If there’s anything we’ve been reminded of the last couple of years, it's the fact that nurses and healthcare workers bend over backwards to keep us healthy, often at great personal sacrifice. While we can’t fix issues in the medical industry, we can offer nurses the option to have stylish wedding rings that are functional enough to wear while on the clock.
As a nurse, it’s your job to keep people safe. That means it’s your jewelry’s job, too. So while the elevated setting on that engagement ring is ideal for broadcasting the sparkle, it’s less desirable in terms of grazing a suture. And the intricate designs lose a little of their intrigue when you have to make sure you’ve cleaned the bio waste out of the filigree.
Finally, those rings have to slide off during surgery prep anyway. It’s not uncommon to look around the OR and see wedding jewelry dangling from drawstrings, attached to name tags or safety-pinned to scrubs. Not exactly the most secure arrangement.
Yeah, those exciting prong ring settings probably won’t hold up to the demands of your job. Just because the classic diamond engagement ring won’t hold up to your career doesn’t mean you’re out of options though. We have several rings designed to be perfect, low-profile options for both men and women.
Even with the jewelry challenges healthcare workers face, here are three affordable options for wedding bands for nurses.
Ring Qualifications
In order to pass muster in the rigorous hospital environment, a nurse’s wedding band has to run a gauntlet. A metal band can’t be easily damaged, but it must be easily cleaned so that you don’t carry a superbug back to the one you love. A few years ago, a study of the jewelry from the nursing staff at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano found a troublingly high percentage of harmful bacteria in jeweled rings — almost 20 percent. Even if your facility permits wearing rings under gloves, you have to deal with puncturing and snagging the latex so the ring can’t be too obtrusive. It can’t get in the way and must be easily removed, but it can’t cause a distraction by sliding off too easily or requiring you to track where you last put it.
Learn How to Clean an Engagement Ring
Minimalist Rings
Even before the pandemic, minimalist weddings were trending. Extend that same attitude toward all your jewelry and aim for elegant simplicity. Go for something sleek like The Always.
Made from high-quality 925 silver and plated with rhodium, our rings are hypoallergenic, so they won’t irritate the skin or cave to the elements. It’s an unimpeachable piece of craftsmanship that comes with a lifetime guarantee and an unmistakable reminder of those marriage vows. And its affordability means that the ping of your wedding band hitting the operating room floor is that much less of a distraction when vital organs are on the line.
Shop All Minimalist Engagement RingsSilicone Wedding Rings
These flexible, durable wedding bands check just about every box for medical professionals, which is why silicone wedding bands are increasingly common in hospitals across the country, along with athletic facilities, sculpture studios, etc.
Unlike metal rings, silicone rings are durable, flexible and exceptionally smooth, which means that they are easy to remove and clean — no crevices for that germ-laden grime to lurk in — but they’ve got a good grip and don’t suffer from cleaning or handwashing. Rings made of medical-grade silicone can hold up to your day-to-day while not interfering with your job.
They are incredibly affordable, which means that they can easily be replaced. They also alternate well with more traditional jewelry or even other silicone bands if you’d like to wear a teal band on Monday and a white one on Wednesday.
Silicone rings have a little more give than traditional rings, which means that you should have a wider range of choices, regardless of your ring size.
While ring avulsion or other acute injuries of that nature are incredibly unlikely, the chances aren’t zero in the medical profession. Silicone rings are stretchy and durable, but they’re also made to break if necessary to keep your hands safe. Yeah, sterling silver looks awesome, but it can’t do that.
Shop All Silicone Wedding BandsMultiple Rings
Multiple rings are just a practical approach overall, even if you aren’t working a demanding job. If you’ve invested in a wedding ring, the last thing you want is to see it damaged in your day-to-day life. Most, if not all, people could benefit from a more durable ring for everyday life and a more formal one when off the clock.
Consider the multiple approach. If you are just coming off a shift where you had to do 30 urgent jobs at once, this should be a piece of cake. The multiple approach might mean having a simpler traditional metal ring, like The Always. Wearing more than one band at a time can collectively add up to considerable sparkle without compromising an IV bag. So check out our strategic assortment of interchangeable rings, as well as our collection of stackable wedding bands.
Practical Rings for the Win
Nurses know a thing or two about commitment. The grueling schedules of medical professionals require a lot of self-sacrifice, but wedding jewelry doesn’t have to be one of them so long as you make smart choices and provide attentive care. It just so happens that’s what nurses do for a living.
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