Engagement ring

A white gold wedding ring and a single-diamond, gold-banded engagement ring.

In Western tradition, an engagement ring is a ring worn by a woman indicating her engagement to be married. Conventionally, the ring is presented as a betrothal gift by a man to his prospective bride while he proposes marriage or directly after she accepts his marriage proposal. It represents a formal agreement to future marriage.

In some countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, it is worn on the left-hand ring finger, while in other countries, such as Poland and Ukraine, it is customary for the ring to be worn on the right-hand. Similar traditions purportedly date to classical times, dating back from an early usage reportedly referring to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or "vein of love".

In the United States and Canada today it is becoming more common, but still quite rare, that a woman will also buy her partner an engagement ring (also called a pre-engagement ring, promise ring, or 'mangagement' ring) at the time of the engagement.^[1]

Purchase

The tradition in many cultures has been that the future groom privately selected and purchased a ring, to be presented to his desired bride when he proposes. More recently, some couples have chosen to select an engagement ring together. In countries where both partners wear engagement rings, the matching rings may be selected and purchased together.^[2]

The price for an engagement ring can vary considerably depending on the materials used, the design of the ring, whether it includes a gemstone, the value of any gemstone, and the seller. The idea that a man should spend about two months' wages for an engagement ring originated from De Beers marketing materials in the early 20th century, in an effort to increase the sale of diamonds.

When shopping for a ring with a gemstone such as a diamond, the price can depend significantly on the quality of the gem. Diamonds have a standardized description that values them according to their carat weight, color, clarity and cut. Other gemstones, such as sapphires, rubies, moissanite, emeralds, are less common choices. These may be chosen to honor a family tradition, to use family heirlooms, to be unique, to be socially responsible, to fit the individual's stylistic preferences, or to manage cost. Synthetic stones and diamond substitutes such as cubic zirconias are also popular choices that reduce cost while maintaining the desired appearance.

Legal ownership

In some states of the United States, engagement rings are considered "conditional gifts" under the legal rules of property. This is an exception to the general rule that gifts cannot be revoked once properly given. See, for example, the case of Meyer v. Mitnick, 625 N.W.2d 136 (Michigan, 2001), whose ruling found the following reasoning persuasive: "the so-called 'modern trend' holds that because an engagement ring is an inherently conditional gift, once the engagement has been broken, the ring should be returned to the donor. Thus, the question of who broke the engagement and why, or who was 'at fault,' is irrelevant. This is the no-fault line of cases."

One case in New South Wales, Australia ended in the man suing his former fiancée because she threw the ring in the trash after he told her she could keep it, despite the marriage proposal failing. The Supreme Court of New South Wales held that despite what the man said, the ring remained a conditional gift (partly because his saying that she could keep it was partly due to his desire to salvage the relationship) and she was ordered to pay him its AUD$15,250 cost.^[3]

Tradition generally holds that if the betrothal fails because the man himself breaks off the engagement, the woman is not obliged to return the ring. Legally, this condition can be subject to either a modified or a strict fault rule. Under the former, the fiancé can demand the return of the ring unless he breaks the engagement. Under the latter, the fiancé is entitled to the return unless his actions caused the breakup of the relationship, the same as the traditional approach. However, a no-fault rule is being advanced in some jurisdictions, under which the fiancé is always entitled to the return of the ring. The ring only becomes the property of the woman when marriage occurs. An unconditional gift approach is another possibility, wherein the ring is always treated as a gift, to be kept by the fiancée whether or not the relationship progresses to marriage. Recent court rulings have determined that the date in which the ring was offered can determine the condition of the gift. e.g. Valentine's Day and Christmas are nationally recognized as gift giving holidays. A ring offered in the form of a Christmas present will likely remain the personal property of the recipient in the event of a break up.^[4]

In the United Kingdom, the gift of an engagement ring is presumed to be an absolute gift to the fiancée. This presumption may be rebutted however by proving that the ring was given on condition (express or implied) that it must be returned if the marriage did not take place, for whatever reason. This was decided in the case Jacobs v Davis [1917] 2 KB 532.

Styles

This wedding set contains two separate rings, either of which could be worn separately.	This wedding set contains two separate rings that look incomplete separately.

Most engagement rings, like any other kind of jewelry, can be classified according to their style. Since the middle of the twentieth century, diamonds have widely featured in engagement rings.^[5] Solitaire rings have one single diamond. These traditional engagement rings may have different prong settings and bands.^[6] Another major category is engagement rings with side stones. Rings with a larger diamond set in the middle and smaller diamonds on the side fit under this category. Three-stone diamond engagement rings are rings with three matching diamonds set horizontally in a row with the bigger stone in the center. The three diamonds on the ring represent the past, present, and future of a couple’s love and time together.^{[citation needed]}

A wedding set, or bridal set, includes an engagement ring and a wedding band that match as a set. In some cases, the engagement ring looks "incomplete"; it is only when the two halves are assembled that the ring looks whole. In other cases, a wedding set consists of two rings that match stylistically and are worn stacked, although either piece would look appropriate as a separate ring. Although the wedding band is not be worn until the wedding day, the two rings are usually sold together as a wedding set. After the wedding, the bride may choose to have the two pieces welded together, to reduce the likelihood of losing one ring and to increase convenience.

For men

In some countries, both men and women wear engagement rings. Both rings are often in the form of a plain band of a precious metal, however, modern "Alternative Metals" such as Stainless Steel, Tungsten Carbide, and Titanium are now being widely used. Often, the engagement ring eventually serves as the wedding ring for the man. In other cultures, the future bride may prefer to buy a wristwatch for her future husband as an engagement present. This is more common if she proposed marriage to him.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Tiffany mount, a way of setting gems
• Wedding ring
• Pre-engagement ring
• Gimmal ring, a multi-part engagement ring fashionable in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries
• Puzzle ring, sometimes called a "Turkish wedding ring"

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Engagement Ring

1. ^ Put a ring on it, RedEye, 2009-04-04
2. ^ Dolan, J. (2007, February 12). Shopping for your own engagement ring: many local women say 'I do'. La Crosse Tribune (WI)
3. ^ Engagement rings are men's property | NEWS.com.au
4. ^ "WHO GETS THE ENGAGEMENT RING WHEN THE WEDDING IS OFF". FindLaw. 2001-10-23. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20011023.html. 
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ Diamond Solitaire Engagement Rings