Marine Corps Allows Class Rings With Wedding Rings in Uniform

Marines who already wear a wedding ring can now add a college or commissioning-source class ring.

Training and Education Command made the change effective immediately in Marine Administrative Message (MARADMIN) 402/26 released Aug. 28. It rewrites the rings paragraph in Marine Corps Order (MCO) 1020.34H, the same order behind the Uniform App launched in June.

The old rule already allowed one inconspicuous ring per hand. Wedding and engagement rings on the same finger counted as one. A class ring stacked with a wedding band did not. A Marine who wears only a class ring was already inside the regulation if the ring stayed inconspicuous.

What Actually Changed

The May 1, 2018, rings paragraph limited the same-finger exception to wedding and engagement rings. MARADMIN 402/26 adds college or commissioning-source class rings to that exception. Worn on the same finger, they count as one ring. They still sit at the base of the finger, close to the palm. Even according to the new guidance, rings may not be worn on the thumbs.

The lead line of the message is narrower than a blanket approval. Class rings “are authorized to be worn in conjunction with wedding rings.”

Who Can Wear It Now

The message uses “college or commissioning-source class rings.” That is broader than a service academy ring. It does not define commissioning-source, and it does not name Officer Candidates School, Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, Platoon Leaders Class, or the service academies.

Jewelry remains authorized with all uniforms under the parent rule in paragraph 1004.5.a. The MARADMIN does not repeat that sentence.

The order still defines inconspicuous as “not readily noticed or seen.”

Uniform App Still Pending Update

Education Command launched the Uniform App on June 29 as a companion to the 263-page order, not a replacement. The Marine Corps Uniform Board said at the time that the app gives Marines “immediate access to the guidance they use most often.”

No public message since then says the jewelry screens were patched for class rings. MARADMIN 402/26 does not mention the app. Until the order PDF is republished, the MARADMIN is the controlling update. Marines walking into an inspection should not treat an unchanged app screen as the last word.

The service still tells Marines to consult MCO 1020.34H for comprehensive policy. Suggestions for the app go through the Marine Corps Uniform Board mailbox listed in MARADMIN 299/26.

What Still Gets Jewelry Pulled

Commanders may still require Marines to remove jewelry for safety or tactical reasons. That authority sits in the jewelry paragraph of the 2018 order, not in the new MARADMIN. It is the same family of wear rules that later produced longer hair standards and updated hosiery rules for female Marines.

Rings still may not be worn on the thumbs. They still sit at the base of the finger, close to the palm. The copy of MCO 1020.34H posted on marines.mil still shows the old rings sentence. That is expected until the Uniform Board republishes the order.

The rule is clear now: One inconspicuous ring per hand. A wedding ring and a college or commissioning-source class ring on the same finger now count as one. If safety requires removal, then the jewelry must be removed.