Why We Use Engagement Rings These Days

ement rings are worn on the ring finger of eithernowadays to be used in place of precious stones
hand, depending on which country the bride-to-beon engagement rings.
is to be wed. For instance, in Poland, the womanIf you opt for engagement rings that are simply
will wear her engagement ring on her right hand'smetal bands, do use gold or platinum since these
ring finger while in the West women will wearare more durable and have higher value compared
their engagement rings on their left hand's ringto other types of engagement rings that use
finger. Engagement rings are said to show theother types of metals. Silver is usually not
formal acceptance of the bride-to-be of herrecommended for engagement rings because this
fiance's offer to get married.metal is less durable than gold or platinum. If you
A new tradition regarding engagement rings is fordo opt for a gold or silver engagement ring, the
the woman to buy the engagement ring for herjeweler may advocate use of a platinum setting
male fiancé when they get engaged. Thisso that your engagement ring stays more durable
new tradition is on the rise in Canada and theover time.
USA. An alternative tradition which is followed inThe more contemporary types of engagement
Spain is for the woman to give an engagementrings may use titanium or even just stainless steel
wristwatch to her male fiancé upon herbecause they are less expensive than gold, silver
acceptance of the engagement ring from him.or platinum yet are stronger than the latter. One
It is believed that the diamond productionproblem you may encounter with use of titanium
company named de Beers is responsible for theengagement rings is that in a medical emergency
growing acceptance of and use of diamondthe titanium engagement ring might be impossible
engagement rings in Western culture because deto remove because of its sheer strength and
Beers has been advocating use of diamondbecause cutting tools in hospital emergency rooms
engagement rings since the 1940s. Use ofare not usually equipped to cut through some
diamonds in rings (not necessarily engagementgrades of titanium. A gold ring is so soft, on the
rings) has been a practice observed for centuries.other hand, that your standard electrician pliers
The concept itself of using engagement rings percan cut through a gold ring within a second.
se can be traced to a decree by Pope InnocentIn the past, the groom-to-be was expected to
III wherein couples that intended to marry shouldselect the engagement ring (or possibly
wait longer after being betrothed to one another.engagement rings – one for his bride, one
To symbolize this waiting period, engagementfor him) by himself. Nowadays though, since
rings came into being.many couples try to live together before
However, in many countries it is not necessary tomarriage, it is becoming more of the norm for
give out diamond engagement rings becausethese live-in partners to select engagement rings
engagement rings may use other colored gemstogether.
rather than simply the commonly-used diamond.A woman who accepts an engagement ring is
The diamond became accepted because it is theconsidered betrothed to the man who gave the
hardest of all the precious stones thus symbolizingring. If she breaks the wedding engagement, it is
enduring love. But if the couple accepts the use ofgenerally expected of her to return the
other gems, the engagement rings given out mayengagement ring to the man who gave it. If the
have rubies, emeralds, star sapphires, andman breaks the wedding engagement, the
sapphires instead of diamonds. And in certainwoman is not expected to return the ring. In
countries, the engagement rings used may beextreme cases when wedding engagements are
just bands made of gold, silver or even titaniumcancelled, the court has to intervene as to who
without any precious stones mounted on them.owns engagement rings and why.
Semi-precious stones are also acceptable