Search Results for: engagement rings

Engagement Rings: Size Doesn’t Matter

The other day a neighbor invited me to a jewelry party she was having. I appreciate a stunning piece of jewelry but I don’t wear very much of it. I decided to go, however, because this neighbor is pretty nice and since we’re not moving back to Jacksonville I’m free to open myself up to making friends again. (I hadn’t been letting myself do that because it’s hard on me having to say goodbye.) So I go to the party, don’t know anyone except the neighbor, and immediately realize I’m under-dressed. My outfit was fine, but my accessories were dearly … Continue reading →

Shopping for Engagement Rings: Go With or Be Surprised?

Admit it, if you’re a woman at some point in your life you’ve had the fantasy: the dream of how your knight in shining armor was going to propose. How did you envision it? Let me share a tale of two proposals. One that really happened and another that never came to pass… The Proposal That Never Was I never imagined all the details, like the where, how, or when. Not down to specifics. I didn’t even include a down-on-one-knee vision. I did sort of expect food to somehow factor into play, but that’s just me. I always associate any … Continue reading →

Engagement Rings and Cracker Jack Boxes

Here’s a cute engagement story that I think you’ll enjoy: I’d Marry You with the Ring from a Cracker Jack Box A young man and his beloved had been discussing marriage. They decided to wait since they still had much to accomplish and neither one had much money in savings or had a high paying job. Every few months, they would discuss it, again deciding to wait. Steven told Anna that he wouldn’t propose until he could at least afford a proper engagement ring. She said it didn’t matter, she’d proudly wear a ring right out of a Cracker Jack … Continue reading →

Wedding Rings and Gender Roles, Pt. 1

The practice of wearing wedding rings has roots in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians might have believed that circles represent eternity, fitting for a marriage vow. Wearing the rings on our left hand dates to the Roman era: Romans apparently believed that the fourth finger on our left hands had a vein that went directly to the heart. While women have worn wedding (and engagement) rings for centuries, the practice of men donning the former only dates to the 20th century. Some sources speculate that it had to do with World War II: men started wearing the rings while deployed, as … Continue reading →

How to Save Money on an Engagement Ring

Many couples today are choosing to forego the elaborate engagement ring and put the savings toward starting their lives together, such as toward the down payment of a home, getting rid of debt such as student loans, or saving for future children who might come along. But just because you are foregoing the elaborate part doesn’t mean that you have to give up the ring. In fact, you can use a couple of different strategies to get a nice ring and have your savings too. Generally, it isn’t the setting that costs the bulk of the money on an engagement … Continue reading →

To Replace an Engagement Ring or Not, That is the Question

Recently I wrote about how I broke my engagement ring. I dreaded telling Wayne what had happened, and if he hadn’t been home when I came home after making the discovery I might have held off on telling him. However, tears were streaming down my face as I brought the bags in from Target and Publix. I couldn’t contain them. It was pretty obvious something was wrong. I had no choice but to spill the beans then and there. Predictable Reaction As I knew he would be, he was pissed. “Can’t you ever take care of anything? Is it really … Continue reading →

Rings: What Matters More to You? Quality or Quantity?

I think it was Friday morning when I was watching either Today or the Early Show and the one or the other did a segment about rings. They started out by covering the 4 Cs (cut, carat, clarity, and cost) and then gave the results of an informal poll. Quantity For women, they said, it’s all about the cut. Not necessarily the shape, but the bigger the ring the better. Didn’t matter if it was flawed. If their guy could afford a honkin’ two-carat, that’s what they wanted. Even though for the same price they could still get a very … Continue reading →

Engagement Break Ups

In my last article I began a discussion on etiquette after divorce. In this article I want to back up a step from marriage. In this article, I am looking for opinions on etiquette after engagement break-ups. Some couples rush into engagement and then discover that perhaps they are not ready to get married. Some couples are engaged and then have irreconcilable differences and break up. Just like in marriage, some partners have affairs or cheat on their fiancé. For whatever reason that it is, some couples end their engagements. While these couples are lucky that the marriage ended before … Continue reading →

Shopping the Catalogs: More Romantic Rings

Yesterday I listed a few romantic rings that have caught my eye as I’ve been shopping the catalogs this holiday season. The list was getting a bit long, so I broke it up. Here’s the rest of my picks: From The Danbury Mint Diamond Rapture Ring: Yep, rapture’s an apt name to describe the response someone might give when receiving this ring. Royal Sapphire Ring: With a kind of a crown design to it, it certainly is royally regal. Diamond Swirl Ring: Simple, elegant, and stately. Diamond Promise Ring: Both the name and the design caught my attention. (And made … Continue reading →

Shopping the Catalogs: Romantic Rings

I’m not a big jewelry wearer, but I’d like to be. (My problem is I’m not the most graceful person. I usually break or lose it. It’s amazing that, other than one bent prong, in the 12 plus years I’ve had my diamond ring I haven’t managed to destroy it yet.) However, while I’ve been shopping the catalogs for gifts to give, I’ve also been admiring some things my alter ego (the one who knows how to wear jewelry without abusing it) would like. In particular, rings. Below is a list of the ones that caught my eye and stole … Continue reading →