Never Forget an Anniversary Again

Sept. 22, 2006 — -- Forgetful husbands beware! An Alaskan jeweler may have stumbled onto a way to make sure you never forget your anniversary again.

The Remember Ring is a wedding band with some high-tech innards that heats up to give the wearer a burning reminder about the special day about 24 hours before it arrives.

It may be the most surefire way to ensure the flowers and dinner reservations are made on time, but there's one small problem -- the ring doesn't exist.

The idea belongs to Cleve Oines, who runs the Web site for Goldsmith Gallery, a jewelry shop in the small town of Sitka, Alaska.

"Originally it was sort of a 'ha-ha,' but it's been getting so much traffic that we've begun to wonder," he said.

Oines says the store's Web site normally receives about 500 unique visitors a day, but since word got out about the Remember Ring, the site has been struggling to keep up with an increase in traffic. He said traffic on the site is about 60 times higher in volume since word got out.

If the ring makes it out of Oines' mind and into reality, it likely wouldn't look exactly like the picture he posted but would incorporate the same concept.

"The question is space," he explained. "It can certainly be done. Whether it can be done in a thin band, or whether it would have to be a signet ring, we just don't know."

In an e-mail, Oines said the shop is in talks with an engineer to bring the ring to life sometime next year, and he guesses that it'll retail for around $700 to $800.

If the information that was posted on the Web site as part of the gag becomes reality, 24 hours before the big day the interior surface of the ring will heat up to 120 degrees for approximately 10 seconds. According to the site, it will continue to warm up "every hour, on the hour, all day long!"

"Using a micro thermopile, the Remember Ring converts the heat from your hand into electricity, keeping the battery charged and microchip clock running perpetually. Just specify your anniversary date when you order, and we'll program your ring for you. Set it and forget it -- until your anniversary!"