Summary

After 13 years of marriage, the author had to remove her wedding rings due to swelling in the Caribbean heat, which had caused a restriction in blood flow and the potential for permanent damage.

Abstract

The author recounts her experience of wearing her wedding rings for 13 years without removal due to their tight fit, especially after moving to the Caribbean. Despite the discomfort and the need for resizing, the rings remained on her finger until a jeweler intervened, cutting them off to prevent permanent injury. The author emphasizes the importance of considering seasonal changes in finger size when purchasing rings and advises future ring buyers to choose a half-size larger to accommodate summer swelling. She also suggests waiting until spring to measure for ring size to ensure it fits throughout the year.

Opinions

The author believes that the original jeweler's oversight in not accounting for seasonal finger size changes led to the prolonged discomfort.
She expresses regret for not addressing the issue earlier, which could have prevented the need for extreme measures like cutting off the rings.
The author advises couples planning to buy wedding rings to purchase them in mid-spring to ensure a comfortable fit year-round.
She recommends that those with rings that are too tight seek professional help and consider using the dental floss trick or having a jeweler safely remove the ring.
The author suggests waiting for swelling to subside before having the rings resized to ensure a proper fit.

After 13 Years, I Removed My Wedding Ring

It was time

I haven’t taken my rings off once since I was married 13 years ago. I couldn’t. They wouldn’t make it past my knuckle.

The rings were custom made for me, using heirloom diamonds from my future mother-in-law. They fit perfectly when I tried them on in the depths of winter. The jeweler did not mention that fingers are at their thinnest in winter and may go up in size during the summer.

In retrospect, I should have realized there was an issue when it required diuretics, elevation, and soaking the engagement ring in hot, soapy water to get it off before the August wedding. But at that point, it was too late to do anything about it.

My husband had no such problem. His custom designed wedding ring (purchased in July) slid off into the ocean on our honeymoon. Fortunately, he was able to pay a local diver $20 to find it in the sand.

Why not get them resized?

During those 13 years, there have been times when the rings got a little tight. More than a little tight. Painfully tight. Especially after we moved to the Caribbean, there were days when the heat and humidity made me think they definitely needed to be resized.

But to do that, they’d first have to be taken off. So, I’d wait for the swelling to go down. And, once the swelling was down, I’d lose any urgency about resizing the ring.

My husband removed his wedding band this summer. His fingers also swelled in the Caribbean. But as soon as the swelling went down, he took the ring off until he could get it resized.

I did not have that option.

A permanent crease from too-small rings. Photo by author.

Can rings cause permanent injury?

Today, my dad took me to a jeweler he trusts. He’d given me one of my mom’s rings for Christmas, and we wanted to see about resizing it.

The jeweler took one look at my wedding rings and declared that they needed to be resized. They were restricting blood flow to my finger.

I explained how they hadn’t come off in 13 years. He gave me a worried look and said that he hoped I hadn’t done permanent damage to the finger.

He ended up cutting the rings off. And recommended I wait at least a month for the swelling to go down. Only then should I measure my finger for correct size. Ideally, it should be done in the spring, when the finger would be in the middle of its size range.

I’ll probably wait until it’s closer to summer. That way, they won’t be too tight, even when my fingers swell in the Caribbean heat.

My hand feels strangely naked without them.

That much bigger? Ouch! Photo by author.

Save yourself!

All of this fuss and bother could have been avoided if the original jeweler had simply made them a half-size larger. Or if we’d bought the rings in any season other than winter.

If you are thinking about getting married, but haven’t bought your rings yet, consider doing so in mid-spring. That way, you can make sure you get them loose enough that you can take them off, even in summer. But they’re not so loose that they’ll accidentally fall off during the winter (or while snorkeling on your honeymoon).

If you’ve already got rings, and you never take them off because you can’t, get professional help. You might be able to get them off using the dental floss trick. If not, a jeweler can cut them off with a special tool that is perfectly safe for your skin. After they’re off, wait for your swelling to go down and then have them resized.

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