Toe Rings for Men

Back in the 18th Century, when Captain Cook first visited the islands of the South Pacific, he discovered that the male inhabitants did not shy away from adorning their feet, usually by placing bands on their toes. While that practice did not gain widespread acceptance by those familiar with the western culture, the growing popularity of jewelry has reversed the reluctance men typically demonstrate, when invited to wear any type of accessory. Today there are several sites on the Internet where a man can find and order one of the many toe rings for men.

Usually placed on the second toe, the ring worn on a man’s foot tends to have a wide band. Some of them are fitted, so that they can be worn underneath a shoe. A fitted ring is supposed to offer insurance that it will remain in place, regardless of the activity pursued by the ring’s wearer. An accessory that has been designed for continuous use should never cause discomfort, even if the toe on which it has been placed happens to swell.



In fashioning toe rings for men, jewelers work with one or more of seven different types of metals. Some rings are gold; a gold ring can adorn the foot with a decorative piece made from yellow, white or rose gold. A gold ring will never break. Sometimes an inexpensive and breakable metal band can be described as “gold filled.”

Some toe rings for men are sterling silver bands. Others are stainless steel or platinum bands. The rings in that latter category can become tarnished, when they get exposed to chlorine. Application of the proper polish reverses the tarnishing process.

A well fitted ring can remain on the foot, even when that foot must slip into a shoe. Most toe rings are fitted, and the majority has a width of eight to ten millimeters. Regardless of its width, a fitted band can be decorated with one or more gemstones. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds are the gems normally placed on the sort of ring that a man might want to put on his toe.

Still, the addition of gemstones does not represent the only way by which jewelers can decorate a toe ring. That artisan can engrave the metal surface. Sometimes he or she even paints the engraved image. That is what one jeweler did, in order to make the accessory named “Footprints in the Sand.”

That stainless steel band contains a line of beige footprints. Online shoppers can find that item by visiting  certain web stores. A special verse has been inscribed on the band’s interior portion. The words in that verse underscore the romantic history of toe rings, items found on islands where people did not hesitate to display their feelings for someone of the opposite sex.

Here are the exact words in the line that one jeweler has put inside of the band with the beige footprints: “When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”