On wedding rings: a brief personal history

And longish speculative research toward the end.

1. Engagement ring. Man proposed outside a temple and presented me with a nice CTR ring from a nearby Deseret bookstore. I still have it in a jewelry box.

2. Wedding ring. It was just a touch too small, so we had it resized. I'm told that it didn't turn out as planned, but it's my wedding ring and therefore I love it. I grew out of it after my first baby. I still have it, in the same ring box, nestled in the same jewelry box, as my engagement ring.

3. A gold band my sister purchased for me several years ago, when I was still living with parents. I grew out of that one after my second child was born. I still have this one as well.

4. A silver ring I purchased at a mall for $10. I got it while man was in basic training so I'd have something to point to while I lived in as a temporarily single mom with three kids. It has three stones in it and, I think, is a very attractive little ring. I've gotten more compliments on it than any other ring I've worn, but it's small and modest.

And that brings me to the real point of this blog: this morning, I found a hive under my ring. -sob- Fluke? Did something get caught under there and I just need to give it a good scrub, wait a few days, then try again? I've worn it for over 7 months without a problem. Oh, well. If I can't wear it anymore, I'll add it to my collection of beloved tokens of my marriage.

What other sorts of marriage tokens could I consider? There are those white handkerchief things that the British ladies used to wear on their heads. A brief Google also gives me these options:

1. Awka (Somalia) the bride is asked by the groom to file her teeth. Um, no.

2. The Seniang (Vanuatu) require a bride's incisor teeth be knocked out prior to the wedding ceremony. Um, HECK no.

3. The Arunda (Australia) practice nasal piercing. Bone in the nose? I'd prefer that over knocking my teeth out.

4. Necklaces are fairly common as well. Maybe I could make a wood sign, hang it around my neck, and print the words "I am happily married" on it.

5. Samburu women collect necklaces and beads until they are married, at which point they give away half of their beads and replace them with a set of necklaces called an mparo which feature a large red bead on the front.

6. "Another culture that favors the bead is the Igbo (Nigeria). An Igbo wife withholds consummation of the marriage until her husband presents her with costly colored beads that are worn around the waist. The more beads a woman receives the more valued she is as a wife." I guess that's cooler than using cows to gauge your worth. I'm a 50 bead wife! It's also a great excuse to get your husband to go with you to the local bead shop. [wheels are turning in my head]

7. Bracelets of iron and grass also don't sound so bad, but I wonder if the iron bracelet would rust over time.

8. "One interesting example comes from the Wamba (Congo). According to tradition the copper anklets worn by wives were once used to prevent wives from running away. Over time women have used them as a means of displaying their husbands' wealth, similar to a platinum ring in Western cultures." Hm. Not a bad idea there. As long as he wasn't looking at it like shackles. Barefoot and pregnant, chained to the kitchen? Nah.

9. Various clothing such as head scarves, triangular skirts, and scarves around the neck have also been used.

10. Various styles of braided hair sound pretty interesting, but I can barely braid my hair even remotely decently when it's long, let alone some of the things done through the ages to denote a married woman. Little braids all over that are pulled into a topknot on the head, braided coils behind the ears, etc. I guess that would eliminate a lot of fashion crises, wouldn't it? Or would it just create one massive crisis?

11. Shaving my head in a spiral pattern. Or, better yet, after the wife's first menses as a married woman, both husband and wife get shaved all over their bodies in matching patterns. hehe And some husbands complain when wives make them wear ties that match their evening wear.

(here is the article that contained all this useful information: Tysick, C. (2007). Fertility Rites and the Married Body: Remembering an ancient past through symbolic imagery. PHILICA.COM Article number 81.)

My conclusion: For now, I'll just give the ring a scrub, wait, and try again. But, if next time you see me I'm wearing a triangular skirt, iron necklace, nose bone, and Man and I both have spiral hair.... well, don't ask.