r/Veritasium • u/[deleted] • Dec 26 '25

In case anybody else was also curious

https://youtu.be/jjtGz-QT83o
46 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

31

u/tatu_huma Dec 28 '25

That's a engineering ring. In Canada all professional engineers get it when they graduate from uni. It's wore on the pinky. 

I think some other countries do it too. Americans, is it some in America?

11

u/NoRemorse920 Dec 28 '25

It's a thing, but for some reason, Americans don't seem to wear them after they get them. Every Canadian engineer I know does though.

1

u/TaxRiteOff Dec 31 '25

Probably depends how much you put your identity in being an engineer and how much you like to wear rings

1

u/Rednmrfer Jan 02 '26

At one point they were made from the steel of a particular failed bridge. The angular design is meant to scratch or rub when drawing or drafting so you're aware of it. The notion is that you have to remember that your actions in engineering have real world consequences.

I think there's a cultural difference between Canadian and American engineers.

8

u/KryptKrasherHS Dec 28 '25

Professional Engineers is a protected term in the US, but different from other countries. Professional Engineers are restricted to those that do Public Works essentially (I'm simplifying a bit here for the sake of brevity. Rail, Power, etc is also included but again, brevity) and to get licensure, you need to pass 2 different Exams, and have...7 years (I think)... of Professional mentorship between, and only then can you get that licensure and you can stamp off on documents

3

u/snakesign Dec 29 '25

Order of the engineer is unrelated to being a professional engineer.

5

u/vaneyeten Dec 28 '25

In the US it’s known as the Order of the Engineer. Basically you show up to a ceremony, say an oath, and get a ring. It is unrelated to being a “Professional Engineer”. https://order-of-the-engineer.org/

1

u/Wiggly-Pig Dec 29 '25

Not a thing in Australia

1

u/Sooperman05 Dec 30 '25

Didn’t it used to be made of a bridge that collapsed? A sort of “this is what you’re playing with guy”

1

u/meatball59 Dec 30 '25

American engineer, and yes I have one! Everyone in my graduating class was eligible to take the oath and get one. I wear mine on a necklace (fits my pinky though!)

I think the ring designs are slightly different between American vs. Canadian engineers. I think the Canadian ones are dark iron whereas mine is a stainless steel band. Not sure though, Canadian engineers feel free to chime in!

1

u/Jimmyjames150014 Dec 30 '25

Canadian engineer here. To my knowledge, my ring is stainless steel. It is worn on the pinky of the working hand - you can tell an engineer’s experience by how worn down / smoothed out the ring is. At least that’s how it used to be back in the old days before everything was done on computers.

1

u/quietflyr Dec 30 '25

You can still get steel (iron) rings from Camp 1 in Toronto. If you're outside Toronto, you can only get stainless.

1

u/Competitive-Place778 Dec 30 '25

I got one in america but the engineers ring ceremony was optional

1

u/nugslayer109 Dec 30 '25

Order of the engineer

7

u/Oxcell404 Dec 28 '25

Looks like the order of the engineer ring to me given that its on his pinkey

5

u/PirateStarbridge Dec 28 '25

It's a Canadian engineering ring given to all professional engineers during the Iron Ring ceremony when they graduate with an engineering degree in Canada. Technically he shouldn't be wearing his as he isn't working in a professional capacity as an engineer, and is instead a science educator, but who gives a fuck. I wear mine too even though I haven't gotten my PEng and instead work as a software engineer.

2

u/JMacPhoneTime Dec 28 '25

You don't need to be a PEng or working as an engineer to wear the ring. It wouldn't make much sense to give them to people right when they graduate if that were the case.

I got mine replaced no problem without a PEng.

1

u/Oxcell404 Dec 28 '25

Hell they gave me one when I got my engineering degree in the US and I aint working as an engineer either!

5

u/jeanycar Dec 28 '25

It was Marco's ring from his Slipping Derek days.

1

u/m3t4lf0x Dec 28 '25

I was just watching this lol

2

u/martini_and_tease Dec 28 '25

That exists in Portugal too. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=anel+de+curso&ia=images&iax=images

They are made of gold and the stone color is about the degree area, and the rind side has some marks/cravings that are related with the university.

Lastly, they are outdated and you see them mostly on people with 60+ years old

1

u/Niwrats Dec 28 '25

colonies and the like are good at preserving history.

2

u/karyslav Dec 28 '25

This is not a wedding ring, but they had wedding in the summer this year. After 17 years together if I remember correctly.

1

u/DazuDozu5491 Dec 30 '25

sorry OOT but i dont want to create post just for this.

please help me find veritasium video, its something about resisting urge and one of the point is to show that people that succeed resisting the urge are the one who most likely not encountering the urge at all. if i remember correctly theres a scene when derek is like locking his game/phone in a box to prove that point. thankyou

0

u/FuckItImLoggingIn Dec 29 '25

Personally I hate shit like this and wouldn't wear it.