Jewelry Suggestions

[Number 7]

hey ladies...i'm a new rider just being introduced to cycling by my fiance. anyway, i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about what to do with my engagement ring while i'm riding. i really don't want to wear it and it doesn't fit under my glove well anyway. however, on longer rides / tours i don't want to be without it.

thanks!!!! :cool:

7

[snapdragen]

Put it on a chain and wear it around your neck?

[Irulan]

trade it in for a channel setting?

[fasteryet]

Trade it for a more fabulous bike?

[bounceswoosh]

hey ladies...i'm a new rider just being introduced to cycling by my fiance. anyway, i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about what to do with my engagement ring while i'm riding. i really don't want to wear it and it doesn't fit under my glove well anyway. however, on longer rides / tours i don't want to be without it.

thanks!!!! :cool:

7

I'm afraid I can't be much help ... when my now-husband started talking about picking rings, I realized we had to have a talk. Flashy jewelry has its place, but I realized he expected me to wear the thing for the rest of my life, all the time, and there is no room in my active and often clumsy world for a big rock! I asked him for an engagement mountain bike instead ...

The necklace thing sounds good. When I had a black opal ring in a previous relationship, I kept it on my keychain caribiner while doing active stuff, but I've since found out that opals are very delicate and that I was lucky indeed not to disfigure it.

Alternately, what does your planned wedding ring look like? If it's a simple design, maybe you can just wear the wedding ring once you're married. I have a plain gold band, and it's no trouble at all on bike rides and during ice hockey. I do have to remove it for martial arts, but then, you should remove all jewelry for that.

[CorsairMac]

Welcome to the Board 7 - and my....ain't we helpful???!!! :D I'm not much help coz I don't wear anything when I'm riding :eek: I've had too many instances where've I've either A) torn up my fingers or wrist by having the jewelry catch on something and/or B) torn up the jewelry the same way and/or C)lost the jewelry. Oops...take that back...I never go anywhere without a cross 'round my neck. Putting your ring on a chain would probably be the safest way to wear/carry it.

[Number 7]

everyone, thanks for the help. my wedding ring will be a simple band, and i'll be able to wear that while i'm riding. but i'm not getting married until october, so i have the whole summer with my engagement ring. it won't be an issue most days, but my fiance does want to do a couple multiple day rides, and i really don't want to leave it at home.

anyway, thanks again for the help.

7

[emily_in_nc]

I ride with my engagement ring and wedding ring. My engagement ring isn't a monster, but it's not tiny either (.8 carat diamond solitaire). I have never had a problem with it fitting under gloves (it just stretches the stretchy part out) or causing me any problems while riding. The gloves keep it protected.

Just my take on the whole thing since I hadn't seen anyone chime in that she actually rides with a rock on! ;)

Emily

[Jennifer Gallow]

Hmmm ... a ring I couldn't fit my gloves over! Thats a problem I'd like to have. I have, however, seen women cut a slit in the glove and poke the stone out through the top, then wrap the ring with athletic tape.

I wouldn't leave a nice ring at home either (seeing how my home has no locks on the doors) but boy I'd hate to damage a prety sparkle. Be careful!

[slinkedog]

I feel incredibly naked without them, but I always leave my wedding and engagement ring at home when I ride because I'm too afraid of damaging/losing them.

[MomOnBike]

What type of riding do you do? I'd be comfortable (sort of) with a big, shiny rock on a road ride, but I think I'd leave it at home on a MTB ride.

For me, at least, it all boils down to how active (for lack of a better word) my hands are going to be. I'd hate to knock the diamond off. Yeah, I know, insurance and all that, but still.

MomOnBike (who only wears her ruby to fancy events)

[alison_in_oh]

I used to wear my solitaire on a gold chain, but the chain is thin and makes me paranoid; also the few times the thing has weaseled out of the jersey and started bouncing around have been annoyance enough.

I zip the thing in a small pocket of my bag or leave it on my dresser. I couldn't wear it under my gloves. I wear my wedding band on my left hand and my silver "promise" band on my right at all times though.

[slinkedog]

Oh, and the other thing is, if you break your wrist/hand/finger and the swelling gets bad, the hospital won't hesitate to cut your rings off and ruin them.

[MightyMitre]

I got engaged last April and at first I found it very hard to ride with my ring, mainly because I was convinced it would fall off, even though it fits just right. I used to leave it at home, but now I'm six weeks away from my wedding I'm totally used to wearing on the bike.

That said, I don't have a MASSIVE stone, and the setting is very low,with the whole diamond encased in a firm setting so it can't catch on anything. I just stretch my glove a little.

Oh BTW - congratulations! :)

[Number 7]

ok, so i guess saying my glove doesn't fit over the ring wasn't exactly the right description. my fingers swell when i get hot, and the ring can get a bit uncomfortable while i'm riding. it fits perfect otherwise. plus, since i'm new at this, i tend to carry a lot of weight on my arms and hands while riding.

and thanks for the info about breaking a hand/wrist...although i've only had one crash so far <knock on wood>, i'd hate to have the docs cut off my ring for any reason.

thanks for all the input...i really appreciate it. i've been reading this board for a couple of months, but just decided to join in on the discussions.

7

[Biking Chick]

Oh, and the other thing is, if you break your wrist/hand/finger and the swelling gets bad, the hospital won't hesitate to cut your rings off and ruin them.

Something I had not thought of ... because my fingers swell when I'm warms (something that happens quite often now that I've been in menopause for quite awhile :eek: ) I don't wear my rings while biking.

A couple of years ago a friend gave me a beaded red hat coin purse with a zipper. I keep it in the consol of our car and take off my rings before a ride; as dh is a fanatic about locking the car I don't have to worry. On my daily rides I keep my rings in the house (with five dogs in the family I have a built in alarm system!)

A hundred years ago when I was in junior high school, I lost a boyfriend's ring when the chain I had the ring on broke. Having had that experience I would think twice about wearing the ring on a chain during a ride. Better to be safe at home than really really sorry.

[Ninabike]

My engagement ring is fairly large and I just tape it. I turn it slightly inward (toward the thumb) and is is not uncomfortable with gloves on.

[DirtDiva]

Oh, and the other thing is, if you break your wrist/hand/finger and the swelling gets bad, the hospital won't hesitate to cut your rings off and ruin them.

Rings aren't ruined if they get cut off, they're just not cheap to fix. (Well, I assume it's not cheap: I have a jeweller in the family - things like that cost me pleases, thank yous and a winning smile. :D)

[cyclingnewbie]

I would leave it home. You will be far more upset if you lose the stone or damage the ring. Besides, you want to have fun, not worry about your ring. When you are married, the plain band will solve the problem.

[neuroticcyclist]

I wear three rings - wedding, crest and a pinky threeband gold - and I take them all off. They get caught on the short fingers of the glove and start getting pushed over the knuckles. I used to use the tape, etc, but now go for freedom! It is funny since biking is the ONLY time I take ANY of them off.

[ritualistic]

I have got my simple but nice (http://www.fourseadiamonds.com/forum/engagement-rings/530-simple-but-nice.html) engagement ring always in my finger, and it never bugs me to take it off, and I went riding with it a couple of times with the ring still on my finger..it dint disturb me luckily.

[Bron]

Well, firstly congratulations!

I am another of the people who always wear both engagement and wedding rings. They fit under my gloves when cycling and don't bother me. However, I wore them for rowing last weekend and now have a nice blister under the rings. Ouch.

Another thing to be careful of is if your hands ever get really cold. My husband lost his wedding ring while changing for cross-country skiing because his hands were cold and it slid off. We were very lucky that the person who found it was honest enough to hand it in. He had it made smaller (I suggested welding it to his finger) and now leaves it at home if he is doing anything where it might come off.

Bron

[Brina]

Put it on a chain and wear it around your neck?


this is what I did while pg since my fingers started to swell.


also, I have a second wedding band - it is a very simple, gold, comfort fit band and fits under my gloves just fine.

[Tuckervill]

I don't have to worry about my .5 carat solitaire anymore, because I lost it sticking my hand in a baseball glove. Somewhere in Memphis, there's a yard with my diamond in it. I only got to wear it for 10 years. :(

Unfortunately, my husband thought it was a good idea to change homeowner's insurance right before that--and the way they had cheaper premiums was to leave off the jewelry rider. :((

If I had to do it over again, I would have taken better care of it--taken it to the jewelers for tightening, etc. And not put it in any baseball gloves.

So now I only have the two bands, and I wear them wherever I go, whatever I'm doing. My husband is going to regret not surprising me with a new diamond already, because that 20-year anniversary band is going *cost* him. lol.

Karen

[Aggie_Ama]

I only wear stud earrings and a small diamond necklace when riding. My engagement ring is one of the three stone rings and sticks up pretty high. I don't wear it riding because of that and my hands swell. Although my wedding ring is a channel-set diamond band I don't wear it either. I also get cold and the wedding ring will fall off without the engagement ring to catch it. I lost a cell phone to a port-a-potty this spring, I can't bear the thought of it being one of my rings!

My university is also big on class rings and I wear that every minute I am not on the bike. For that one it is a pure comfort issue, the band is very thick. I left all my rings at home this weekend for a camping trip. We have renter's insurance, so I wasn't too worried. I am pricing some fire safes though.

I have seen plenty of women sporting rather large diamond rings, but it is not for me. DH doesn't wear his ring either for comfort reasons.

[SalsaMTB]

Congrats on the upcoming wedding!

When I first got engaged, I would never wear my ring riding (mountain biking). I hid it in the house instead. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it in the car, I've heard stories of cars getting stolen at trail heads. Also, I personally don't feel comfortable wearing it as a necklace, I feel like the chain would break.

Then, I decided I preferred full finger gloves and I got married. I feel MUCH more comfortable wearing my rings w/ full finger gloves. If my hands get cold, the ring can't slip off and fall on the ground. I don't wear my engagement ring all the time just because I don't like seeing it stick up in the glove, but the wedding band doesn't ever come off.

I have on occasion had my rings on w/ half finger gloves. In this situation, I think I safety pinned in to the inside of a zipped pocket of my hydrapack. It worked out fine, but I did think about it a lot.

So, I would recommend either just dealing w/ it on your finger w/ full finger gloves or leaving it at home in a really good hiding place. Don't put it in the fridge or freezer, people know about that place :)

Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful wedding.

Oh, last thing, I do notice my rings get tight if I've had a lot of salt (water retention) or sometimes in the morning. I haven't really noticed it when riding though. Have you tried it or are you just sort of thinking it will bother you? If you tried it and it bothers you, I would leave it at home or a safe deposit box for long trips.

[kaybee]

Congratulations on your engagement! Personally, I love wearing my engagement and wedding rings, but never wear them when riding or running, since my hands swell and they get uncomfortable. I never wear earrings, either, since my helmet straps always seem to grab them. All the sparkly stuff is insured, so it stays home. You might check with your insurance company about a rider for your homeowner's policy to covery your jewelry. It's not expensive, and if something does happen, you'll be able to replace it.

KB

[wannaduacentury]

My wedding ring is a set and its soldered together. It's a marquis cut and it sometimes catches, but rarely.So i turn it slightly and wear it under my gloves, I feel naked w/o my beloved ring :)

OT my dad can't wear a wedding ring b/c he was stung by a yellow jack and it had to be cut, so he refuses to wear rings now. and I had poison ivy or something one time on my ring finger and couldn't get mine on and people(strangers) gave me fits about it,so I go no where w/o it in public anyways.

[sydney_b]

Oh, and the other thing is, if you break your wrist/hand/finger and the swelling gets bad, the hospital won't hesitate to cut your rings off and ruin them.

Good point. I'd never thought of this.

[caligurl]

i wear my rings... i can't imagine not having them on! it's going to be due to have the "head" replaced and i'm going through dt's thinking of being without it!!!!!!!!!!

[residentgeek]

I lost my original wedding ring (commitment cermony ring) just a few months ago. I've lost a bit of weight, and it was getting to the point where I needed to get it resized, but hadn't. My partner took me to the batting cages for a fun night out and I slipped it into my pocket because it was giving me problems. At the restaurant, I pulled a bunch of quarters out of my pocket and threw them in a tip jar, and the ring apparently went with them. We went back to find it but it was gone.

She got me a replacement ring (proposed again and everything - it was very sweet). It fits really well so I wear it everywhere now, even playing ice hockey. I worry about losing it again if I take it off, so the only time I take it off is at night or in the shower. It's a flat silver band with gold engravings, so I don't have to worry about it catching on anything. My fingers swell during biking and hockey, but not enough to make the ring painful.

I really don't know what I would do with a ring with jewels on it - maybe put it in one of those small plastic jewelry bags and safety pin it to the inside of my shirt. I wouldn't want to leave it in the car but I would be okay leaving it at home. Maybe put it in your bike or tool bag if you have one. I know some people who wrap their ring fingers with medical tape and then put on the gloves (both for hockey and biking). Whatever makes you feel most comfortable.

[Selkie]

Trade it for a more fabulous bike?

That was my thought. I've been married 18 years and I've never had a diamond ring. Just a gold band for me (from Ireland, engraved w/claddagh, of course).