Believe it or not, grooms have worn metal wedding bands for nearly 3,000 years. But there has been a trend over the past decade that involves swapping out metal rings for something significantly more affordable, safer and replaceable: Silicone rings.
Initially intended for athletes with sporty lifestyles, the silicone ring has become a popular choice for grooms in recent years due to their cost and comfort.
If you’re on the fence about going with silicone for your wedding band, this guide can help you make an informed decision.
In This Article
Why Should I Buy a Silicone Ring for My Wedding Band?
This is one of the first questions that future grooms have when shopping for a wedding band. While traditional wedding bands can look absolutely stunning, the best silicone rings can look just as good.
But why should you go with silicone for your wedding band?
Silicone is Comfortable
The overall comfort of silicone rings is outstanding. Silicone doesn’t catch on things, but that’s only where the advantages begin. Silicone is also:
- Lightweight — Platinum, for instance, is quite heavy compared to a silicone alternative.
- More accommodating — If you’re in between sizes, this can be challenging for fitting a metal ring. Silicone is more flexible, so even when your fingers swell up on a hot day — especially when doing something active — the band won’t feel as constrictive on your finger.
- Great for all-day use — Wearing a gold or silver band all day can eventually become quite uncomfortable. A silicone wedding band is so comfy, you might forget you’re wearing it.
A Silicone Wedding Ring is Safer Than Traditional Metal
We wouldn’t recommend a Google image search for “ring avulsion,” but it’s one of the main reasons grooms seek out a silicone wedding ring.
These are safer than a traditional metal wedding band — especially when the groom is doing potentially dangerous activities, like working on heavy machinery at a factory, or performing some DIY projects around the house using power tools.
Ring avulsion is when the metal gets snagged on something and pulls off your finger quickly and forcefully, typically causing a catastrophic injury that can result in the permanent loss of your finger.
And the potential of that scenario isn’t limited to working on heavy machinery. Working out at a gym with free weights or even ropes can potentially put your finger at risk when wearing a metal band.
Silicone is designed to break when the load of those snags becomes too much. Thankfully, a silicone wedding band is replaceable. Your finger is not.
Silicone Wedding Rings Are Replaceable
Outside of the safety argument for silicone, there’s also the price and replaceability factor.
If you lose something made of solid gold — let’s say it came off at a beach and is nowhere to be found — you could be out hundreds and potentially thousands of dollars, depending on its size. A silicone wedding ring won’t cost you more than $30. And often, it costs less than that.
And in the event the band does break from a powerful snag, replacing it will cost next to nothing.
Silicone Wedding Bands are for Active Lifestyles
A traditional metal wedding band is not only heavy and expensive, but that material can become beat up and scratched after years of wearing it — especially if you live an active lifestyle as an athlete, camper, or some other type of enthusiast.
If you rub a silicone ring up against a squat bar at the gym, for instance, it won’t leave any type of scratch or mark. Do this repeatedly with a metal ring, and there’s likely to be small scratches that appear. Now, this can be buffed out, but that’s potentially expensive and time consuming.
And again, let’s say you’re backpacking in the mountains for a week and your ring ends up missing. You won’t be scouring for a $30 silicone ring like you would be for a $1,500 titanium band.
What to Look For When Shopping For Silicone Wedding Bands
Now that you know more about the product, it’s time to understand what you should be looking for when shopping for silicone rings for men.
Use these tips to make the best-informed purchase:
Medical Grade Silicone
Those who work in the medical industry such as doctors or nurses have been turning to silicone for not just their safety, but also the safety of their patients.
Make sure you’re looking at medical grade silicone because they’ve been tested for biocompatibility. In other words, they’re safe for medical applications. Some skins are sensitive to metals and can cause uncomfortable outbreaks.
Most silicone rings include this feature, so you should be fine. But make sure to double check, especially if you’re purchasing some kind of budget band off Amazon.
Groove Life Rings
We’ll touch on this a bit more in the next section, but Groove Life Rings have become very popular over the last few years and should be one of the first places you go to when shopping for a new men’s ring.
The company offers everything from more traditional looking bands to fun designs featuring your favorite NFL team or Marvel superhero on the ring.
Prices are very competitive, but the “94-year, no B.S.” warranty is the big selling point. If your ring stretches, breaks or even gets lost, the company will replace it, no questions asked, which is essentially a lifetime guarantee. That makes it one of the best silicone ring companies out there.
Silicone Wedding Rings Come in Various Colors
With metal, you’re stuck with only a few options: Gold, silver, and some in between hues, like a darker titanium.
With silicone rings, you can go crazy with any color imaginable. Some men will buy a handful of different colors to best match their outfit for the day. Others will simply go with their favorite color.
The Top 5 Best Silicone Rings for Wedding Bands
With a growing number of companies out there offering this safer alternative for a ring, the market is flooded with options, which can be overwhelming.
Use our research to help find you the best one for your wedding.
Enso Rings
When it comes to shopping for silicone rings, Enso Ring is one of the top players in the game. Not only does it provide a variety of beautiful designs at affordable prices, but the company also offers:
- A lifetime guarantee on all of its products.
- Slimmer bands, which is preferred by some grooms.
- An exchange policy of 90-days. If you don’t like it and want something different, you can trade it in.
Check out the new Rise Collection, which features a traditional, textured look and a handful of great, muted colors.
Another reason to like Enso is its charitable background. A percentage of all sales go toward the company’s charitable activities.
Qalo
Qalo, one of the oldest companies to focus on silicone wedding bands, competes quite well against Enso because it mainly focuses on thicker bands. It’s also popular among medical professionals because all rings are medical-grade.
One of our favorites from Qalo is the brand’s Polished Step Edge. The silhouette design on it makes it look like a traditional ring.
While you can go simple and classy for your wedding band, Qalo also offers a number of more fun and “out there” options, including a ring that reads “Beast Mode On”.
Groove Life Rings
Groove Life Rings may just have the biggest variety of rings, when it comes to design.
The company has a deal with Marvel, just in case you’re a big Spiderman or Captain American fan. It also has licensing deals with the NFL and the NCAA for those who want to support their team on their ring finger.
The lineup of Original Solid rings are the most basic. They feature the brand’s infinite logo and come in a variety of basic colors, like stone grey, black and a really nice looking copper finish.
The guarantee on their rings make this brand a really attractive option for those shopping for this type of ring.
The Perry by Manly Bands
Most of the rings in this category are smooth, but The Perry by Manly Bands has a unique hammered texture that really makes it stand out.
The band itself is very comfortable, lightweight and affordable at $30.
Manly Bands offers a no-questions-asked 30-day exchange and return policy. If your ring breaks or stretches too much, it also comes with a lifetime warranty.
If you’re a big baseball fan, Manly Bands does have a licensing deal with Major League Baseball.
Saferingz Metallic Silicone Wedding Ring
One of the biggest complaints about these types of wedding rings is that they don’t have that shine. That’s where Saferingz comes in with its metallic option.
At first glance, you won’t know this is a silicone ring, which is certainly part of its appeal.
The brand also offers stackable bands for those who want two rings, in addition to thicker bands for those with bigger hands.
Buy Your Silicone Ring Today
While traditional rings are still a great option for many grooms, the silicone ring is growing in popularity. Some couples even opt to have nicer silver or titanium rings to wear for special occasions and then wear the silicone ring for everyday wear.
If you’re not sure which ring to go with, silicone rings tend to be affordable enough for you to try different styles, designs and sizes. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
