Opinion Brief

The anti-cheating wedding ring that brands your finger

If your wedding band stamps "I'm married" on your skin, are you less likely to slip it off in pursuit of extramarital action?

The image: Cheaters, beware. "With Arnold, Tiger, and two-timing IMF guy in mind," TheCheeky.com, a seller of "inappropriate gifts," has created a wedding band designed to foil attempts at infidelity. (See a photo at right and below.) The titanium ring, priced at $550, has negative engraving on the inside that will stamp the phrase "I'm married" on your finger — and thus blow your cover if you try to slip the ring off to hit on someone other than your spouse.

The reaction: As a joke, this is diverting, says James Plafke at Geekosystem. As infidelity prevention, it's a bust. Anyone who would buy this for you "knows you're a cheater" already, and anyone who would put it on could simply "take it off an hour before they begin their cheating attempt so the skin imprint fades away." The whole concept is demoralizing, says Kiri Blakeley at The Stir. "If your guy is so intent on cheating that you need to give him this ring, allow him to cheat. Let the next woman have him and his venereal diseases. Then buy yourself a ring that says, 'I'm Free.'" Judge for yourself:

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