After being on his finger 11 months, 14 days and about 11 hours, my husband’s wedding ring decided to spend some time at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently the chilly water caused his ring finger to shrink and a rough game of ocean football made an easy escape for the ring. I will admit, I cried a little. Not because I was mad at him, it’s just kind of sad when you think about the symbolism and sentimental value a ring holds.

The more I share this story the more I realize how common it is for men to lose their wedding rings. We are now in the process of replacing it, but we are not sure if it will be an exact replica. His first ring cost about $800 and was a custom design created by a jewelry maker outside of Atlanta. My husband is tempted to go to Wal-Mart and pick up a $50 replacement. I’ve been researching men’s wedding rings (once again) and they come in so many metals: tungsten, gold, platinum, titanium and stainless steel to name a few.

Platinum
Platinum is the most valuable of these metals. It is very hard, and will last a long time without maintenance (unless you lose it at the bottom of the ocean) but it is very expensive.

Titanium
Titanium is not rare, but it is more expensive than stainless steel. It’s very light weight which I’m not sure is a good thing or not.

Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is strong and doesn’t tarnish. This seems like a good option for us since we’re looking for something more affordable.

Until we make a decision, we’ll continue to just draw rings on his finger with permanent marker.