewelers use. It is actually a very cheap metal, like aluminum, but it’s the labor that you pay for (it has to be machined, can’t be melted to work with it). It is extremely strong, and also very light. We were looking at platinum rings for FH (my rings are platinum), but the first time he tried one on he said that it was very heavy (it is) and that he would hate to wear it. That jeweler suggested titanium (which he didn’t sell) and we’ve been on the hunt ever since. The only problem with titanium rings is that they can’t be sized. If FH ever gains a bunch of weight or something and it doesn’t fit anymore, we’ll have to replace it. Hope this helps, Abby

Response:

My husband works on his car a lot, and his wedding band is a plain 14K gold band.  I think it is 4 mm.  Mine is the same.  It is pretty thin, but I don’t think anything could break it.  It is also the comfort fit, which is very comfortable.  The bands were only $80 each.  These are the wedding bands we chose, and we didn’t really have a price limit on them.  We love them and they will last forever. Kelli – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > hi! > haven’t been on in a while > i was wondering if anyone had shopped for wedding bands for a fh who works > with farm or other heavy equipment. > we don’t have much of a budget this year for our rings, but i want him to > have one that won’t break at work! > next year we’ll buy new ones, but for now i need info on what to shop for. > he says he needs a narrow band , 14k, > but not so narrow it’ll snap! > any ideas? > (i don’t usually wear gold)

Response:

Filed under: Gold Wedding Ring