BellaOnline Forums Relationships Marriage MAN-gagement rings?

Hello all,

What do you think about your fellow wearing a mangagement ring to signify that he is engaged and therefore 'taken?'

I read an article (see link below) where it seems that this is becoming a trend.

Would you like to see your guy wearing a 'chick ring?' Do you think the trend will continue to grow? Boys and men wearing solitaire diamonds?

I guess it is a modern thing but for my boomer bones I don't think it's place in history is certain.

Mangagement Ring Trend

Cheers now with a smile

I think that if couples want to spend their resources on jewelry, then it makes sense.

As always, it's personal preference. Wedding rings as a custom are cultural. Engagement rings are the same.

I think this fad is being pushed by jewelry stores who want to have more reasons to sell jewelry, and women would like to have a public token that shows their men are taken. A ring doesn't always fend off the competition though.

As one who didn't wear a wedding ring for a long time due to my religious beliefs at the time I got married, I see rings as material tokens that hold meaning only if the wearer upholds the vows and commitments that the ring stands for.

I think i's a great idea. I think it shows a great deal of committment. I hope I start to see a lot of this.

Hi there,

I thought this info from Reader's Digest was interesting ...
...............................................................

One of the first recorded uses of a diamond engagement ring was Archduke Maximilian of Austria’s proposal to Mary of Burgundy with a ring set with thin, flat pieces of diamonds in the shape of an “M.”

But we can trace this mark-your-territory wedding trend way, way back.

Pre-History: The caveman tied cords made of braided grass around his chosen mate’s wrists, ankles, and waist, to bring her spirit under his control.

Circa 2800 BC: Egyptians are buried wearing rings made of a single silver or gold wire on the third finger of their left hands, believed to be connected directly to the heart by the vena amoris.

2nd Century BC: According to Pliny the Elder, the groom gives the bride first a gold ring to wear during the ceremony and at special events, then an iron ring to wear at home, signifying her binding legal agreement to his ownership of her.

1st Century BC: Puzzle rings first appear in Asia, where sultans and sheiks use them to tag each of their wives.

1217: The bishop of Salisbury puts an end to the popular practice of seducing girls into mock marriage with rings made of rushes. His solution? Declaring a marriage with a rush-ring legally binding.

1456: The Gutenberg bible is published. There is no mention of betrothal or marriage rings in this or any other edition of the bible.

1477: In one of the first recorded uses of a diamond engagement ring, Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposes to Mary of Burgundy with a ring that is set with thin, flat pieces of diamonds in the shape of an “M.”

1700s: Silver “poesy rings” engraved with flowery sayings are in vogue in Europe. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Puritans give their betrotheds useful thimbles instead of rings, which are derided as frippery. Eventually, however, many thimbles get their tops sliced off and are worn as rings anyway.

1800s: The highly sentimental Victorians make jewelry from human hair, and use gemstones to spell out names or endearments, such as a D-E-A-R-E-S-T ring set with a sequence of diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald, etc.

1868: Diamonds are discovered in the Kimberley area, which heralded the beginning of a huge increase in the diamond supply.

1880: Cecil Rhodes, who arrived in South Africa in 1873, founds the DeBeers Mining Company with other investors. Within the decade, they will control 90 percent of the world’s diamond production


...............................................................

Now with all this info which is interesting, I still think that diamond 'mangagement' rings are silly. Sorry. Yes it is a sign that someone is 'taken' but, for women, I don't see it as a mark of servitude and ownership but instead a token of love and esteem.

Things develop all the time. As Lao Tse taught - for a thing to have value we must attribute value to it. Whether by marketing or myth, diamonds are a girl's best friend because we collectively think so. We also love sapphires, rubies and emeralds - and much much more besides.

Anyway - thank heavens we are free to do what we will ... if a mangagement ring is necessary for a relationship, then why not?

Cheers now