# Wearing wedding ring on right hand **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064 "2003-04-30T02:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/1 "2003-04-30T02:49:02Z")
Recently, I had professional contact with a woman who wears what seems like a wedding band on her right ring finger (the simple gold wedding band). Because it was a professional contact, I couldn’t ask if she was married. But I’m curious why a woman would wear a wedding ring on her right ring finger. Is there a social custom I’m missing here? Whistlepig ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/2 "2003-04-30T02:58:31Z")
It’s my understanding that some Europeans wear their wedding rings on the right hand. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/3 "2003-04-30T02:58:59Z")
Some widows move the wedding band from the left hand to the right when the begin dating again. [Cite.](http://www.drdaveanddee.com/wedding4.html) ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/4 "2003-04-30T03:28:32Z")
Is she European or Russian? Some women in Europe and Russia wear them on the right hand. I’m pretty sure Latvia is one of the countries where the ring is moved to the right hand at the wedding ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/5 "2003-04-30T03:28:52Z")
My husband has nasty tendonitis in his left ring finger, so on the rare occasions when he wears his ring, he wears it on the right. Perhaps this woman’s ring was a family heirloom. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/6 "2003-04-30T03:30:50Z")
Ditto what **Abby** said. In the FSU and parts of Eastern Europe, wedding rings are worn on the right hand. I posted a GQ about this a while back, asking if it had anything to do with the geographical dividing line between primarily Catholic/Protestant vs. Eastern Orthodox areas, but nobody responded, so I’ll be curious to see what happens to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/7 "2003-04-30T03:39:43Z")
My uncle is left handed, and I seem to recall that he wears it on his right hand. She may be left handed (check which wrist the watch is on, it’s often on the non-dominant hand), or it could just be a ring (possibly an heirloom, as \*_Green Bean_ mentioned) that she wears. ---
**Author:** ![ShadiRoxan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@ShadiRoxan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadiRoxan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/8 "2003-04-30T03:40:17Z")
i wore my mother’s wedding ring on my right hand. it just happened that it fit that finger rather than the other. i have a vague memory about hearing that gay couples wear their rings on the right. don’t know how true that is though. any one know about this? ---
**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/9 "2003-04-30T04:19:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AbbySthrnAccent \* > \*\*Is she European or Russian? \*\* Uh, no. This is definitely a US woman. I know that there are certain Jews (Chasidim?) that wear the ring on the right hand- that’s not the case. I thought maybe the ring on the right hand was a (subculture) mourning, or a lesbian marriage or a ??? And the ??? was what I was curious about. I try to stay “hip” but there are certain things that pass me by. And maybe it just has a personal meaning. If she lived 200 miles closer I’d (blush) ask her to lunch but . . . Whistlepig ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/10 "2003-04-30T07:51:40Z")
I know a couple of divorcees who wear their wedding ring on their right hand now; the way they look at it, it’s a pretty piece of jewelry. Particularly if it’s encrusted with diamonds and sparkles a lot. 😃 The only other tradition I know of as to rings on the right ring finger are promise rings, which are “pre-engagement” rings. But these are usually rings with stones, so I’m not sure why you’d wear a plain gold wedding band on that finger. (And as far as I know, re: mourning, widows still wear their rings on their left hand unless they get remarried.) Maybe it was her mother’s/aunt’s/sister’s, or has sentimental meaning of some kind to her, so she wears it on that hand in memory. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Goo\_Fee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Doctor\_Goo\_Fee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Goo_Fee)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/11 "2003-04-30T08:18:00Z")
In the Netherlands the Protestants wear their wedding rings on one hand and the Catholics on the other. I don’t know which religion uses which hand. ---
**Author:** ![Barks\_dog\_food](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@Barks\_dog\_food](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barks_dog_food)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/12 "2003-04-30T09:50:11Z")
In Norway the wedding ring is worn on the right hand. 2 possible reasons. In Norse mythologi Thor made a ring and wore it on his right hand. You need the left hand to wipe your butt. The Danes and the Swedes wear their rings on the left hand but in Sweden they change to the right hand if one dies. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/13 "2003-04-30T10:30:38Z")
BDF, I know that the Danes wear their wedding rings on the right hand but I can’t remember about the Swedes at the moment. I think it’s the left hand, but I haven’t heard that bit about moving the ring if someone dies, I’ll have to have an ask around! ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/14 "2003-04-30T11:15:22Z")
In Germany the wedding ring is also worn on the right hand. I have no idea why, and I doubt it has anything to do with which hand you use to wipe your butt. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/15 "2003-04-30T12:26:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grey\_ideas \* > … but I can’t remember about the Swedes at the moment. Both partners wear an engagement ring on the left hand and at the wedding the wife (or rather the hubbie) adds a wedding ring. The only person I have ever heard of with his engagement ring on his right hand is a professional guitarrist, who doesn’t want his ring to interfere with his playing. ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/16 "2003-04-30T12:50:03Z")
Is it possible they were left-handed? Having never worn rings before, something on my left hand could become a bothersome to me. Wearing a ring on my right hand would possibly lessen the discomfort. Then again, maybe after wearing a wedding ring for a while you never even notice it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/17 "2003-04-30T12:56:58Z")
Before some creep stole them I had my grandmother’s rings. They were left to me when she died. As I was not married or engaged but wanted to wear the rings to keep her close to me I wore them on my right hand. Maybe it was a family heirloom? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/18 "2003-04-30T13:46:33Z")
> [@](#): > > i have a vague memory about hearing that gay couples wear their rings on the right. don’t know how true that is though. any one know about this? Depends on the couple. My ex and I wore our rings on our left ring fingers (at least I did; he kept losing his). After we split up I switched to another ring because I was used to having something on that finger. Now I wear a ring of no particular significance on my right ring finger and the left is bare. Other couples I know wear their rings on the left. Some wear on the right. Some don’t have rings at all. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/19 "2003-04-30T14:19:58Z")
If she recently lost weight, it could be that the ring was too loose and she moved it to her right hand (on my right hand, the fingers are bigger, presumably because my right-handedness develops the muscles more). Not everyone puts a lot of stock in the symbolism. I don’t always wear my ring, and I’m not particular about the hand it’s on. It could be that she just doesn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064/20 "2003-04-30T15:16:58Z")
A couple of guesses are that it was her mother or grandmother’s ring, or that she is a widow. In any of thhose cases, I couldl see her wearing a ring on her right hand. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-wedding-ring-on-right-hand/172064.md?page=2)