Are you one of those people who like to wear jewelry that has symbols or ones which carry a strong meaning?
If that is you, then congratulations! You will soon be the owner of a new brand thumb ring.
In all honesty, I think people are used to wearing rings on these other fingers and they seem to have pushed pinkies and thumbs to a corner and somehow forgotten about them. You will be surprised to learn that thumb rings are as important as the ring you will wear on any other finger.
Most people wear a thumb ring to which they have a sentimental attachment, but you will find people who put it on just to look fashionable.
Thumb rings are commonly used to tell a story or pass a message, and yours can do the same especially if you get one that is of a kind or carries a meaningful symbol.
Probably you have started thinking about acquiring one to symbolize something. Before you do, you need to be filled in about the details of thumb rings. This is why we wrote this article, to give you all the information you need.
You probably are asking if you should buy a cheap thumb ring or go big with a diamond ring? No worries, we shall go through each detail to help you make an informed decision as you go out shopping.
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| PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
| 1. Classic Wedding Ring (Used As Thumb Ring) |
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| 2. KOHOTA 6pcs Simple Adjustable Rings Set- Best Value |
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| 3. 14K White Gold Bezel Set Diamond Ring |
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| 4. Diamond Chevron Stackable Fashion Ring |
|
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| 5. Milgrain Marquise and Dot Diamond Eternity Ring |
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Overall Best: Classic Wedding Ring (Used As a Thumb Ring)
- Great style for a thumb ring
- Available in K and 18K white and yellow gold
- Low set design
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Having looked at many thumb rings, I could not afford to rate this Blue Nile wedding band that is worn as a thumb ring any lower.
Why?
Although it features a wedding band style, it makes a beautiful thumb ring. This ring boasts a softly polished finishing and a comfortable fit. The inner part of the ring is curved to fit very well and comfortably around your thumb.
The primary colors you can choose for the ring are white gold and yellow gold.
When you go shopping for a thumb ring, you will find countable jewelers who have labeled these rings as “thumb rings”. It is during my search that I also found out that thumb rings are also wedding rings.
The downside of this ring is that it is quite expensive if you are shopping on a tight budget. But do not despair; I have a list of other great thumb rings that are more affordable found on Amazon. You will find them below.
5 Best Thumb Rings
Below is a list of the thumb rings I found to be the best. A little later on I will tell you why I love each of them and a few of their shortcomings.
- Classic Wedding Band (Used As A Thumb Ring)
- 14K White Gold Bezel Set Diamond Ring
- KOHOTA 6pcs Simple Adjustable Rings Set- Best Value
- Milgrain Marquise and Dot Diamond Eternity Ring
- Diamond Chevron Stackable Fashion Ring
What is a Thumb Ring?
Thumb rings can be traced back to the ancient days in Egypt. During that time, a mummy was discovered having a ring on both of her thumbs. Thumb rings are more popular in Eastern than Western cultures and are worn for many reasons.
In the past, women who were wealthy and stylish liked to wear rings on all their fingers. In the 16th century, rings were worn on the thumb to indicate that you were a medical practitioner and they looked very attractive.
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In China, thumb rings were worn by people in the military to indicate their rank in the force. Most of these rings were made from jade or glass.
Thumb rings have also been used by archers to prevent their fingers from being hurt by the arrow. The thumb rings back then were thicker and heavier than the ones in the market today. At that time also, how thick your thumb ring was showed how independent you were.
Today, thick bands are so annoying and make the ring not stackable.
In the late 20th century, thumb rings became the almost definite way of distinguishing heterosexuals from homosexuals. The homosexuals wore a thumb ring on the left hand to show they were taken and a ring on the right hand showed the wearer was single.
In history dating back several centuries, rings for the thumb were accessories for men, but today more women are willingly wearing this jewelry piece. Jewelers make thumbnails in different styles and materials like gold, stainless steel, copper, and sterling silver.
Symbolism
People wear thumb rings today as an association with a culture or style; there are people who wear the ring as part of their tradition. Most people who wear thumb rings do not even attach their meaning to a thumb ring, but exactly what the ring means to them as a person.
Lovers of thumb rings wear it to show something important, like a loss. Others wear it to show how they survived a sickness or trauma.
So what qualifies as your dream thumb ring? You can have everyone telling you which the best and top quality thumb ring is, but truly what is best for you is the ring that means something to you.
Buying Thumb Rings
Just like any other piece of jewelry, the best thumb ring is one that is high quality. You will realize later that our list of best thumb rings consists of rings made using solid gold. The solid gold rings are much cheaper than most other options, but I am here to provide you with a list of only the best.
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In my opinion, the best thumb ring would be genuine, durable, and best value for money.
When looking for the best thumb ring in the market, you need to have a clue of what you really want and also know your budget. It may be easy to tell you not to think about the dollars, but most shoppers already have a low or high price range in their mind when buying jewelry.
To start with, you need to know which style of thumb ring you want. There are several styles like an infinity ring or wave ring. If you wish to have a gemstone thumb ring, maybe you want a black onyx or a transparent colored topaz?
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You most likely do not want something that is set high or sticks out because your thumbs are more active than other fingers. Because of this, settling for a ring that will not be caught by fabric, gets knocked easily, or snag too soon.
The ring must also be very comfortable. If you take a ring that has additional designs, the metal will rub against other fingers and cause a lot of irritation. This is especially the case with rings for fat fingers. If the ring is adjustable, you may get the feeling of the metal digging into the finger. Thus, it is important to get comfort above all other things.
If you intend to wear the thumb ring daily, be careful if you pick a gemstone, cubic zirconia, or crystals, as these get worn out faster than real diamonds. These may need to be plated by rhodium from time to time.
Diamonds come highly recommended for thumb rings compared to gemstones and cubic zirconia. Diamond is the hardest mineral, it does not easily crack or chip. Gemstones on the other hand differ in properties depending on the type of gemstones and most of them are only as hard as determined by the conditions they thrived in.
Best thumb rings are also made using solid metal such as gold. Gold does not tarnish but will need the rhodium to be plated often. Gold is good at withstanding different weather conditions more than sterling silver and other metals.
For everyday wear, 14K gold is a good choice.
To conclude, the top most thumb ring is made of either diamonds or gold. The style and design of the thumb ring depend on you.
How to Clean a Thumb Ring
The method of cleaning depends on the material or metal used to make the thumb ring.
For a gold thumb ring, mix mild soap with lukewarm water and drop the gold ring in. leave it in to soak for about 30 minutes so that all the dirt is removed.
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You can remove any stubborn dirt on the inside or outside using a brush that has soft bristles. The same method can be used to clean diamond rings for the thumb. However, if your ring is made of gemstones, you have to be careful as not all gemstones can be soaked in water. Good examples of gemstones that can’t be soaked are pearls and doublet as well as triplet opals.
Another good method of cleaning thumb rings made of gold is to use a jewelry cleaning agent specifically meant for gold. Such kinds of cleaners are usually cheap especially if you use them very often.
A jewelry cleaner is a solution already mixed that comes together with a drainer to dip in the ring. You can choose between soaking and dipping the ring in but either way, you still need to clean with a soft brush.
If your thumb ring is made of sterling silver, cleaning will be a little harder. You can still clean with mild soap and water but the trick lies in the soaking period. You shouldn’t let the ring stay in the solution for more than 15 minutes.
The same sterling silver thumb ring can be cleaned by the use of olive oil and lemon juice. You will need a half cup of pure lemon juice and a teaspoon of olive oil. Mix the two and dip a soft piece of cloth in it. Use the wet cloth to gently wipe bacteria away from the jewelry as you also polish the ring. Rinse the cloth and leave it out to dry.
RECOMMENDED: Best Wedding Rings for Men
If you cannot clean the thumb ring by yourself, there are commercial cleaners all over the place. You must be careful taking this route since they are really strong, leaving silver jewelry in the cleaner is not a good idea.
Every time you shake or dip silver in a solution, the shine gets lost, so you will need a shining cloth at hand every time you are cleaning silver jewelry to restore its shine.
Another disadvantage of commercial cleaners is that they will lead to loss of any dark or antiqued areas of the ring and you may need to oxidize the ring to regain that effect.
Where to Buy Thumb Rings
There is numerous jewelry stores that you can buy jewelry from, but when it comes to thumb rings, you need to widen your search to reach in places you never imagined before. For example, if you want a funky sterling silver bohemian thumb ring, you will not find it in a fine jewelry store, if you find one, it is most likely not as sparkly as it is supposed to be. But if you look in a jewelry counter in a book; you will find it there but can only be gotten if you make a special order.
Most of the stores would not want you ordering jewelry from such books because these books normally have random but rare jewelry pieces that have spinner rings, cubic zirconia, stainless steel, and beaded bands. You will find pinky jewelry and chunky jewelry. You may even find a thumb rings category.
Most jewelry shops don’t like customers ordering from the jewelry books because the pieces therein are cheap and may not contribute a lot to the sales target set. You can skip all these hassles and the pushy nature of salespeople and look for very affordable thumb rings from Amazon.
If you prefer a thumb ring that glitters and is glamorous and you have extra bucks to spend, allow me to direct you to two of our most trusted jewelry sellers Blue Nile and James Allen.
As you are shopping, keep in mind that a thumb ring is similar to a wedding ring, so the best quality diamond rings make the best rings for a thumb.
So why not pick a 14K white gold or rose gold diamond ring for your thumb? You can be sure to find a ring that goes well with your bridal set or engagement ring. You can get everything you want in a thumb ring from these online jewelry sellers.
Best Thumb Rings
1. Classic Wedding Band (Used As a Thumb Ring)
My best-rated ring is also a wedding ring that is worn as a thumb ring.
This 14K gold wedding band sold at Blue Nile can perfectly be worn as a thumb ring and beats all the rest.
Blue Nile widens the band selection by making it available in platinum and various colors of gold white, rose, and yellow.
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The band is thin, measuring 2mm which may not be favorable for anyone who likes wide bands.
A thin band such as this gives more room for stackable rings that make a powerful statement. This ring will look more appealing when worn with other kinds of thumb rings regardless of whether it has diamonds or gemstones.
This ring can be worn by both men and women, although the only lady-ish aspect about is the width. Although, a thin width is very comfortable for a thumb ring.
Pros
- Unisex
- Solid gold of 14K or K or platinum
- Simple ring
- Excellent customer track record
Cons
- Band is very thin for men
2. 14K White Gold Bezel Set Diamond Ring
This is a wedding ring that features stylish details that will turn eyes everywhere you go.
It features a milgrain design which is what most stackable rings have. The vintage detail is being sought after by customers recently. This is the reason why designers like Vera Wang and Neil Lane have recently become very popular.
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During my time at one of the popular jewelry stores, I realized that vintage designs were bought more especially for stackable bands and anniversary rings.
The disadvantage with vintage-style thumb rings is that they are difficult to match with any other jewelry and their texture can be an issue for your finger.
The diamonds in this thumb ring are securely protected in the setting. I prefer diamond sparkle to metal, that’s why bezel settings with all the metal are not for me.
But I can’t ignore the fact that the bezel holds the diamonds firmly and prevents them from becoming loose. Such settings also have a high price because of the craftsmanship used.
Pros
- Diamonds are better protected
- 4K white gold
- Infinity halo style is trending
Cons
- Expensive
- Milgrain has a rough texture
3. KOHOTA 6pcs Simple Adjustable Rings Set- Best Value
This is an affordable set of 6 thumb rings that offer you the best value for money. This is one of the cheapest purchases on this list as all the other items go for a cost not less than $100 for a single ring.
This makes the best set if you have not had much experience with thumbnails that have a lot of art. It is the best choice if you want to try out with a less costly thumb ring set before settling for the big brands.
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With this ring, you don’t need to concern yourself so much with the ring size because they are adjustable, although adjustable rings normally have issues. This set of thumb rings is however not durable.
The rings are made using copper which is a bendy metal and continuous adjusting and bending will weaken the ring over time. The copper is also likely to get warped. Another thing is that these rings are just painted with gold colors and not gold plated. As expected the painting will fade soon.
The rings are described as stackable which to me is not likely since they look a little bulky. Maybe a few of them can be stacked but finding a matching band is going to be hard.
Pros
- 6 distinct designs
- Ring size can be adjusted
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Made of copper
- Frequent bending makes the metal weak
- A little bulky for some people
4. Milgrain Marquise and Dot Diamond Eternity Ring
This cannot afford to miss on the list of common vintage milgrain ring designs.
This particular ring comes in two distinct shapes, marquise and round.
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The greatest thing about this ring is that the two shapes are not just different but they are also plated with K rose gold.
The inside of the band has real diamonds with a clarity grade of SI2-slightly included. This is an acceptable clarity grade for its diamond size. The diamond’s color grade is I, almost colorless.
Diamonds that have these specifications will give you the sparkle you desire. This thumb ring makes the perfect stackable ring and looks beautiful, whether yellow gold or white gold.
Something not good to note is that this is an eternity ring that features stones running around the ring making it difficult to resize. This means if you buy and it does not fit, you will have to make arrangements with Blue Nile to acquire a new thumb ring.
Sometimes when the season changes, the finger may swell, making the ring tighter than usual. This is common with an eternity band.
Also, the stones go around the ring making it very likely to be knocked as you go about your daily routine. We always either knowingly or unknowingly bang our fingers on things all day. This is the reason most diamond thumb rings have stones that don’t go past halfway down the band.
Pros
- Stackable
- Popular vintage design
- Natural diamonds
- Two shapes mixed, marquise and round
Cons
- Difficult to resize
- Diamonds can fall out easily
-
Irritation from beads
5. Diamond Chevron Stackable Fashion Ring
This is an upgraded design of that fashionable chevron ring for a thumb.
In the place of handmade copper or vintage sterling silver is a K rose gold ring made of diamond.
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If you love tradition but still want some degree of sophistication, this is the thumb ring you are looking for.
There is also a white gold and rose gold ring to go with this. This way you can make a colorful triple-tone stackable thumb ring.
One downside is that you may find it hard to get bands that match this chevron design. The band’s width is 1.3 mm; having three if this size each is not too wide and will not interfere with how your thumb functions.
Another disadvantage is that Blue Nile says this ring can neither be repaired nor resized since the design is very fragile.
This ring is also not good for daily wear, you can still wear it regularly but you have to be careful with what you are doing when the ring is on your finger.
Pros
- Can be stacked on each other
- Simple pave diamonds
- Affordable price
Cons
- Clarity grade of I1 is for smaller stones
- Not everyone may like the yellow gold
- Not repairable or resizable
Best Pick: 14K Gold Two-Tone 1.8mm Comfort-Fit Wedding Band
I still stick with this as the best thumb ring out of all the rings I have reviewed.
At 1.8 mm, it is the perfect ring when worn individually or even when stacked. It has been designed to fit comfortably on your finger. The metal hugs your finger well without causing any discomfort, you may not even notice you have a ring on.
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Comfort is important when it comes to thumb rings, and more important if you are just starting to wear them. This is important to know that your thumbs are more active than other fingers, so wearing a ring that is not comfortable may be a constant bother.
The band has two shades of color which make it easy to match with other colors of gold jewelry. This simple ring does not have you worried about knocking the stones to the extent of becoming loose or even falling out.
The two shades combined with a high-quality finish make the ring look very gorgeous and sophisticated.
Conclusion
I hope that you found my review of best thumb rings useful.
Always remember that the perfect thumb ring is that which symbolizes what is important to you, so regardless of the material used or price of the ring, ensure you have a personal reason for wearing the thumb ring.
The reason could be you are a proud member of the LGBTQ society, a prayer, a memorable event, or anything that is important to you. The prettiest thumb ring is the piece that carries some meaning for you.