Silicone wedding bands make a flexible and inexpensive alternative to a traditional wedding band for men and women who want to wear an engagement or wedding ring in situations where a traditional metal ring is not the best choice.
These silicone rings are particularly popular with people who work with their hands in a workshop, outdoors, boating, as first responders or work with heavy machinery.
All the rings on this list are also a practical and durable choice for people who enjoy an active lifestyle, including lifting weights at the gym and sports such as various watersports, trail running, hiking and climbing where you may otherwise need to remove your traditional metal band because of safety or durability concerns.
Why do people wear silicone rings?
The three most common reasons silicone wedding rings are so popular are to keep your fingers safe, to keep your expensive metal wedding band or engagement ring safe, or simply for personal preference.
Silicone rings are safer to wear than traditional metal rings
A metal ring is stronger than your finger, so if that ring gets trapped, caught or otherwise put under force and pressed against your ring finger then there are a lot of ways you can seriously damage your finger or hand.
You’ve probably heard of ring avulsion, or ‘degloving’ which can happen if your traditional metal ring gets caught on something, and is as nasty as it sounds.
If you haven’t heard of this hand injury and are curious to know more, this video provides an amusing anecdote of how it can happen to everyone (even just at home in your kitchen).
A silicone ring, on the other hand, is made of rubber and is designed to stretch – it will break if put under enough tension, making it a safer option for many people.
Keep your valuable jewelry safe
If you enjoy an active lifestyle and sports where you may damage or lose your traditional ring, then you probably find you take it off frequently, whether that’s because you’re going to lift weights and the ring may pinch your hand, or you’re going hiking, running or swimming and don’t want to lose it.
With a silicone ring you can keep wearing it on your ring finger during your sports and adventures and don’t need to worry about damaging or losing your valuable traditional band or engagement ring.
They’re pretty durable, designed to stretch, and inexpensive if you did happen to break the band and need to replace it.
Silicone rings are a great option if you’re on a budget
Perhaps you’re getting married and really don’t feel the need for a traditional wedding band, or are on a budget so are considering getting a silicone band instead.
You could choose to wear a metal-look silicone wedding ring, or select an eye-catching, bright color or design such as camo, flourescents, or a texture or pattern.
For a more understated, traditional look some of the best silicone rings are available in the colors of metal wedding bands, with metallic effect rings such as silver, gunmetal, copper, platinum or gold as well as plain colors like black and blue.
However, if you don’t particularly want a plain silicone ring you could choose an alternative such as colored, two-tone, patterned or stackable silicone rings which you can buy in a matching set of three thin rings that you can wear together in a ‘stack’.
Choosing between the best silicone rings brands
As far as which is the best brand when you’re looking for options for silicone wedding rings, the companies in this list are our top picks.
All of the ‘best silicone wedding bands’ in this list are durable, lightweight, heat and cold-resistant and waterproof, but are designed to break (instead of hurting your finger) if put under a high level of tension.
1. QALO Rings
QALO silicone rings are comfortable, lightweight, heat and cold-resistant and waterproof, but are designed to break (instead of hurting your finger) if put under a high level of tension.
This makes them a great choice for people who want a safer alternative to traditional wedding bands.
QALO rings are also very affordable, starting at just $25. This makes them a great option for couples on a budget.
QALO rings come in a wide variety of styles and patterns so it should be easy to find a style you love.
The QALO range includes eye-catching and fun silicone ring styles including their reversible ‘switch’ and camo silicone rings, and stackable bands.
You can choose to have a thick or thin ring as they’re available in various thickness options, including more delicate rings as well as wider versions that are more suited to people with larger hands.
QALO’s silicone is 100% recyclable and they will recycle any silicone ring or other silicone product for you (not just QALO products).
They also sell other silicone products you may enjoy, such as their popular jingle-free silicone dog tags.
Their customer services include a 30-day refund, 60-day exchange, and one-time, any-time warranty policy.
2. Groove Life Rings
Groove Life offers innovative low-profile silicone rings for women and men, which feature grooves on the back to increase airflow and breathability of the ring by allowing moisture to escape.
Similar to Qalo Rings, Groove Life offers a wide range of some of the best silicone wedding rings, including the highly popular plain black silicone rings.
As well as single-color options that are great as wedding band alternatives, Groove Life offers a wide selection of bright patterns and textures, which are some of the best silicone rings you can get that are not specifically designed to replace your regular wedding band (because, ya know, that’s not the only reason you may want to wear a ring on your finger).
Groove Life rings are also available in different widths.
Ring customization and personalization are available on some of Groove Life’s styles of silicone ring.
Groove Life also offers custom engraved case options, which is a nice touch if you’re planning on giving a silicone ring to your partner as a gift.
Other innovations include textured double-layer rings and their Zeus anti-stretch range of less flexible (yet still breakable) silicone rings for men, that have greater durability than other styles.
Groove Life has a 30-day return or exchange guarantee if you get the wrong size or don’t like the color or style, and a lifetime warranty.
3. SafeRingZ Silicone Wedding Bands
SafeRingZ specializes in durable, safety-focused metal-effect silicone wedding bands.
All their rings are made in the USA from medical-grade silicone, a 100% non-conductive material.
Why does non-conductive matter? Well, you may prefer to have a non-conductive silicone ring for daily use if you work around electricity or operate heavy machinery.
These rings come in traditional colors such as gold, gun-metal and black, and custom engraving and personalization is available.
Safe RingZ are available in 3mm, 6mm and 9mm band widths.
Safe RingZ have some of the best silicone wedding bands for men with larger fingers in their Titan range, which is a selection for men designed with larger ring size options than other rings may be available in.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that if you’re shopping for a silicone wedding band on a budget, most of Safe RingZ’ rings are slightly less expensive than the other rings on this list.
4. Enso Rings
Enso Rings are known for having some of the best silicone wedding bands for men and women, including metallic-colored rings in thick and thin widths that are suitable for wearing every day, and stackable wedding and engagement rings, that can also be engraved.
You may have already heard of them from the TV – they received an investment on Shark Tank on 2017. Enso’s original Elements collection is infused with precious metals for a more realistic sheen to mimic real metal, like the silicone ring pictured above.
In addition to their silicone wedding bands and rings that mimic metal bands, if you’re after something with more personality then Enso offers a variety of fun special edition and themed silicone band options, such as Pride, Star Wars and Disney rings.
Each Enso silicone ring comes with a lifetime warranty which covers rips, tears, stretching, wear and tear, and even discoloration.
Commonly asked questions
How do you get a silicone ring sized right, for a perfect fit?
Each silicone ring brand has a detailed size guide on its website.
How long do silicone rings last?
Silicone rubber rings are pretty durable – they’re waterproof, heat-resistant, cold-resistant, UV-resistant and most are non-conductive.
Additionally, the properties of these bands mean the silicone ring shouldn’t stretch, shrink or fade in color, even if you have a narrow ring.
How long a silicone ring will last depends on the style and how you wear it. Unless you damage or break it then the general expectation is that a silicone ring will last up to five years.
How much do rubber wedding bands cost?
A silicone ring is inexpensive compared to gold, silver or platinum wedding bands, and an easy way to celebrate your marital status, or just wear jewelry, without worrying about getting a finger caught, or breaking an expensive piece of jewelry.
Silicone rings from the brands featured in our top picks above typically cost between $30 and $40 USD, depending on the style and brand.
Can you wear a silicone wedding ring all the time?
Yes – and many people choose to wear their silicone ring (or rings) all day, every day, just as many people would with a regular wedding band.
Plus, importantly, you can also wear it at times when a traditional ring wouldn’t be a good choice, such as at the gym or rock climbing.
If you’re after maximum comfort, look for a thin ring style that’s smooth and has rounded edges. This should help ensure you don’t even feel like you’re wearing a ring when it’s on.
It’s important to take it off regularly, though, to clean and dry it out.
Because silicone is not breathable, your finger will sweat in the area under the silicone ring, so you need to periodically move your ring while wearing it (or take it off altogether) to dry off the moisture.
How to clean a silicone ring
All the silicone rings from the brands on this list should be pretty easy to clean with warm water and soap. If you have a textured ring, you can also scrub it with an old toothbrush, which will help remove dirt from the patterns or grooves in the design.
Silicone is heat-resistant so you can normally use hot water to help clean it up without worrying about damaging it.
Are silicone rings hypoallergenic?
If a silicone ring is described as being made from medical-grade silicone, which is the case for many of the best silicone wedding bands featured in our top picks, then this should mean that in the US the silicone has been approved by the FDA and should be fine to wear on your skin.
Medical-grade silicone can be referred to as being hypoallergenic, and it’s known for being used in medical devices that even go inside your body, such as breast implants. It’s also used in some cosmetics and, of course, worn by people already familiar with this type of ring.
This means it’s very unlikely that someone wearing a silicone ring would have any issues in this area.
