Silicone Rings: Fun, Flexible Alternatives to Traditional Metal Jewelry

I’ve been married for a loooong time, and I have a habit of taking off my wedding band as soon as I get home because my fingers swell throughout the day and my gold ring starts to feel tight and uncomfortable. During the pandemic lockdown, I stopped wearing my ring entirely. And on those precious occasions when I left the house, I would forget to put it back on and felt oddly exposed.

I needed something that was quite literally more flexible, and I first discovered silicone wedding bands after our guide published, so I bought a skinny teal Enso Stackable Ring. It’s only 2½ millimeters wide, and our testers reported that it’s one of the most comfortable silicone rings to wear, which I’ve absolutely found to be true. When I have the Enso on, it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything at all. And it’s pliable enough that if my fingers swell, it doesn’t feel like my circulation is being cut off. I also love the little pop of color that it adds to my finger without being overwhelming or intrusive.

Though the geometric design on the exterior has worn down over time, the ring comes with a lifetime warranty to cover “rips, tears, stretching, wear, and even discoloration.” Should I ever choose to exchange it for a new ring, I need only to fill in the form on the Enso site and pay for shipping.

I now recommend this ring to any of my friends who become pregnant, or to those who work jobs in construction, food prep, or physical training—where wearing a traditional ring can be challenging or dangerous.

I still wear my traditional wedding band, but I’ll switch it up with my Enso for days when I’m feeling like I need a little more give.

In our original guide, we focused on cheaper rings that came in multipacks, as well as pricier rings with grooved linings that would provide more comfort and last longer. In total, we considered about 42 silicone wedding bands and tested 11 from brands like Egnaro, Enso Rings, Groove Life, Manly Bands, Qalo, Roq Silicone Rings, and ThunderFit.

Like most other silicone wedding bands we tested, the Groove Life Original Solid Ring was made to withstand the harsh environments of factories, kitchens, labs, construction sites, and gyms. And if you’re pregnant and looking for an adjustable wedding ring to wear when your fingers swell, this ring will do the job. The Groove Life Original comes with a lifetime warranty that covers you if you rip it, and it’s reasonably priced. This ring also comes in more than 100 different color options.

If you’re looking for a thinner silicone ring that’s closer to the size of a traditional wedding band—maybe you want a subtler ring—the Groove Life Thin Solid Ring is the better choice. It comes in smaller sizes for smaller hands, and it’s just 5½ millimeters thick (compared with the Original’s 8-millimeter size). Yet it has the same internal ridge lining to allow for air circulation, and it can stretch. It also comes with the same lifetime warranty. The Thin Solid is available in some different colors than the Original.

The Roq Dome Style Thin Silicone Ring comes in a pack of four silicone bands. Because they lack internal cushioning and grooves that mold to your finger, the Roq rings aren’t as comfortable to wear as some of our pricier favorites—comparatively, they’re fine, versus “Wow, this feels nice.” But the 6-millimeter-thick rings are still solid enough to throw on for a few hours of work or exercise. Plus, if you lose a Roq, it won’t hurt your wallet in quite the same way. Like the Groove Life rings, the Roq rings come with a lifetime warranty.

Internal design: Silicone rings, unlike traditional metal rings, can irritate the skin on your finger over long periods if the ring doesn’t have airflow channels on the inside. Because of the texture and slight flex of silicone rings, they have a tendency to sit in one place against your skin, causing a buildup of sweat and gunk. Traditional rings, on the other hand, rotate easily and freely, allowing air to flow underneath their rigid shape. In order to avoid irritation during daily use, look for a silicone ring with etchings inside, which encourage immediate airflow around your finger (like an engraved logo or grooves to channel sweat away and give air room to circulate).

Stretchiness: A little stretch is useful. Because silicone bands very rarely come in half-sizes, it’s important that they be stretchy enough to expand a tad if you’re in between sizes. It’s a fine line: You want them to stretch and grow a little bit, but not so much that they become unwearable.

Thickness: A silicone wedding band’s thickness wasn’t something we used to qualify or disqualify a ring, but we did make sure to try a variety. We made picks from 2½ millimeters to 8 millimeters; whether a thick or thin ring will work for you depends totally on your taste.

Look: Tastes vary, of course, so we searched for simple rings that were available in a bunch of different colors. Most silicone bands we investigated came in a few different colors, but some companies stood out to us because they offered 14 or more colors.

Durability: Many of the rings we tested felt durable, and oftentimes their websites had helpful notes on how much force each band could survive: The Groove Life Original Solid Ring can withstand 32 pounds of pressure, for instance. The Roq Dome Style Thin Silicone Ring can withstand 20 pounds of force, so if it gets snagged on something, it won’t snap instantly (but it will before your finger gets hurt). These measurements give us a good idea of how long these rings will last.

Warranty: We looked for a lifetime warranty when possible, and in many cases, that was what was offered.

Reasonable price: We considered a range of silicone wedding rings, priced between $2 and $40 per ring. (We didn’t test any over $40; nothing those rings offered was more compelling than what was offered by cheaper rings.) The difference between the two ends of the price spectrum was obvious right away: The more expensive rings had grooves on the inside, allowing for increased airflow and a more comfortable wearing experience, and the pricier rings felt more durable, like they could last for a year or more.

This article was edited by Catherine Kast and Rachelle Bergstein. It is based on a guide written by Justin Krajeski, first published in 2020.