The latest in engagement/wedding ring trends has nothing to do with rings and much more to do with piercings.
Twitter blew up this week with pictures and stories of women sharing their experiences with opting for a finger piercing instead of a traditional wedding ring.
A transdermal implant, or piercing, is a bodily modification that consists of an object placed partially below the skin and partially above the skin. Typically, these kinds of piercings are seen on collarbones, dimples and even on the corners of eyelids. But, this week, the trend emerged to get a transdermal finger piercing in place of a wedding ring. The transdermal piercing makes it look like there's a diamond, more or less, floating on the surface of the skin at the base of the ring finger once the base anchor is secured under the skin and the decorative stud is placed on it.
I have to say, I'm not exactly on board.
In theory, it's a neat idea. It's a more permanent alternative to a traditional engagement ring and wedding band. The message behind it is that it is not as easy to simply remove and move on. Tattoo alternatives, whether on the ring finger or elsewhere on the body, share a similar message. I'm definitely more on board with the tattoo idea: it shares the same "permanent" symbolism, and it does so without the possibility of injury, infection or otherwise.
All I see here is a recipe for disaster. I see it getting caught in my hair, on my clothes and basically everything else. A task as simple as reaching into my front pocket for my keys could easily turn painful with this piercing. I can't imagine the healing process, but it probably includes months of a bloody wedding "ring." I'll pass.
With piercings like this, and piercings in general, it's important to know who's doing it and where they're doing it. Piercings in the ear, nose and other parts of the body that only involve skin and cartilage, it's safer. There's not as much at risk, but when there's bones and tendons and other structures that exist within the hands, there's a lot more at stake. A lot you probably shouldn't leave in the hands of a mediocre tattoo artist.
Another problem I see with this trend is the insecurity. I hear horror stories of brides and fiancees losing engagement rings and wedding bands, even when they're firmly wrapped around their finger. This is just sitting on the skin. It screws into the anchor, but my cartilage earrings screw in too and I've lost them before. I've lost enough five dollar earrings to know that I wouldn't want my wedding diamond to be any less secure that they already are.
I'm all for millennial trends in fashion, makeup and otherwise, but, call me old-fashioned, I think I'll stick to a traditional engagement ring and wedding band.
