If you work in healthcare do you have an engagement ring?

[MafaldaGregorovitch]

I work in healthcare and am only allowed one, plain(ish) wedding band, no other jewellery. Told DP this when I started working there and agreed we'd not bother getting an engagement ring since I can't wear it a lot of the time although at the time this was a hypothetical future conversation. Now we've decided we do want to get married I'm feeling a little sad about it though although that's probably a bit daft.

I'm curious as to what others have done. Do you have an engagement ring and what do you do with it when you're at work?

I tie mine into my bra when I'm working. Nothing else feels safe! I wouldn't trust it left anywhere else.

I know of people who wear them on their necklace

I’m not allowed jewellery of any kind, including lanyards (healthcare worker with violent individuals.) I leave my engagement ring at home, and on the off chance I forget to take it off I leave it in my locker. We have a very strict matron and we get on the spot checks for nail varnish, jewellery and how we wear our hair.

I wear nothing Monday-Thursday then soon as I get home Thursday night it stays on till Sunday evening! Wedding and engagement rings are stoned so can't wear them at work.

I’ve been a nurse for 30 years and like a PP enjoy seeing it on my finger on my days off.

I am probably in the opposite situation as I wear my engagement ring at work (office job), but outside work I only wear it for evenings out. I lost the stone from my engagement ring early on because I tend to be outdoors a lot and doing things with my hands and it was easy to get it caught up. I replaced it but didn't want to risk it again.

My husband only wears his wedding ring when we go out because he cannot wear it at work.

I am not especially into jewellery, but would have been sad not to have an engagement ring. We went out shopping for it together and it was fun and we were on a tight budget so didn't spend much at all. Why not decide to do something like that now.

A friend's husband didn't have a wedding ring when they married, but she bought him a ring later (that was nothing like a wedding ring, but was what they could afford) which he wore and he treated as a wedding ring although he didn't wear it on his ring finger. Later still she bought him a traditional wedding ring and he now wears that all the time as well as the earlier one. They had been married for over 20 years by then. You can do these things out of order and you can change your mind.

I wear my engagement ring all the time, but I'm a GP, so like @Sashkin I'm unlikely to be challenged, and am low risk anyway. About half my consultations don't involve examining a patient at all - I do a lot of talking! I just turn my ring around so the stone faces my palm if I need to put gloves on. During my junior doctor hospital jobs it varied. I used to leave fancy jewellery and rings at home when I worked in A&E, for example, but I was happy to wear rings (but not necklaces) during my psychiatry post.

Probably should have mentioned in my OP but since mentioning to DP about my job, he's not too keen on an engagement ring either. For one he "doesn't agree with the concept of engagement" (surely saying you're getting married and planning it is the engagement? But that's a whole other topic of conversation) And also he's said what's the point of spending all that money for something you can't wear much. That said if I can only wear a very plain band realistically speaking, plus I may not wear it all that much during clinic time due to the extensive hand washing procedures, I'd definitely prefer to have one even if I can only wear it at home.

Could you have an engagement-style ring as your wedding ring instead?

Yep, and I got a big one too but I don’t wear it for work. I wouldn’t risk patient safety.

He’s trying to get out of buying one op.

I've not worn either my engagement or wedding ring for months as I forget to put them back on! At first I would religiously put them on as soon as my shift was over as I missed them but gradually I started forgetting and now don't give a toss. Oops.

He’s trying to get out of buying one op.

Sort of. All of our money is from a joint account anyway though and we're on a relatively low budget for the wedding and honeymoon (10k - of which 6k is being spent on the honeymoon) so I kind of see his point. But emotions don't always follow logic do they.

@TheStakeIsNotThePower that made me laugh.

@reallybadidea we were thinking that but then it sounds like it'd be a bad idea to wear anything with stones even if they're flat.

I used to wear mine on a gold chain round my neck, and put it back on my ring finger when my shift finished.
I remember one proud student nurse wearing hers pinned to her uniform.

I have one but don't wear it to work, I leave it in its box in my bedside table. Did mean it got stolen when our house was burgled though.

Oh no @SockQueen That's really sad! Not the point but were you able to claim on the insurance?

Yes, I got it replaced by insurance! I'm now 32 weeks pregnant though and it won't fit on my swollen fingers, so it's off until after the baby arrives.

@MafaldaGregorovitch

No, I mean don't wear a ring to work at all and then just have the one fancy ring as a combined engagement/wedding ring.