This is more of a GQ actually, but I thought this forum would leave more room for anecdotes.
I take my watch off, but I don’t think I’ve travelled with any other metal jewellery in several years. As a teenager, I had so many rings on at one time it looked like I had brass knuckles, but my current lifestyle doesn’t go well with rings on my hands anymore. I don’t recall people taking their wedding rings/bands off and I know for some people getting them off is nigh impossible. Do people take their wedding bands off? Is it expected/required?
I wear two rings and a wristwatch and I can’t remember ever having to take them off going through airport security. Even with those new full-body scanners, since they have you raise your hands over your head while you’re being scanned. I suspect that the difficulty some people would have removing rings is part of the reason for that.
Nope- as a matter of fact, I did take my rings off once upon a time, but the TSA people at the Orange County airport (John Wayne?) told me not to do that, and to keep them on.
I’ve never been asked to take any jewelry off at the airport. My rings aren’t wedged on, so I can get them off easily, but I wouldn’t do it unless the airport people demanded it. And why would they? Gold won’t set off the scanners.
I take my watch and any “costume” (not precious metal) jewelry off, just because I’ve seen people go through the “OK, maybe this is causing the beep - nope” cycle repeatedly. Belts are a frequent offender.
I learned long ago to dress for travel to prevent issues at security. I keep no metal in my pockets and wear clothing without zippers, a bra with no underwires and even shoes without any metal (although that’s a wasted effort now that I have to take them off anyway). Even with all of that prep I’ve never taken my rings off or even thought of it
I love being the person who zooms through security while everyone around me does the back and forth through the scanner dance.
This. Depending on the sensitivity of the metal detectors, I may or may not get stopped because of a watch or belt buckle. I finally decided “screw it” and started wearing a plastic sport watch and not wearing a belt in order to minimize the amount of metal objects I would have to remove. I also try to not to have a pocketful of change, but if I do I try to remember to bring a snack-sized Ziploc baggie with me so I can dump my change in the baggie and put the baggie in the dish with my keys. That way I’m not trying to fish loose change out of the dish at the other end.
But to answer the OP, no I have never had to take my ring off.
My wedding band is tungsten carbide, a metallic ceramic. I don’t even know for sure if it would be picked up in a metal detector. I have never taken it off or had it beep, but the airport security I went through the last few times was at small airports that may not have had very good equipment.
I don’t wear a ring (It’s in the ocean near a beach in Hawaii. ), but I always dump all my pockets into a gallon zipper bag. On the other hand, my fake shoulder often sets off the machine so I need to be scanned anyway. (I tell those security types it’s a “replacement shoulder” since they might not find “fake” very humerus.)
I flew internationally last week. In almost every case, the security “barker” told everyone to take off their watches and belts. No mention was made of rings or glasses. Even so, I went through security (O’Hare?) with nothing metal but my glasses, and it went off, even though I go through fine with glasses all the time. I’m guessing it was a false positive.
I usually leave all my jewellery on (watch, rings, necklace) as none of then are large and it hasn’t ever set off the detectors, apart from possibly in Izmir airport (Turkey) which had the most sensitive detectors I’ve ever encountered and my husband and I were practically down to our undewear before we got through.
I also tend to travel in belts that have removable buckles. That way the belt stays in the loops and just the buckle comes off - much less hassle.
), but I always dump all my pockets into a gallon zipper bag. On the other hand, my fake shoulder often sets off the machine so I need to be scanned anyway. (I tell those security types it’s a “replacement shoulder” since they might not find “fake” very humerus.)