Lefties? Which hand do you wear your watch and rings on?

Elly

Do we have any lefties here?

Since watches and rings have been a bit of a topic lately, I'd thought I'd ask.

Most watches are meant to be worn on the left hand (all the controls/winding knobs are for righties) and most women wear engagement rings and wedding bands on the left hand.

Personally for me I beat the heck out of jewelry on my dominant hand and also find it uncomfortable because of how I write. I even wear my purse on my right side so it isn't in the way of my dominant hand. I carry things with my right hand just to have my left side free.

So lefties-- am I alone in my fussiness with my dominant hand? Do you just wear your jewelery on the opposite hand (social conventions and minor awkwardness be darned!), or do you not wear a wedding band or watch at all?

If you wear only your wedding band on your dominant hand, does it look "lonely"? lol
(I've sometimes wondered if Angie would be inclined to wear more jewelry if her watch and ring were split up)

11 years ago

Dressing

25 replies

Latest reply was from milehighstyle (Linda)

Astrid

Veteran

I'm a lefty and I wear watch and rings on my left hand. I never had a problem with my writing. I get crazy when I try to wear a ring on my right hand, it really bothers me, although I can wear a bangle on the right. I also carry my bag on the left side because it feels much more natural to me.

11 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

I'm not a lefty, but I prefer to have my dominant hand free, too. I rarely wear bracelets but prefer them on my left arm - even if I put one on the right without thinking, it bugs so much I have to switch at work. I also usually carry my bag in my left hand - right is free to dig for keys, open doors, etc. I do wear statement rings on my right, but mostly because they don't hinder my dexterity and I want to keep the wedding ring hand uncluttered.

11 years ago

Beth Ann

Veteran

Lefty, here! I don't wear a watch, but if I did it would have to be on the left hand. The right would feel strange. I carry my bag on the left, too!

I'm not bothered by rings on either, hand, but, because I'm a musician playing instruments all day, I use both hands pretty extensively. Bangles and bracelets go on the right hand, always, and the left side of my hand is always covered in ink, from dragging it through my writing. Sigh.

BTW -- doors drive me crazy. They all open the wrong way!

11 years ago

Sarah A

Veteran

Another lefty! I wear my watch on the right and my wedding ring (when I wear it...) on the left. DH said the other morning "Oh my, I am having breakfast with a married woman today!"... as my lack of adornment is quite the running joke in our house. I feel like a ring and bracelet/watch on the same arm is almost too much for my taste. I typically dont wear a watch and bracelet at the same time either.

I used to always carry a bag in my left hand/left shoulder because of being in the military and needing to have the right hand available to salute, but i have just about broken that habit now. Usually if i have a crossbody bag i place it on the right shoulder and it hangs at the left side. A straight tote type bag i carry on the right shoulder along with DD2 on the right hip and hold DD1's hand with my left hand when we go out.

ETA: I feel more comfortable mixing metals too since the wedding ring and bracelet/watch are on different wrists with some geographical distance.

11 years ago

fauxpas

Active Member

Left. Purebred. It all goes on the left.

11 years ago

Elly

Veteran

Awesome-- good to know I'm not the only leftie . . . . but apparently I write weirdly!

Ok, I already knew that, I'll admit. I hold a pen very unusually and often have the ink up my arm as well as on my hand. Apparently I'm brain damaged but no one told my dominant side, so I'm still left-handed, but also do things "weird"!

I had a horrible time when I was engaged--- prongs were my enemy! But maybe I'm the only one . . .

Luckily, it isn't too much of an issue since most hand jewelry is kinda a no-no at work.

11 years ago

Jem

Veteran

Another leftie, here. I wear my watch on my left hand. I have rings on both hands. I think I mostly carry my purse on my left arm, too.

11 years ago

Fruitful

Veteran

Hi Elly! I'm lefthanded and when I wore a watch, I always wore it on my right. More comfortable that way, the knob doesn't stick into my hand when I flex my wrist.

A teacher told my I wrote "backhanded" (sloping left) in grade 3. I ordered The Lettering Book from Bookclub and traced until I had all forward leaning cursive writing. And yeah, I was a fountain pen fail - ink everywhere!

I ♥ lefties

11 years ago

StephanieR

Active Member

I'm lefthanded, when I wear a watch it's on my right - rings I rarely wear but when I do it's a mix of right and left. I carry my bag on my right. As for handwriting, I had a massive run in with a teacher when I was about 8 years old, dip ink pens and left handers don't mix well and trying to make me write the same was as righthanders didn't work. I always get told I look awkward using scissors even using proper left handed ones.

11 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

Just wanted to add that maybe I'm not a 'real' lefty after all. The only thing I have to do with left is writing, I never used all the other things that are especially designed for lefties. My teachers always were astonished that I wrote with left because they said I had such good penmanship! My sister and one of my brothers are lefties too.

11 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

Leftie who has always worn her watches on the right; doubt if I could fasten them if worn on the left. I don't think I have ever tried the left side! Wedding ring is on the traditional left side. Don't wear other rings, but IIRC, I used to wear another ring on my right.

11 years ago

teeandcee

Active Member

Lefty for the most part here. I prefer my watch and rings on my left arm/hand. They feel off and uncomfortable on my right arm/hand, although I do wear rings on that hand regardless.

11 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Not a southpaw, but my best friend is, and she wears both her watch and wedding rings on her left hand. It doesn't bother her. I don't suspect it would bother me, either, because I always wear one ring on each hand, and the one I wear on my right (dominant) hand is bigger than my wedding rings. I don't always wear my (cuff-like leather) watch, but when I do, I often wear a matching cuff-style bracelet on the other hand. I guess feeling 'lopsided' is more bothersome to me than being decorated!

11 years ago

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Another lefty checking in here and I wear my ring on the left, but I always wear my watch on the right wrist. It just feels more *normal* that way! I also wear my purse on my right shoulder. Elly, I love your question posed to Angie about the watch and ring split and the "lonely" on the dominant hand concept. p.s. How do you make your sweet heart symbol, Fruitful? I would have added that, too, because I love lefties!!!

11 years ago

Elly

Veteran

Cool! More lefties---- backwards scissors power!

Apparently I just need to find more comfortable engagement and wedding jewelry next time around. I was previously engaged and hated the ring with a passion-- uncomfortable and I cut myself and other people regularly with the high setting. I don't usually have that problem with my right hand. I still find it slightly uncomfortable, but I have better luck with a vintage ruby band of my great great great grandmother's.

Coincidentally, my mom is a lefty. She wears her wedding rings on the left hand but her watch on the right. She has larger hands and dainty jewelery and it doesn't look quite as nice as the matched set of chunkier pieces I often see women wear.

She doesn't have issues with her rings, but she actually writes by turning her paper upside down and backwards.

11 years ago

Fruitful

Veteran

Elly, most lefties I see turn the paper I around (I turn my arm and body! Awkward! :))

I don't think it's a coincidence your mum is a lefty - isn't there a genetic component? I might be wrong. But my brother and aunt are lefthanded (not my kids though - sadface)

Vicki, I'll put it in capitals so it doesn't make the symbol. You just type (not in capitals) &HEARTS;

Some html works on this forum, some doesn't. But ♥ works which is very handy, since there's so much to love here ^_^

11 years ago

Elly

Veteran

neat code trick! Thanks for sharing.

I have two male cousins that are lefties, apparently some great uncles that were but were beaten as kids not to write with their left hands, so now are horrible righties, and my mom.

IDK if it is genetic or just that she taught me how to write and I always tend to pick things up from the person that taught me (I knit right handed, and can do a lot of other tasks with both hands because I was taught half by my mom and half by my righty family).

She actually curves her hand and completely turns the paper upside down. She signs her name in her checkbook by having it open toward the cashier and not toward her. Prettiest handwriting though!

11 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

I'm a total lefty. I don't wear my wedding ring - it was not expensive and it hangs on a carabiner on my climbing harness. I don't wear a watch either, but if I did, it would be on my right hand because I can fasten it with my left.

11 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

Fruitful, I don't turn the paper either. From us four children are three lefties, my mum is a lefty that had to learn to write with the right hand and my dad is right-handed. My mum has the most beautiful handwriting, even though she doesn't write with her dominant hand! I think two of my dad's brothers are also lefties.

11 years ago

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

My brother is also lefty (he's six years younger) and yet my twin sister (fraternal) and parents are right-handed.

Thanks Fruitful, and yes there is a lot of ♥ here!

11 years ago

elizabeth

Member

I am left handed and I have started to wear my wedding ring on my right hand. I ordered a very thin wedding band to wear on my left hand. I squeeze my fingers together and it hurts to wear my wedding ring when I write. It is so uncomfortable that I started wearing a skin colored gel thing that you actually wear on your toe. It prevents my ring from digging painfully into my pinkie ring when I'm writing. I'm sick of wearing it!

9 years ago

Anonymous

When I wore a watch it was always on my right wrist -- I hated the feeling of something pressing against the veins (arteries?) in my left wrist as I wrote. (In those pre-computer days I was literally a pencil-pusher at work, and I had the middle-finger callus to prove it.) Wedding ring on my left hand, but it's a small thin eternity band. Shoulder bag, right shoulder -- but I'd tuck a clutch under my left arm. And if I had to kick something, it would be with my left foot. (I'm thinking a stray soccer ball, by the way -- nothing breathing!)

9 years ago

old chic

Active Member

I have been a rightie for all of my many years, but I broke my left wrist while on vacay last year and had to have a plate and screws put in to repair it. My watch no longer fits that arm, so I had to move it to my right. It has been my intention to get a link put back in so I could once again wear my watch on my left hand, but I haven't gotten around to it. So now it seems natural to look at my watch on my right arm. I don't know whether I should change back or not.

9 years ago

Adelfa

Veteran

I'm a lefty. I wear my watch on my left wrist--it doesn't bother me at all, even if I add bracelets. I wear rings on my right hand, and carry my purse on my right shoulder.

9 years ago

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

Like Astrid, I'm not sure I'm a true lefty either. I write and eat and brush my teeth with my left hand, but I do a lot of things righty too. I play all sports right handed (though I think I shoot billiards lefty, it's been awhile). Right handed scissors, no problem. So I wouldn't say that my left is dominant. That being said, I wear my watch and wedding ring on my left wrist and hand. I wear other rings and bracelets on my right hand and carry my bag on my right shoulder.

9 years ago

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