Triangle fingers

[maccers]

Came home tonight and my husband of 16 days has a very sick and scared look on his face. He's lost his ring. Maybe at the grocery store or the gas station...he doesn't think it's at work because he doesn't remember taking it off and therefore it may have come off when taking off his winter gloves to use the gas pump or upon entering the grocery store. We've called and no ring thus far.

Now, I can't say I'm totally surprised he's lost it because of two things:
1. His hands swell up and down so much during the day, it's shocking. He can start the day with the ring quite tight and at some point (usually after being in the cold weather) it's significantly looser.
2. Triangle fingers! SO has fingers with no discernible knuckle. Honestly, the man has fingers like a jeweller's mandrel. I don't know how a ring would ever stay on. I said as much when we first started ring shopping. If I'm completely honest, I've never quite seen fingers like his, they're a bit odd.

Moving on, is there some sort on device or insert that could work to keep his ring on or is a smaller ring size the only route (which could be potentially uncomfortable for him in hotter more humid climates)? I can't see him being ok with those jewellers beads on the inside and I'm not sure they'd do the trick anyway. I vaguely remember seeing a plastic insert or similar? Could be sweaty.

Hopefully my description makes sense! I'm off to find out what our deductible is.

 

[TooPatient]

DH has fingers that swell/shrink through the day. He wears his ring on his ring finger but shifts it to his pinky if his hands swell. The sizes work out great as the ring fits his ring finger nicely when not swollen and the pinky nicely when they are swollen.

 

[momhappy]

Yes, there are some products on the market that help with sizing issues, but I can tell you from experience that they are not a long-term solution. I tried a couple of different products on the market (one of them was called the Ring Noodle) and they are simply not comfortable and/or practical. In the end, I chose to resize my ring a 1/4 of a size because the sizing products weren't working and I was afraid that the sizing beads would be uncomfortable.

 

[lyra]

"fingers like a jeweller's mandrel"

That's the PERFECT descriptor for the shape of my fingers too. Yes, sometimes it makes it easier to lose rings. Right now, all my rings are so loose I can't wear them. One went flying off in the shower. I'm thinking of finding a smaller size band to stack on top. Sorry your husband lost his ring though.

 

[amc80]

DH knew he would lose his ring so we got him a cheap one off amazon (titanium, IIRC). Sure enough, he lost it. So I bought him another...another $20 down the drain

The only solution I can think of is a tattooed ring, but not sure if he wants to go that route.

 

[ponder]

DH lost a lot of weight and subsequently his $1000 wedding ring to the bottom of a lake. I bought him a $10 silver ring at WalMart because we couldn't afford to replace it at the time. Since then I have offered to replace it many times. He always declines, he like the way he can open beer bottles with this one and not worry about damaging it.

 

[marymm]

Is his band a comfort-fit? And, whether it is or not, there are some comfort-fit bands that seem to be a bit more rounded on the inner shank than others... I wonder if that style of comfort-fit ring might work better for your DH? I think a more defined comfort-fit band kind of grabs on to the meat of the finger yet remains comfortable.

FWIW, I have a 7mm-wide gold band which is comfort-fit, and though with other rings (of varying widths) I notice a fit difference between summer and winter to the point of too-loose or too-tight, the 7mm comfort-fit band always stays on and feels comfortable. (my band was from Ben Bridge)

Anyway, good luck with finding his band... I really hope it turns up. And if nothing else, maybe keep the gold band for dress occasions and use an inexpensive silver or alternative metal band for daytime?

 

[maccers]

Thank you for the replies. The ring hasn't turned up yet! Poor guy couldn't sleep last night, he was tossing and turning.

The tattoo is an interesting idea but he'd never go for it. He'd be too worried about how his patients would perceive it and I'm not sure he's a fan of tattoos to begin with. My friend suggested I make him wear a vial of my blood around his neck....rather vampiric idea!

marymm, I'm not sure if his band is a comfort fit? I don't quite understand what makes a ring a 'comfort fit'...The inside looked like this:

 

[MissGotRocks]

I am soooo sorry to hear this - his band was just gorgeous! Here's hoping it turns up - he sounds so heartsick! Hope he can get an identical replacement if it doesn't - just such a shame.

 

[TooPatient]

"fingers like a jeweller's mandrel"

That's the PERFECT descriptor for the shape of my fingers too. Yes, sometimes it makes it easier to lose rings. Right now, all my rings are so loose I can't wear them. One went flying off in the shower. I'm thinking of finding a smaller size band to stack on top. Sorry your husband lost his ring though.

I wonder if you could get a smaller band that he could wear on a chain or on his pinky when swollen and then slip on to hold the regular band in place when smaller?

DH also found that the shape of the band edges and the inside of the band made a big difference in comfort when swollen. A less sharp edge helps and so does a lower profile (so it isn't digging into other fingers when they swell).

 

[VapidLapid]

You may have to go custom for this but I think if the inside of the ring were slightly oval, it might go on one way, and with a quarter turn be on more securely. A good goldsmith could do this while maintaining the outside in the round .

 

[marymm]

Thank you for the replies. The ring hasn't turned up yet! Poor guy couldn't sleep last night, he was tossing and turning.

The tattoo is an interesting idea but he'd never go for it. He'd be too worried about how his patients would perceive it and I'm not sure he's a fan of tattoos to begin with. My friend suggested I make him wear a vial of my blood around his neck....rather vampiric idea!

marymm, I'm not sure if his band is a comfort fit? I don't quite understand what makes a ring a 'comfort fit'...The inside looked like this:

Based on your pic, that is not a comfort-fit band - the inner shank is very straight, so I think it makes even easier to slide off your DH's finger.

Basically, comfort-fit refers to the inside of the shank shaped as a gentle curve - here's a pic of a comfort-fit band from WF and I think you can see how the inner shank is curved - the curve is fattest in the middle of the inner shank and then the curve gradually declines as it approaches the shank edges. Any store that sells men's wedding bands will have several comfort-fit options - really almost any style can be made comfort-fit (excepting maybe one like your DH's, where the design is everywhere).

 

[maccers]

Again, thank you for the suggestions! DH slept better last night, I think he's coming to terms with the loss of his ring. We're still hoping it will turn up somewhere, somehow.

I see what you mean about the comfort fit, we'll go try some this weekend. He's very attached to the style of his old ring but he understands the benefit of the comfort fit in theory. We shall see!

 

[monarch64]

This suggestion is really unconventional: have you or would you consider a bypass ring? I mean the sort of ring that is open and wraps around the finger and is adjustable. Just a thought.

 

[maccers]

HI All,

I wanted to give a quick update. DH found his ring!!!

The man found it in a locked drawer at his office in a ZIPLOC bag. I asked him, ' You don't remember putting your ring in a plastic bag and then putting it in the drawer?!' He said 'well, NOW I remember doing it'. I have to say i'm extremely happy that he found it but I'm dumbfounded that he doesn't remember putting it in a plastic bag! Apparently he took it off before treating a certain patient and then completely forgot about it. Thank goodness he did find it because we went ring shopping on the weekend and he didn't like anything we saw.

We still have to find a way to address the looseness of the ring, he's been experimenting and he can fling it off his hand when his fingers are really cold. I think I'm going to push for sizing beads despite his protests.

Anyway, thank you for all the suggestions and concerns. I really appreciate it.

 

[yssie]

HI All,

I wanted to give a quick update. DH found his ring!!!

The man found it in a locked drawer at his office in a ZIPLOC bag. I asked him, ' You don't remember putting your ring in a plastic bag and then putting it in the drawer?!' He said 'well, NOW I remember doing it'. I have to say i'm extremely happy that he found it but I'm dumbfounded that he doesn't remember putting it in a plastic bag! Apparently he took it off before treating a certain patient and then completely forgot about it. Thank goodness he did find it because we went ring shopping on the weekend and he didn't like anything we saw.

We still have to find a way to address the looseness of the ring, he's been experimenting and he can fling it off his hand when his fingers are really cold. I think I'm going to push for sizing beads despite his protests.

Anyway, thank you for all the suggestions and concerns. I really appreciate it.

I'm laughing at the ziploc baggie bit, it's exactly the sort of thing I'd do with anything other than my jewellery

Instead of sizing beads, what about adding a "liner" under the milgrain edge of (only) one side of the interior? Then if he's careful to wear his ring so that the lined side faces the fingertip and the unlined side is closer to the palm, the interior will follow the contour of his mandrel-shaped finger more closely and fit more snugly. I wear a spacer that's a bit smaller than my normal ring size in winter to keep my ring in-place, this would be like having a permanent spacer built in.

 

[maccers]

Yssie - Oh wow, now that is something I would have never thought of! And I'm pretty sure that would be a more appealing solution to DH than sizing beads. I will talk with him about it tonight. Thank you!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

So glad you had a happy ending!

My DH recently lost his mokume band, he was sad about it, even more so when he heard how much it had cost, lol. He doesn't want to replace it with another mokume band given the price, and since it wouldn't have the same sentiment anymores (our bands were cut from the same piece of mokume forged metal, so the patterns were parallel). I tried twice to order him rings online, both in size 7. One was too big, the other too small. He has weird fingers too, huge knuckles but skinny fingers lol. I think he'll just have to pick one out in person someday. Maybe next time we go to the mall we'll pick out a stainless steel one.

Sigh, silly hubbies with their silly shaped fingers!

And I can totally understand him not remembering he put it in a bag, my DH is equally dense. My favorite time was when he very alarmingly yelled out to me from upstairs "Honey? Are you ok!? Are you bleeding?" I'm just reading on the couch so I say "No, I'm not". He then comes downstairs looking confused "But there's a puddle of blood on the floor upstairs..." I assure him multiple times that I am not bleeding. DH then starts going back up the stairs to confirm that it is indeed a small puddle of blood, and half way up the stairs he realizes that there are little droplets of blood on the stairs now too. At which point he looks down at his feet and goes "Oh, it's me. I must have ripped out a nail when I stubbed my foot".

Sigh. Men.