engagement rings In the British-American tradition, an engagement rings is a
rings worn by a woman on her left-hand rings finger indicating her
engagement to be married. By modern convention, the rings is usually
presented as a betrothal gift by a man to his prospective bride while or
directly after she accepts his marriage proposal. It represents a formal
agreement to future marriage.
Similar traditions seem to date at least to the ancient Greeks, Romans, and
Egyptians. In Rome it was believed that the "vein of love" was located on
the fourth finger of the left hand.
In the United States today, it is becoming more common, but still quite
rare, that a woman will also buy an engagement or promise rings for her
partner at the time of the engagement.
In Brazil, Sweden and Germany, both the man and the woman wear engagement
ringss.
In some societies, it is traditional for the engagement rings to cost the
equivalent of one month's pay of the man's wages. In the United States, de
Beers and some jewelry merchants have promoted a general guideline of two or
three months' pay. A spokesperson from Tiffany’s Australia, quoted on the
television program A Current Affair (February 1, 2005), suggested that a man
should spend two to three month's salary on an engagement rings.
Engagement Rings , Wedding Rings Material and design
Designs of such rings have varied greatly over the years. It traditionally
is a precious band, and mounts a diamond or other gem. Current fashions for
engagement rings are for a gold, platinum, or silver band with a single
diamond. This trend dates from advertising campaigns in the 1940s by de
Beers, the world's leading diamond producer.
An engagement ring is often intentionally expensive as a sign of a man's
permanency. The argument for a diamond is that it is the most enduring,
beautiful, and expensive gem. Many women, however, prefer different gems or
semiprecious stones to the stark clarity of a diamond. Most of these stones
are colored. Sapphires, star sapphires, emeralds, and rubies are often used
in engagement rings. Pearls and opals are rare, because these are soft
stones.
In some European countries (e.g. Germany), engagement rings are usually
plain gold bands without a diamond.
Gold and platinum are recommended by more jewelers, not only because of
their inherently higher value, but because they are much more durable than
silver. Often a gold or silver ring will employ a platinum setting because
it will better protect the stone.
Titanium and stainless steel are becoming more popular because of their
lower cost, and because of their strength. These materials allow for a type
of setting called a tension setting which is popular because it causes the
illusion of a floating stone. Titanium and steel must be milled on a lathe
because the temperatures required for proper fabrication are much too high
for a small jewellery operation. It should be noted that a titanium ring
might cause problems with removal in case of an emergency. Hospital tools
are unable to cut some grades of titanium. This titanium ring maker's FAQ
contradicts the previous statement. The results of their tests have shown
that a manual ring cutter can cut through a ring in under two minutes and
electric tools would be faster.
Engagement Rings & Wedding Rings History
The inception of the engagement rings itself can be tied to the Fourth
Lateran Council presided over by Pope Innocent III in 1215. Innocent
declared a longer waiting period between betrothal and marriage; plain
ringss of gold, silver or iron were used earliest. Gems were more than
baubles; they were important and reassurings status symbols to the
aristocracy. Laws were passed to preserve a visible division of social rank,
ensurings only the privileged wore florid jewels. As time passed and laws
relaxed, diamonds and other gems became obtainable to the middle class.
At one time, engagement ringss mounted sets of stones. One traditional
sentimental pattern mounted six to celebrate the joining of two families:
The birthstones of the bride's parents and the bride (on the left), and the
birth stones of the groom and his parents (on the right). The parents'
stones were mounted with the mother to the left of the father. The bride and
groom's birthstones would be adjacent in the center. Another similar
pattern, for four stones, mounted the birthstone of the parents' marriages,
and the birthstones of the bride and groom. These token ringss often
disassembled, to expose a channel in which a lock of the suitor's hair could
be treasured.
The first recorded diamond engagement rings was presented by the Archduke
Maximillian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy as a betrothal gift in 1477.
However, the diamond engagement rings did not become the standard it is
considered today until after an extensive marketting campaign by De Beers in
the middle of the 20th century.
A Victorian tradition was the Regards rings, in which the initials of the
precious gems used spelled out the word 'regards'.
Refusing the gift engagement ring
Women traditionally refuse offers of marriage by refusing to take the
offered engagement rings.
In the United States, engagement ringss 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 Meyer v.
Mitnick, 625 N.W.2d 136 (Michigan, 2001), finding the following reasoning
persuasive; "the so-called, "modern trend," holds that because an engagement
rings is an inherently conditional gift, once the engagement has been broken
the rings 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."
A woman who accepts an engagement rings, and then does not marry the man but
keeps the rings, is considered grasping and dishonest in some cases,
although an alternative argument is that the rings was a gift to which the
woman is entitled; because an engagement is also a period for evaluating
one's commitment to the relationship, it is not uncommon for either the man
or the woman to break off the engagement.
Tradition generally holds that if the betrothal fails because the man
pursues other women or himself breaks off the engagement, the woman is not
obliged to return the rings. Legally, this condition can be subject to
either a modified or a strict fault rule. Under the former, the fiance can
demand the return of the rings unless he breaks the engagement. Under the
latter, the fiance is entitled to the return unless their 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
fiance is always entitled to the return of the rings. The rings only becomes
the property of the woman when marriage occurs. An unconditional gift
approach is another possibility, wherein the rings is always treated as a
gift, to be kept by the fiancee whether or not the relationship progresses
to marriage
Engagement Rings
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