An Engagement Ring

An engagement ring indicates that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, engagement rings are conventionally worn only by women, and rings can facet diamonds or other gemstones. In other cultures men and women wear matching rings. In some cultures, engagement rings are also used as wedding rings.

In North America, Ireland and the United Kingdom, it is normally worn on the left hand ring finger, though customs differ across the world.

Engagement bands began in antique Egypt as the circle was used to represent a never ending cycle and the space in it as a gateway. Betrothal rings were used during Roman times, but were not usually revived in the Western world until the 13th century. Roman men gave engagement rings that incorporated a small key. Romantics consider that the carved key was a figurative key to guard and treasure the husband's heart.

Rings are placed on the fourth finger on the left hand, because Ancient Greeks believed that it contained a vein that led to the heart. Engagement rings did not become measure in the West until the end of the 19th century, and diamond rings did not become widespread until in the 1930s in the United States, as a result of an widespread nationwide marketing campaign by the diamond industry.

The price for an engagement ring differs significantly depending on the materials used: the design of the ring, whether it includes a gemstone, the value of any gemstone, and the seller. The price of the gemstones, if any, in the ring depends on the type and quality of the gem. Diamonds have a standardized explanation that values them according to their carat weight, colour, clarity and cut. Other gemstones, such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds, have different classifications. These may be chosen to honour a family tradition, to use family heirlooms, to be exclusive or to be socially responsible.

Synthetic stones and diamond substitutes like the cubic zirconias and moissanites are also admired choices that are generally accountable and decrease cost while maintaining the desired appearance.

The thought that a man should spend a considerable fraction of his annual income for an engagement ring originated de novo from De Beers marketing materials in the early 20th century, in an attempt to enhance the sale of diamonds. In the 1930s, they recommended that a man should spend the comparable of one month's income in the engagement ring; later they suggested that he should spend two months' income on it.

Until the Great Depression, a man who broke off a marriage engagement could be sued for violation of promise. Monetary indemnity incorporated tangible expenses incurred in preparing for the wedding, plus damages for emotional suffering and loss of other marriage prospects. Damages were greatly amplified if the woman had engaged in sexual intercourse with her fiancé. Beginning in 1935, these laws were repealed or limited. Nonetheless, the social and financial fee of a broken engagement was no less: marriage was the only financially sound alternative for most women, and if she was no longer a virgin, her prospects for an appropriate future marriage were significantly decreased. The diamond engagement ring thus became a source of financial security for the woman.