weddings

The art of wearing wedding rings "properly" has been lost.

We see a lot of engagement rings. Social media is flooded with images after a proposal.

We talk about the size, shape, weight, clarity of the diamond. The way it might match a wedding band. We see how it looks in different lights and settings. Instagram brings us photographs of engagement rings on hands in front of the Eiffel tower; atop the cliffs in Santorini; wrapped around the hands of their fiance, holding little jewellery boxes.

But once the wedding band is added, maybe even an eternity ring as well, the photographs stop. The rings fit together. They are there on the third finger of the left hand, and serve as a more private reminder to the couple of their commitment, their wedding day, their life together since. They’re no longer anyone else’s business.

While one in three marriages ends in divorce, we ask on Just Between Us, can marriage end amicably? Post continues after audio.

Because of this (the lack of twenty-years married-and-the-rings-are-still-here photographs on Instagram and Facebook), it seems there are quite a few of us not wearing our rings “correctly”.

We’re not being shown examples, and we’re no longer quite sure exactly which order the rings should be placed in.

Should it be engagement ring, wedding ring, eternity ring? Should they be on different fingers, on opposite hands? What order? How should so many rings fit in the one place?

Celebrity engagement rings.

Victoria Beckham

Posh wasn’t really going to settle for something understated, but compared to the Beyonces and J-Los of the world, her bespoke Asprey & Garrard m

Kate Moss

Only vintage would do for our girl Kate and Jamie Hince proved he knows his bride-to-be pretty well with his choice of diamond.

Zara Phillips

We're not sure if Zara Phillips is perturbed or relieved to not be having the Royal Wedding of the year.

Katie Holmes

Tom Cruise claims to have bought Katie Holmes’s ring after their very first date and what a ring it is!

Nicole Richie

Joel Madden spoilt his now-wife and mother of his children, Nicole Richie, with a $200,000 four carat diamond  engagement ring from celebrity jeweller-du

Jennifer Aniston

Their marriage was not made to last but let’s hope that Jen managed to keep hold of her unique spiral-shaped engagement ring.

Turns out, there is a specific way you should be wearing your engagement and wedding rings.

The wedding ring should be the first on third finger of the left hand. It should be closest to the heart.

The engagement ring should come next. But, traditionally, it doesn’t have to be worn all the time after the couple is married. It might be put on for special occasions or to “dress the hand up”.

Finally, the eternity ring can go on the outside of the engagement ring. Or, if your poor finger is getting a little crowded, the eternity band can be be worn on the third finger of the right hand.

For the wedding day itself, you’re meant to take off your engagement ring and wear it on the third finger of your right hand. That means you and your significant other can exchange wedding bands during the ceremony without you fumbling to remove your diamond first.

Then you add the engagement ring to that finger and … voila … wedded perfection. For those who like to follow the rules.

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Top Comments

Milly 8 years ago

Been 'following the rules' for almost 49 years.


Jenna 8 years ago

Third finger?? ie the middle finger. I've never seen that done before.

fightofyourlife 8 years ago

No, they mean your ring finger. They're not including the thumb.

Beth 8 years ago

No. The third finger... pointer, middle, ring.

Sinéad 8 years ago

In both medical terms and when I used to play classical piano, the fingers are numbered 1-5, starting from the thumb.