Editing Engagement ring (section)

==Industry==
In the 20th century, if he could afford it, the typical Western groom privately selected and purchased an engagement ring, which he then presented to his desired bride when he proposed marriage. In countries where both partners wear engagement rings, matching rings may be selected and purchased together.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dolan |first=Jenny |date=12 February 2007 |title=Shopping for your own engagement ring: Many local women say 'I do' |work=[[La Crosse Tribune]] |location=Wisconsin |url=http://lacrossetribune.com/entertainment/shopping-for-your-own-engagement-ring-local-women-say-i/article_fb73182e-9109-571c-b7ec-0f205e9e938b.html}}</ref> In the United States and Canada, where only women traditionally wear engagement rings, women also occasionally present their partners with an engagement gift.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-040409-ring-main,0,2189836.story |title=Put a ring on it |work=[[RedEye]] |date=4 April 2009 |access-date=2 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405014339/http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-040409-ring-main,0,2189836.story |archive-date=5 April 2009 |agency=Columbia News Service |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Like all jewellery, the price for an engagement ring varies considerably 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 [[gemstone]]s, if any, in the ring depends on the type and quality of the gem. Diamonds have a [[Diamond (gemstone)#Characteristics|standardized description]] that values them according to their carat weight, color, clarity, and cut. Other gemstones, such as [[sapphire]]s, [[rubies]], and [[emerald]]s have different systems. The jewellery may be chosen to honor a family tradition, to use family heirlooms, to have an unusual style, to have [[socially responsible]] characteristics (e.g., a style that is not associated with [[blood diamond]] controversy or the pollution caused by [[gold mining]] and [[cyanide process]]), to fit the individual's stylistic preferences, or to manage cost. [[Synthetic diamond]]s and diamond substitutes such as [[cubic zirconia]]s and [[moissanite]]s are also popular choices that are socially responsible and reduce cost while maintaining the desired appearance.{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}

The idea that a man should spend a significant fraction of his annual income for an engagement ring originated from [[De Beers]] marketing materials in the mid-20th century in an effort to increase the sale of [[diamond]]s. In the 1930s, they suggested that a man should spend the equivalent of one month's income in the engagement ring.<ref name="Lee2010">{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Laura|title=Broke Is Beautiful: Living and Loving the Cash-Strapped Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKT2iCOrwfkC&pg=PA280|access-date=6 November 2013|date=October 2010|publisher=ReadHowYouWant.com|isbn=978-1-4587-5882-8|page=280}}</ref> In the 1980s, they suggested that he should spend two months' income on it (three months in Japan).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 2012, the average cost of an engagement ring in the US as reported by the industry was US$4,000.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite journal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/your-money/with-engagement-rings-love-meets-budget.html?_r=0 |title=With Engagement Rings, Love Meets Budget |date=31 January 2014|journal=New York Times}}</ref> In a 2015 scholarly study, almost a quarter of couples said that they did not buy a ring, and another third spent less than US$2000 on it.<ref name=":0" /> Less than 15% of couples spent $4,000 or more.<ref name=":0" /> In the UK, estimates of the average cost of an engagement ring range from £1200 to £2000. Scholarly research indicates that expensive engagement rings are associated with early divorces, possibly because spending more than US$2,000 on an engagement ring is strongly associated with debt-related stress.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Francis-Tan|first1=Andrew|last2=Mialon|first2=Hugo M.|date=2014-09-15|title='A Diamond is Forever' and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration|language=en|location=Rochester, NY|doi=10.2139/ssrn.2501480|ssrn=2501480|s2cid=44741655}}</ref> Couples that spend less money on engagement rings and the wedding ceremony tend to have longer marriages and a lower risk of divorce.<ref name=":0" />

One reason for the increased popularity of expensive engagement rings is its relationship to [[human sexuality]] and the woman's marriage prospects.<ref name=Brinig>{{cite journal |last=Brinig |first=Margaret F. |date=Spring 1990 |title=Rings and Promises |journal=The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=203–215 |url=http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~siow/332/rings.pdf}}</ref> In the United States, until the [[Great Depression]], a man who broke off a marriage engagement could be sued for [[breach of promise]]. Monetary damages included actual expenses incurred in preparing for the wedding, plus damages for emotional distress and loss of other marriage prospects. Damages were greatly increased if the woman had engaged in [[sexual intercourse]] with her fiancé.<ref name=Brinig/> Beginning in 1935, these laws were repealed or limited. However, the social and financial cost of a broken engagement was no less: marriage was the only financially sound option for most women, and if she was no longer a virgin, her prospects for a suitable future marriage were greatly decreased. The diamond engagement ring thus became a source of financial security for the woman.<ref name=Brinig/>

The online purchase of engagement rings is growing, disrupting the market for the diamonds by bringing greater transparency to an industry that has traditionally relied on opacity. Online diamond retailers and [[e-commerce]] platforms include [[Blue Nile (company)|Blue Nile]], [[Brilliant Earth]], and [[Costco]].<ref>{{cite news |date=October 4, 2016 |title=This Diamond Startup Wants To Change the Way You Buy An Engagement Ring |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachellebergstein/2016/10/04/this-diamond-startup-wants-to-change-the-way-you-buy-an-engagement-ring/#7fae83853819 |newspaper=Forbes }}</ref>

===Styles===
{{multiple image
| total_width = 320
| image1 = BridalSet.jpg|width1=139|caption1=This wedding set contains two separate rings, either of which could be worn separately.
| image2 = Diamond, 14kG, wed eng anv RING.JPG|width2=129|caption2=This wedding set contains two separate rings that look incomplete separately.
}}
Engagement rings, like any other kind of jewellery, come in many different styles.

[[Gold]] (Available in Yellow Gold, White Gold and Rose Gold) and [[platinum]] are preferred for engagement rings, but common metal types such as [[titanium]], [[silver]], and [[stainless steel]] are also used for engagement rings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GIA |date=2015-07-27 |title=The History of the Engagement Ring |url=https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/blog/history-engagement-ring/ |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=GIA 4Cs |language=en-US}}</ref> This allows for the bride-to-be to exert her own individual style into the ring in a simple manner.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In the United States, where engagement rings are worn by women, [[diamond]]s have been widely featured in engagement rings since the middle of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198202/diamond/2 |title=Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? |first=Edward Jay |last=Epstein |date=1 February 1982 |journal=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=2 June 2013 |archive-date=24 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724112452/http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198202/diamond/2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Solitaire rings have one diamond. The most common setting for engagement rings is the solitaire [[prong setting]], which was popularized by [[Tiffany & Co.]] in 1886 and its six-claw prong setting design sold under the "Tiffany setting" trademark. The modern favorite cut for an engagement ring is the brilliant cut, which provides the maximum amount of sparkle to the gemstone.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19790203&id=KOcgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1458,877997 |title=Engagement Rings…Their Long and Bright History |page=27 |date=3 February 1979 |work=[[The Hour (newspaper)|The Hour]] |location=Norwalk, Conn. |access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> The traditional engagement rings may have different prong settings and bands. Another major category is engagement rings with side stones. Rings with a larger diamond set in the middle and smaller diamonds on the side fit under this category. Three-stone diamond engagement rings, sometimes called ''trinity rings'' or ''trilogy rings'', are rings with three matching diamonds set horizontally in a row with the bigger stone placed in the center. The three diamonds on the ring are typically said to represent the couple's past, present, and future, but other people give religious significance to the arrangement.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

A wedding set, or bridal set, includes an engagement ring and a wedding band that matches and can be bought as a set. In some cases, the wedding ring looks incomplete; it is only when the two halves, engagement and wedding, are assembled that the ring looks whole.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} In other cases, a wedding set consists of two rings that match stylistically and are worn stacked, although either piece would look appropriate as a separate ring.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Although the wedding band is not to be worn until the wedding day, the two rings are usually sold together as a wedding set.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} After the wedding, the bride may choose to have the two pieces welded together, to increase convenience and reduce the likelihood of losing one of the rings.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} A trio ring set includes a women's engagement ring, a women's wedding band, and a men's wedding band. These sets often have matching rings and are lower in price.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In [[Nordic countries]], engagement rings are worn by both men and women. Traditionally they are plain gold bands, although more ornate designs and other materials are gaining popularity. The engagement rings resemble the wedding bands sold in the United States, whereas women's wedding rings may resemble US engagement rings.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In North America and the United Kingdom, it is customarily worn on the left hand [[ring finger]]. Similar traditions purportedly date to classical times, dating back from an early usage reportedly referring to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the ''[[vena amoris]]'' or "vein of love".{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} This custom may have its origins in an ancient Egyptian myth that the finger contained a vein leading directly to the heart, or it may simply be because the heart lies slightly to the left side of the body. In [[Germany]] the ring is worn on the left hand while engaged, but moved to the right hand when married.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} In Poland and Turkey, the engagement ring and wedding band are traditionally worn on the right hand but modern practice varies considerably.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

===Legal ownership===
Tradition generally holds that if the betrothal fails because the man himself breaks off the engagement, the woman is not obliged to return the ring. This reflects the ring's role as a form of compensation for the woman's damaged reputation.<ref name=Brinig/> Legally, this condition can be subject to either a modified or a strict fault rule. Under the former, the fiancé can demand the return of the ring unless he breaks the engagement. Under the latter, the fiancé is entitled to the return unless his 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 fiancé is always entitled to the return of the ring. The ring only becomes the property of the woman when marriage occurs. An unconditional gift approach is another possibility, wherein the ring is always treated as a gift, to be kept by the fiancée whether or not the relationship progresses to marriage. Recent court rulings have determined that the date in which the ring was offered can determine the condition of the gift. E.g. [[Valentine's Day]] and [[Christmas]] are widely recognized as gift-giving holidays in the United States and some other countries. A ring offered in the form of a Christmas present is likely to remain the personal property of the recipient in the event of a breakup.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20011023.html |title=Who gets the engagement ring when the wedding is off |work=[[FindLaw]] |date=23 October 2001 |first=Joanna |last=Grossman |access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref>

In most states of the United States, engagement rings 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, the case of ''Meyer v. Mitnick'', 625 N.W.2d 136 (Michigan, 2001), whose ruling found the following reasoning persuasive: "the so-called 'modern trend' holds that because an engagement ring is an inherently conditional gift, once the engagement has been broken, the ring 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." Though in certain states, whether a judicial action can be maintained at all to require return of an engagement ring is blocked by statute, as many states have statutes which state that  no civil action shall be maintained for breach of promise to marry.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=McConnell|first1=J. Patrick|title=Do You Have To Return Engagement Rings? - Virginia|journal=The National Law Review|url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/do-you-have-to-return-engagement-rings-virginia|access-date=15 September 2014|publisher=Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, P.C.|issn=2161-3362}} See Also ''Cal. Civ.Code § 43.4'', ''CONN. GEN. STAT. (2011) § 52-572b'', ''The Heart Balm Act, §8.01-220 of the Code of Virginia,''Colorado Rev.Stat. §13-20-202''</ref> A 2024 Massachusetts ruling adopting no-fault return (overturning a 1959 ruling) cited the adoption of [[no-fault divorce]] by the state legislature as a sign that this was the modern expectation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/11/08/metro/engagement-ring-case-in-mass/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |title=When it comes to costly engagement rings, Mass. is a no-fault state, state’s highest court rules |author=John R. Ellement |date=November 8, 2024}}</ref>

One case in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] ended in the man suing his former fiancée because she threw the ring away, after he told her she could keep it even though the marriage plans had fallen through. The Supreme Court of New South Wales held that, despite what the man said, the ring remained a conditional gift (partly because his saying that she could keep it reflected his desire to salvage the relationship) and she was ordered to pay him its A$15,250 cost.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/men-own-the-engagement-ring/story-e6frfkp9-1111113566094 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130627220552/http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/men-own-the-engagement-ring/story-e6frfkp9-1111113566094 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 27, 2013 |first=Simon |last=Kirby |date=18 May 2007 |access-date=2 June 2013 |title=Men own the engagement ring |publisher=[[News Limited|news.com.au]] }}</ref>

In England and Wales, the gift of an engagement ring is presumed to be an absolute gift to the fiancée. This presumption may be rebutted however by proving that the ring was given on condition (express or implied) that it must be returned if the marriage did not take place, for whatever reason. This was decided in the case ''Jacobs v Davis'' (1917).<ref>{{cite book |title=The Canada Law Journal: New Series, Volume 53 |year=1917 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RRZCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA389 |page=389 |access-date=2014-12-14}}</ref>