Engagement/Wedding Ring Question

[SingDanceRunLife]

I just got engaged, but for now have a "stand in" ring so my fiance can save up and get me a "better" (read: more expensive -- it's what he wants and I'm fine with that lol) one. Well I've been looking, and I found one that is absolutely gorgeous, but it's morganite which some people say is too soft for a job such as nursing where you use your hands a lot. Opinions?

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Honestly, considering some of the oozing, snotting things that drag themselves (or get wheeled) into clinics, I'm not so sure "zero risk" fits the bill!

Hah, a very good point.

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

Am I the only one here that wears my actual wedding ring plus band to work?

All the nurses on my unit do. Mine is an onyx and I love it. The only thing I asked my hubby was to make sure it wasn't too tall. I perform sterile procedures and wear chemo gloves and not once have I ripped either one. I've held down kids for procedure and have never scratched a patient either.

I wash my hands more than use the foam so the only issue I've had is soap buildup underneath the stone itself. Once a week cleaning solves that problem though.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I never wear my wedding ring to work. :)

I have no idea what "morganite" is. Your best bet would be to ask the jeweler. I am not sure nurses are experts on jewelry but maybe there are some out there.

(Not a fan of expensive stuff - weddings, rings, or otherwise).

It's a pretty gemstone that comes in like a light pink-peach color to green. I remember looking at a ring with the light pink morganite, and it was ~ $2K.

This is just me, but if I were getting engaged, I would just get one ring, and get a ring that was pretty but modest, then put the money that would have gone to a pricier ring toward a down payment on a house. I like old/vintage rings; new rings don't ring my chimes. Even the ones that are styled to look like vintage rings don't do it for me.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I'm confused, you stated the stone could be too soft for someone that uses their hands a lot,

then stated you will be in an office.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

If your fiancé is saving up for something "better" (read, more expensive), why would he get you this fairly inexpensive stone that won't perhaps stand up to the rigors that you plan to put it through with your nursing career?

I'm one of those never take my ring off girls. Always have been.

Morganite is a stone that is fairly inexpensive and has a pink/peachy color to it. It's absolutely gorgeous, but it's not that hard (rated a 7.5-8 on the MOHS scale while in comparison a diamond, the hardest of all the rated materials on the scale is a 10.) I'm not one of those girls that needs something expensive or needs a diamond, but I am the kind of girl who will take what is given to her :)

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Um, a new twist. If you're planning on working in an office, then I don't think your ring is slated for any harder work than 99% of the population. Are you posting this same question on a board for teachers, attorneys or executives? I don't get it.

Oh, no financial strain here. We (my fiance) aren't buying a ring until we can afford it comfortably. I plan on working in an office setting, so I don't think a ring would be an issue. I know for a fact that my current employer allows rings (I'm an HHA with them right now, but they're one of the largest health care organizations in the area), so at least for the next while there are no issues. My school also allows rings and I know schools are usually stricter than out in the real world, but I do get the concerns raised here.

[slauren]

I work as a floor nurse. I wear a little band while at work and then have my "pretty" ring at home that I wear in my personal time. I saw you are doing office work which would probably be OK. But if you intend on doing patient care, wear a very modest ring that you wouldn't mind gettting messed up or even lost.

[Farawyn]

Hah, a very good point.

*save*

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

I used to work in retail management. I used my hands a lot because of my job which was going in and resetting stores, moving fixtures around. I don't like to take my rings off either. I never did when I was married and I had a gorgeous engagement ring. 1 karat center stone with 3 smaller stones on each side. My wedding band had little diamonds all the way around. I was proud of it. I went to a jeweler that inspected my rings and cleaned them for free. I took them in often and if any of the settings were starting to give way they would fix it for free. Eventually with all the wear and tear from work they wore down. If I was in a situation where I thought something could happen, I would turn them around on my hand so the diamonds weren't facing out to get damaged. It worked for me.

I'm divorced now so I don't wear rings. Any facility I did clinical at allowed us to wear wedding and engagement rings only. And only stud earrings. My boyfriend got me diamond stud earrings for Valentine's day and I wear them every day. It just makes me feel like he's with me. I know it sounds weird but I am a romantic.

[Twinmom06, ASN, APN]

I wear my wedding and engagement rings and always have - I've never scratched anyone or ripped a glove, and its a Princess cut. I am meticulous about having my stone checked and cleaning my rings.

its all in what you're comfortable with. I nearly never take my rings off...

[LV3677]

OP: Emeralds are rated the same hardness as your morganite- and I wouldn't wear that one to work. Too high of a risk for damage to the stone, especially with numerous hand washings, but more importantly, it's a safety concern.

Consider the necklace idea for both patient safety and infection prevention.

[loriangel14, RN]

My employer allows no rings period.