I got married in 1978 and my DH bought me a chunky wide wedding band that went on my finger and stayed there ever since. It was terribly uncomfortable, but I resisted taking it off, after my first pregnancy it got rather tight and it became a permanent fixture on my finger. With time my finger adapted to the ring, i can easily turn it but it will never come off without being cut. I once thought I would like to pass it to my grand daughter, but my DH got really upset, that the ring would be cut. So i keep it on. All my friends who had such rings, removed them at some point and changed for the lighter ones, I wonder, does anybody wear such rings, and what are your thoughts of my idea to take it off after all these years? Do you wear your rings since the wedding day?
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Wide wedding rings, 70s style, do you still wear them?
(110 Posts)Mine is fairly wide ,never had an issue with it until I dey eloped arthritis in my hand after breaking my wrist.
I got it off without cutting it and wore a gold wedding band that I bought for myself for a couple of years.When it was coming up for our 50th anniversary last year I wanted to wear the original ring so I took it to be altered.
My finger is just 2 sizes bigger but the knuckle is so twisted and enlarged it needed 4 sizes to get it on and off without a struggle.
My ring cost about £30 in 1975 the extension to it cost £260. lol.
My OH thought I should just have a new one but I feel much better with my own ring back on my finger…he did buy me a new ring in place of my engagement ring though which is lovely .More a half eternity than an engagement style.
I was married in 1980 and still wear my wedding ring. The only time I haven't is when I got some sort of allergy and even then I wore it on a chain round my neck.
It's not as wide as some of the 70s ones (I googled to see what they were like) but it is a statement piece with carvings and white god inserts on the yellow gold ring. It is of its time, but I still love it, and can't imagine not wearing it. It's not uncomfortable though - that would make a difference.
I got married in 1968 and my ring is wide. I have no issue with it.
Fashions come and go, but with luck your marriage remains constant, and as a symbol of your marriage so should your ring,
I have a ring worn by my great grandmother, so Victorian, which is wide and very highly decorated. It is rather lovely and fits perfectly.
Does your DH wear a ring? You have worn a ring since 1978 you are not happy with!? Please remember that marriage is far more than a ring, remind your DH of that fact too. I recognise how difficult this is for you but do stand up fir yourself- this is 2026, not 1920!
I wore my wide wedding ring for 39 years, until it started to cause serious issues with blood flow to my finger. I managed to get it off. I have looked at getting it resized or replaced but my knuckle is now quite wide and my finger can change size by one and a half sizes so I’m not sure if it would stay on. It’s been off now for nearly two years and you can still see the dent in my finger. I also still twiddle with it even though there’s nothing there!
I got married in 1979 and have a ring of the period although not wide. It is a chain of hearts which is quite pretty but I had to have it enlarged in recent years so it has a plan bit on it that I have to twist round to hide it. We are coming up to our 50th in a few years and I have decided to have a Clogau wedding ring. I have several pieces of this jewelry which contains small amounts of Welsh gold reflecting my Father's side and my love of all things Welsh.
I have a Cornish gold eternity ring.
We got married in 1970 and had the fashionable wide, 'square' wedding rings. Mine kept wearing away the setting on my engagement ring until I eventually swapped it for late Mil's curtain ring style one which has been fine.
My daughter wears mine. It no longer fitted me and was beautiful- platinum and engraved with a pattern. I never liked wearing it anyway.
We married in 1969. I wear my original wide ring (D shaped we used to call them). It cost £11 and I wouldn't swap it for the world.
I had a ring like that in 1969, but when my daughter got married I had it melted down and we had a ring each from it. Having said that I very rarely bother to wear it.
Yes, I wear my wedding ring, 65 years on my finger.
I still wear mine and I love it. It was enlarged some years ago after an injury to my knuckle made it difficult to get on and off. I now wear it on my right hand with my fairly chunky engagement ring. On my left hand is a complete contrast: a narrow and delicate "infinity" ring from my current partner.
Married July 1971 and my wide ring had never been off my finger, until last year when it became painfully tight. I had it cut off and made about 4 sizes bigger 😳. My poor finger looked so disfigured. It’s still taking time to plump up again. I don’t suppose it ever will.
We married in 1965 and paid £24 for a wide rounded ring. I found it a bit awkward and heavy so we bought a thinner patterned one.
When I feel the weight of the ring now it must be worth quite a bit as the price of gold has gone up a lot. However £24 was quite a bit to pay at the time.
Married in 1976 and had a wife wedding ring. I never took it off until about 8 years ago, after an accident I had to have it cut off. It was made bigger but I often forget to put it on these days. DH will sometimes mention I haven’t got it on if we are out but as he never had one , that doesn’t bother me. As *Shelflife *says there’s more to marriage than a ring.
dh's wedding ring was very wide, and had to be cut off in hospital after a hand injury. He had a different gold ring which he then wore on his wedding finger. Later he had another accident and had to get it cut off. I had a wide gold ring which was tight in pregnancy ( swollen fingers) so I took it off and was infuriated by the many comments and assumptions from nosey strangers. Same again in second pregnancy and I pretty much gave up wearing it. Four kids in five years later I'd still clock those glances from finger to belly to head count and be asked "Miss or Missis Butterjam?" are they all yours? Is there a mister Butterjam?"
We were moving house/downsizing and sorting through the debris of half a century, found the wrecked/ retired wedding rings . Golden Wedding was approaching so we designed new rings , both are a double twist, his is rather wider than mine; and found a goldsmith willing to melt down the old rings and re-make the gold into the new ones. They are lovely but we only wear them for best when we're dressed up posh. Not for rowing, wild swimming, diy or gardening . The rest of the time they live on the antlers of a brass reindeer
I married in 1972, my ring is an 18 carat hula hoop look-alike!
My whole married life I have taken it off at night at bedtime, and often didn’t wear it at home.
I always wore it and my engagement ring for work, but since retiring I often didn’t wear it for ages, partly because it was getting a bit tight, especially in hot weather.
I have now had it ‘stretched’, but find wearing it plus engagement and eternity rings on the same finger too squashed.
If I were getting married in 2026, I would choose a thin band, but that was then and this is now.
My DD will inherit it eventually, but her fingers are bigger than mine.
I wear DH's ring.
We had matching ones. His irritated his eczema and so stayed in the box. Mine grew too tight so I swapped to wearing his.
The wide rings had just become fashionable when we got married but I wasn't keen on them so chose a medium width court shaped (domed) ring which seems to have stood the test of time.
I had it enlarged when I was pregnant but now I'm old it seems to be quite loose.
My first marriage was in 1966 . I wore a wide gold wedding ring designed as tree bark and my engagement ring included two opals , my birthday stone .( One of which was subsequently lost but replaced ).
Unfortunately, despite 3 children , the marriage didn't last .
Some years later I met up with an old school friend . During a holiday to Ireland we bought a traditional Claddagh ring . Two hands holding a heart and a crown , representing friendship , love and loyalty . We used this as my wedding ring .
Now in our mid eighties we are happily still together . Due to arthritic fingers , the rings all reside in a drawer , along with my mother's, grandmother's , aunt's rings , as well as my husband's mother's rings .
Our respective daughters wear modern jewellery - if at all . I don't feel like getting rid of them but I'm sure our granddaughters won't want them either .
The problem is, Jessy28, if you injure your hand or that particular finger the ring will need to be cut off to minimise tissue damage caused by inevitable swelling……..just something to think about
My Mum bought my Dad a wide new wedding ring in the early 70's.
After he passed away I had it.
It sat in a draw for about 10 years until I saw on line this fabulous wobbly open circle on a chain.
Took a screen shot and asked a local Jeweller if they could copy it?
They did, they made it into two sperate wobbly circles which are the same size as my Dad's finger.
My sister and I now wear them all the time, my Mum would be thrilled they got used again, and we both have one.
So don't let them sit in a draw if not worn, think what you can have made with all that gold.
We married in Singapore in 1970, my wedding ring cost approximately £7 and I’ve never taken it off. It’s not too wide and the engraved pattern on it is worn but can still be seen.
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