A wedding ring is a piece of jewellery that traditionally signifies love and commitment to a partner in marriage. Some people will never take off their wedding ring as it goes against their beliefs, for others, it’s not important if they wear one or not.
Wedding bands are a classic symbol of a lasting, happy marriage. Historically and across some cultures, the ring is used during fortune-telling, passed on by inheritance to consolidate family ties. This jewellery is a talisman of eternal love, so it is strictly forbidden to remove them in line with these traditions or customs.
However, it’s also important to be practical. Let’s look at why someone may choose to never take off the wedding ring, and instances where it may be required.
Keeping your wedding ring on at all times may seem normal to some (in fact, if you Google ‘why you should never take off your wedding ring’, you’ll come across plenty of interesting reasons as to why it’s forbidden), but to never be able to take it off certainly polarises opinions in the 21st century.
Here are the a few of the main reasons why individuals choose to never take off their wedding ring:
A wedding ring is a physical symbol to show an individual's commitment to marriage. Wearing a wedding ring is seen as a way of recognising your love for your partner and promising to be with them through thick and thin.
Some people view removing their wedding ring as a declaration that they no longer were faithful to this commitment.
Many religions hold a wedding ring in high regard as a sacred symbol of their love and commitment to their partner under the eyes of their god. However, It’s important to remember that someone can be a part of a religion but not necessarily follow its practices.
Some religions that may have varied viewpoints on wedding rings include:
Christianity
Christianity views a wedding ring as a symbol of god’s unending love, this influences many Christians to never remove their wedding ring.
Orthodox Christianity
A wedding ring holds pride of place in the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith and those who follow the religion aren’t likely to take it off. Orthodox Christians wear a wedding ring as a symbol of their commitment to each other and to their God. Fun fact: the wedding ring finger for Orthodox Christians is on the right hand instead of the left!
Judaism
Not likely to remove their wedding ring, the Jewish faith treats a wedding ring as an important symbol of the loving bond between wife and husband.
Hinduism
Hindus typically accompany a wedding ring with another sacred symbol of marriage. Preferring not to take off their wedding ring, Hindus view it as a sacred symbol and declaration of their relationship status.
The practicality of never taking off your wedding ring is clear. Never having to worry about where you may have left or lost it, you can always feel and see your wedding ring sitting securely on your ring finger. Although the annoyance of removing your ring may be small, most people find the thought of losing their wedding ring too stressful and is something they don’t ever want to consider.
Those who are of the superstitious persuasion can be afraid to remove their wedding ring, for fear of something bad befalling them or their marriage.
Common superstitions about removing your wedding ring are:
There are times when taking off your wedding ring is the most sensible course of action, whether this be to preserve your ring or it’s not physically safe to be wearing one.
Moments it’s best to take off your wedding ring can include:
It may seem like an unnecessary hassle to remove your wedding ring to do the dishes but for those of you who have already purchased your wedding rings, you are aware of just how much they cost. Such beauty and craftsmanship doesn’t come cheap and you should participate in best care practices to look after such a precious item.
One of those practices is not submerging your ring in extremely hot water, your wedding ring is a great conductor of heat and could warp ever so slightly putting any stone out of alignment. You don’t want your ring getting scratched in the process of doing the dishes either. Also, should your ring slip off and head down the drain you run the risk of losing it altogether.
To maintain your ring’s quality, don’t take the risk, best to put it onto a purpose-built tray or in a ring box for safekeeping.
Although not a typical everyday activity for the majority of people, it’s worth noting that natural hot springs can affect your rings. The minerals in the host spring can lead to tarnishing for certain rings, so if you are presented with the opportunity to go for a dip, leave your wedding ring in a safe place while you do so!
Rings, although ever so pretty, can be a potential safety hazard if the wearer is working around machinery or taking part in an activity where their finger could accidentally get crushed.
For those with labour jobs such as mechanics and builders, lifting and carrying heavy objects all day poses a real risk of something landing on their hand. If the hand gets crushed with a ring around one of the fingers it can cause the finger to sever, swell, and even possibly get gangrene, all of which you certainly do not want.
Same can be said for certain sports, the ring could also get caught on someone or something and at pace could do significant damage to the finger.
Ultimately deciding whether you can or can’t take your wedding ring off is entirely up to you. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and shouldn’t be judged for their preference, it’s important to base your decision upon your own individual beliefs on the matter, whilst taking into consideration any safety and ring maintenance factors.
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