Should A Ring Leave An Indent? [And Why Does It Do So?]

Should A Ring Leave An Indent? [And Why Does It Do So?]

One of the most exciting parts about getting married or engaged is wearing a new ring to forever immortalize it.

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But when you consider how special the ring is, it’s important to make sure that it fits perfectly onto the finger without being too loose, and also without being too tight.

Should A Ring Leave An Indent? [And Why Does It Do So?]

Because of the importance placed on the size of the ring, many often find themselves wondering whether the ring should be leaving an indent on the finger.

You may have noticed an indent being left on your finger, and now find yourself fretting over whether it is a sign of anything, or whether it means that the ring is too tight. 

Well, if you’ve ever wondered whether a ring should leave an indent, then you have come to the perfect place because we are going to take an in-depth look to find out whether a wedding ring should leave an indent, and why they so often do! 

Should A Ring Leave An Indent?

While a ring is not designed to leave an indent on your finger, it is not always a problem if it does, and is totally normal. No two hands are ever the same, which means that a ring that may be too loose on one person may be a little tight on another person. This means that some rings may be more likely to leave an indent than others. 

Indents can sometimes be a positive sign because they indicate that the ring fits tightly enough to not become loose. 

You may also notice that rings are a little more likely to leave an indent if they are worn for a long period of time, thanks to the fact that the ring will rub against the skin. 

Why Does A Ring Leave An Indent?

The reason that rings so often leave an indent is that it either fits perfectly or maybe just a little bit too snuggly. 

Rings also leave indents simply because every person has very different fingers, and as such, rings will always fit differently on certain people.

For the most part, an indentation is totally fine, because it simply indicates that the ring fits as it should, but if the indentation is severe, or the ring feels uncomfortable, then it is entirely possible that it is too tight!

Some often find that the ring leaving an indent is a comfort because it ensures that the ring will not ever fall off unknowingly. 

Indents are also caused by the ring rubbing against the finger. Even if your ring is slightly loose, and can spin in place while on your finger, it can still leave an indent because the rubbing of the ring will cause the skin to become a slightly different texture to the rest of the finger, which can also cause a visible indent.

Don’t forget that your body is always slightly changing in shape and form as you go about your day, and this also extends to your fingers.

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You may find that if you are gripping something tightly, or your fists are clenched, then your ring may begin to strain thanks to the fact that that section of the finger will swell. This means that if you work out, such as engaging in weight lifting, then you will find that your ring will feel a little tighter. 

How Do You Know If A Ring Is Too Tight?

Do you suspect that your ring is a little bit too tight? Unsure whether it really is too tight? Let’s take a look at some of the main ways that you can identify that a ring is too tight. 

The easiest way to notice if a ring is too tight is to check for discomfort. Does the finger the ring rests on feel uncomfortable? Does the ring cause pain? It could well be that the ring is a little bit too tight.

If the ring is too tight, it is important to remove it from that finger, because an overly tight ring can cause circulation problems in the finger, which could cause further complications. 

You may also notice that the ring cannot move. Most people are able to slightly shift the ring while it is on their finger, such as adjusting the position or spinning it around. If you are unable to do that, then it may be too tight. 

What Can You Do With A Ring That Is Too Tight?

If you do find that your ring is too tight, don’t fret, because you don’t have to get rid of it outright!

Luckily, there are some truly amazing services that can allow you to resize a ring to your specifications, so you don’t have to worry about losing a special and sentimental ring. 

When a ring is resized professionally to be smaller, the jeweler takes the ring and cuts out a small section of it, and then carefully joins the new ends together. This causes the ring to be much smaller than before.

If a ring is resized to be larger, then jewelers have many different options. One technique that many jewelers use is to shave off a small amount of the ring from the center, which widens the hole so that the finger can more comfortably fit into the ring.

Another technique is to cut a small section of the ring out, and then join the ends up with a new piece of metal. This will slightly alter the shape of the ring but will mean that it can comfortably be worn.

How Do You Know If A Ring Is Too Loose?

As we mentioned earlier, sometimes a ring can fit quite loosely on a person’s finger and can have some leeway to shift slightly. This is totally normal, and, in fact, on some people, a ring can move around quite a bit, but as long as the ring is held in place by the knuckles, then it is not too loose. 

You will know that your ring is too loose on your finger if you find that even your knuckles cannot hold it in place sufficiently. If you find yourself constantly fretting that your ring may fall off when you least expect it, then it is likely that the ring is too large, and will need to be resized!

How Do You Know If A Ring Fits Perfectly?

You will be able to tell that a ring fits perfectly if it just generally feels comfortable. If you find yourself not even being aware of it most of the time, and your finger does not ever feel like it is being strained by the ring, then you know that you have found a perfect ring. 

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You may also benefit from having a ring that is able to spin around your finger. Of course, you don’t ideally want the ring to be so loose that it can spin around your finger freely, but you will want the ring to be able to spin when moved about when you push it around with your hand.

You’ll also know that your ring fits perfectly if you don’t find yourself worrying that it may slip off. If the ring is too loose you may find yourself holding onto it tightly with your hand, which can cause strain over time.

You will want the ring to be just tight enough to always feel present on your finger but without causing a strain, that way you will always be comfortable in the knowledge that you haven’t lost it.

What Else Can Affect How A Ring Rests On Your Finger?

While it is usually safe to say that, once you have found the perfect fitting ring, you will never need to adjust it again, there are certain things that can affect how the ring fits on your finger. 

One thing that can slightly alter how your ring feels is temperature. When you become warm, your body naturally swells slightly, and while it may only be a small amount of swelling, it can feel pretty significant when it comes to rings on your fingers.

If you wear a ring that is snug to your finger, then you may find that it feels a little tight when you find yourself in higher temperatures!

Another factor that can affect the fit of your ring is weight gain. Though it would take some time to see weight beginning to accumulate on your fingers, you may find that, as you gain weight, your ring becomes a little tighter.

This also ties into how diet, in general, can affect how your ring feels. If you make any significant changes in your diet, your body may react by swelling slightly.

This is referred to as edema, and it may make your ring feel a little tighter, though only temporarily. If you are dehydrated, as well, then your ring may feel looser.

Is a Ring Indentation Permanent? 

If you are worried at all that the indentation from your ring is permanent, fret no longer, because we can assure you that the indentation will not be there forever, and will begin to gradually fade away with time.

The time it takes for a ring indentation to fade away, however, can differ quite massively. Thus it is difficult for us to say for certain just how long you can expect to wait.

If you have been wearing the ring for a longer period, though, you can expect the indentation to take a little bit longer to fully fade away. 

The ring indent can take, at the longest, around 6 months to 12 months to fade away. Though the fading process can be hurried by lightly massaging the indent, which helps to increase the blood flow to that area of the finger. 

To Wrap Up

So, there you have it! While no ring has to leave an indent, it is totally normal for a ring to leave one. This is because it is generally preferred for a ring to rest slightly tighter around the finger because it ensures that it will not accidentally come loose and get lost.

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As such, an indentation will naturally appear on the finger in the spot where the ring is located. This is because the skin under the ring will be rubbed by the ring, and thus will change in texture ever so slightly.

The skin where the indent is can also look different because of the weather. If you were to get a tan, then that portion of the finger would appear a bit lighter.

Luckily, if you don’t like ring indents, or for whatever reason you need to get rid of the ring, they are not permanent, and will eventually fade away.

If you don’t want them at all, make sure to take the ring off at the end of every day.

And if you do want to keep your ring but you notice that it is too big or too small, you can easily get it adjusted at a professional jeweler, where they can easily cut out sections of the ring to either make it smaller or larger!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens When You Wear A Ring For Too Long?

If you do ever find yourself wearing a ring for a little bit too long, don’t worry, because there won’t be any drastic effects.

The longer you wear a ring, the more likely you will find an indentation developing on your finger. The longer the ring has been on, the longer that that mark will take to fade away over time.

If you wear a cheaper ring for a long period of time, you may find that marks begin to develop on your fingers, these are caused by staining from the ring. Some rings may turn your fingers green, due to copper interacting with sweat and other things on your skin.

How Common Are Ring Avulsions?

Ring avulsions are incidents in which the ring on the finger is pulled with extreme force, which causes damage to the finger itself.

Luckily, such injuries are extremely rare, because they depend on the ring being in just the wrong place during a fall or because of a sports injury. 

Can You Wear Rings Overnight?

Yes. It is totally safe to wear a ring overnight, and you won’t find yourself harmed in any way.

However, if your ring has, say, a large diamond on it, then it may be riskier to fall asleep wearing it, as the diamond may end up scratching you, your bedsheets, or even your partner!

Thus, you should aim to take such rings off before you head off to sleep!

Jodie Messines
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