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I thought it was the exact opposite, the left hand is used less, and therefore it is not "in the way".
Also, the left hand is "closer" to the heart than the right.
As far as I know, the whole right hand thing is a British tradition that spread throughout the former colonies, like the US and Canada. However, no one else in the world does it that I know of. The woman might have been married to someone who was not of the British tradition.
I do not wear my wedding ring on my left hand - I wear it on my right even though I am Canadian born. The British tradition is not my tradition.
Yes, like others have said, it is a European thing. Even if she is "American," her husband could be European or she could just like that tradition. I honestly don't see why it matters.
I thought about that, but then, I started to think, if divorce is tough and whatnot, why would you wear something to remind you of the a@@ you divorced and the pain that you went through???
My husband and I don't wear wedding rings-at all. Most people regard this as really strange, but we're just not conventional, traditional people. Besides, neither one of us likes rings anyway.
While many Europeans wear their rings on their right hands, a great deal also forego the rings all together.
Chowhound: We wear it on the right hand to "show" people we are married. This hand is used more and is therefore more visible. It is a point to show others that you are "taken". It is the tradition I was brought up with and the ring isn't really in the way whether it is on the left or right hand.
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On that note, I was thinking, if you're left handed like I am, you use your left hand to do more tasks, and sometimes you don't want a ring getting in the way.
I've heard people in some European countries (e.g. Germany) normally wear their wedding ring on the right finger. But it's a custom in the U.S. that women wear our wedding rings on the right hand when widowed. Since you saw her here in the States, I think she's probably a widow. BTW, I myself switched my ring to the right hand about a year after my husband passed. So were most of my widowed friends. It's not really surprising here!
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Kinda like watches?
