SPAINGLORIOUS BLOG #3 Wedding Rings (please answer the question)
Ok I realize it has been a long time but my internet access has been….precarious at best. So today I want to talk about wedding rings because it has come up a lot in Spain.
On this trip with 33 American girls, 3 American guys I have realized how much American´s are invested in wedding rings. A number of the girls were looking quizzically at the hands of the people here, shocked at the lack of wedding rings on both married men and sometimes women. I hadn´t really considered it anything strange. My dad doesn´t wear a wedding ring and my mum isn´t particular about hers so I don´t see the lack of one as a sign of anything. They were not only shocked by the lack of wedding rings on married people but also the lack of diamond rings. I hadn´t really thought much about it before but diamond rings are really American. the US must have the largest diamond consumption per capita of anywhere in the world but then again I´m just making that up.
I´m sure this doesn´t have much to do with wedding rings but one thing that does interest me about relationships in Spain is the high instance of infidelity. There is a lot of infidelity in the US but many of those relationships end in divorce. Here people often either stay with their unfaithful partners or just separate.
That was not very coherent but what do you think? If you are married or when you get married, do you/will you wear a wedding ring and for the girls will you wear a diamond ring?
September 9th, 2008 at 6:10 am
I never noticed about wedding rings until I was in the US. My parents never wear their wedding rings, even until now because they aren’t used to wearing wedding rings and it’s not common for people in Taiwan to wear them. I do notice a lot of Chinese men in China do wear them and not necessarily every women. I think mostly because the wedding rings in China are made of real gold and people do steal these kind of things. In Taiwan, I guess it’s just not part of the culture.
In the US, I have seen some married people who don’t wear wedding rings but not too often. I think 99% of married people do wear them and from what I know the diamond rings are usually engagement rings, thus you see a band and a ring sometimes advertised by jewelers. Some women don’t wear their engagement rings for fear of being stolen and others wear a replacement diamond ring (read: fake diamond) for the same reason.
However, wearing a wedding ring if you’re not married in the US or as a single woman travelling sometimes can prevent unwanted attention - but may not necessarily be true in some cultures I guess after reading some of the above comments LOL
And to answer the OP’s questions, I wouldn’t mind wearing my wedding ring if I am married, only because I do like jewelry LOL But I will never get a diamond one, I don’t like diamond LOL And the big stone sticking out of your hands is not convenient anyways, I’ll just wear a wedding band or something small.
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September 10th, 2008 at 5:13 am
I honestly think that the reason the Spanish do not divorce as much as, let say the Americans, is because they are Catholic. I am catholic, non-practicing (is that the word???)…but you carry around your values and core beliefs (even if cheating is a mortal sin) somehow, it’s OK…because nobody knows about it. Instead if you are divorced, everybody knows and everybody talks.
I also believe that it has to do with the conservative values they have, we mustn’t forget that Spain was under Franco for a very long time and that it has only been 30 years since divorce is legal.
I also thought it curios that you Americans and south Africans don’t wear the matching rings…for us the point is that rings match…otherwise there is no point
We don’t wear diamonds on our wedding rings, too ostentatious, it’s the simple gold band (now you can have mixed golds). We wear them from the time we are engaged or when we move in together as a sign of commitment…but it isn’t surprising if you don’t…I mean, we believe you don’t need a ring to remind yourself you are married.
I am married, have been for five years this month, I have a wedding ring, I wear most of the time, but then I might go for weeks without it! It doesn’t make a difference.
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September 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Matching rings, plural?!?
My husband was lucky to get me to wear a simple gold band. Anything else would just get caught on everything, and force me to have to move slower! (I only have two speeds: off and full tilt.)
But the best thing about the boy was that he observed me closely enough to know a diamond (engagement) ring would not be appropriate, and instead, he proposed to me with an Oxford English (engagement) Dictionary!
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September 19th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Larisa: Aww bless @ the dictionary
Loving the feedback everyone! I think its probably about time I added my two cents. HAHA well I agree. Wedding rings should be simple (preferably gold) bands. They are supposed to be a perfect circle to represent the commitment of marriage. I just don’t know how one could have a Christian wedding ceremony without rings. Maybe just skip over that part. In Spain they say that everyone has rings for the ceremony but when its finished many take them off and put them away. I think I would probably wear a simple wedding band but I don’t think I would wear a diamond ring even if it was the engagement ring.
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