Engagment rings for HIM...

[Toreo]

Hi everyone! Maybe there have been topics about this before but I can't seem to find any. I recently have come to hear of the "engagement ring" for the man. I heard about one friend who was already wearing his band, then read about it in a magazine (a celebrity couple), and then saw another person I know wearing a band prior to his wedding...

What are everyone's thoughts on this? I actually really like the idea that maybe when you get engaged, the guy gets a plain band to wear sort of like a placeholder, showing that he is at that committed stage like an engagement ring for a female shows. However, I wonder what changes when the wedding comes along... I know that one of the men is wearing his fancy-made band that will be his actual wedding band, but if your guy were to get a fancy titanium one or one with diamonds, then would the "engagement ring" be a plain band which would then be replaced by the more special ring at the wedding day?

Discuss!

ETA: I just realized this may be in the wrong section? I apologize if it is and any assistance on moving it to the appropriate place would be grateful.

 

[LostSapphire]

I gave my sweet DH an engagement ring 22 years ago before we married. It is a pinky ring with 4 small diamonds flush-set.

He has a wedding ring as well. Wears both of them every day.

LS

 

[Lupinbunny]

I''m all new here too.

My partner has always been really insistent about wanting an engagement ring also, and we have both struggled with how that was going to ''work'', given that he is not the kind of person to wear diamonds/ other gemstones at all. I liked the idea of plain cradle-set rings, or something like the Georg Jensen fusion rings - the engagement ring could be one half of ''set'', worn by itself, then the wedder was the other half, so after marriage he had a complete set that looked like a single ring. Eventually my partner admitted that he really didn''t want that at all. He wanted it to be obvious that he was wearing both an e-ring and wedding band after the wedding. Finding *two* fairly plain rings that look good together is been quite a challenge! We went to one of the largest jewellers in our city and asked to see ''men''s engagement rings'', figuring that they''d be bound to have something. We just got a blank, blank stare from the sales assistant.

Eventually we found a picture in a book (500 Wedding Rings) of two interlocked rings that fit together to make one smooth, sleek ring. Like a puzzle ring, but without all the obviously separate strands, I guess is the easiest way to explain it. So I will get that made up in a completely circular profile (comfort fit? Is that completely round?) in white gold for his engagement ring, then he will get a wide, fairly flat (D profile) yellow gold wedder, because he wanted the classic gold band you think of when someone says ''wedding ring'' for his wedding band. And I''m going to slip a tiny 1 pt hidden diamond somewhere that isn''t visible on the engagement ring. So he gets diamonds too

 

[anyname]

i think it''s an interesting question. I wonder if a woman proposed if she would give the man a ring? I don''t think my fiance would ever go for the idea of an engagement ring for him, but he got an engagement camera.

 

[AStack75]

Date: 7/28/2008 11:52:28 PM
Author: anyname
i think it''s an interesting question. I wonder if a woman proposed if she would give the man a ring? I don''t think my fiance would ever go for the idea of an engagement ring for him, but he got an engagement camera.

A friend of mine got an engagement 60" high-def. television. He''s a hero for men everywhere!

 

[girlie-girl]

My fiance didn''t want an engagement ring either, though he did want to start wearing his band as soon as we got it because he''s so excited. LOL He opted to wait until the wedding and asked for a Ping G10 driver as his engagement gift instead. You should have seen the guy''s face light up in the golf shop when I showed up asking for that and told him what it was for (I''m not a golfer).

I think today''s couples should do what they want with regard to an engagement ring for the guy. Some guys might be all for it, whereas guys like mine may want something else instead. Either way, I think both are acceptable. I too always wondered how it would work if the girl proposed.

hehe

 

[RxTechRN2b]

I bought my XH a black onyx ring with a tiny inlaid diamond to wear before the wedding, and after we were married he wore it on his right hand. I''m all for a guy wearing an "I''m taken" symbol -- why should only the girl wear a ring that says she''s no longer in the dating pool?

 

[gemgirl]

My Dad had an engagement ring with a quarter carat diamond in it, so when we got engaged, I bought my husband a similar ring (only I think my husband''s diamond is a tad larger, around 30/32 points). My husband loves his e-ring and wears it on his right hand whenever we get dressed up for anything.

 

[SYC]

We shopped for our rings together, and had engagement rings made for us by the same jeweler -- his is a platinum band with three little diamonds. His wedding band will probably be another band with some yellow gold, or just a different style, and he''ll wear either one after we''re married depending on his mood/clothes for the day.

I''m so glad to hear that engagement rings for men are becoming more common! As noted by Terry, guys should have a ring to show that they''re "taken" too

also on a practical level, I think it''s good for guys to have options (eg, "dressy" ring vs. more casual ring, yellow gold vs. white gold or platinum) depending what clothes/watch they''re wearing, etc.

 

[MustangGal]

I got my DH an "engagement ring" of braided silver. We were engaged over 2 years, so he got a lot of wear out of it. When we got married he picked out a ring with diamonds in it, and then realized he works out doors with his hands, so wearing diamonds to work wasn''t such a good idea. He went back to wearing the silver ring for another 2 years until he bent it trying to open a beer bottle with it (silly boy!). I bought him a titanium band instead, and he wears it everyday.

 

[purpleshirt]

My husband wears an engagement ring. It's a thick white gold band, brushed in the center with .5 carat blue sapphire. His wedding band is plain, but brushed in the center as well. He wears them together on his left hand. we've been married nearly 6 years
He loves it and gets compliments on it all the time. we've gotten nothing but positive remarks, even from his buds when we were engaged young during our last year of college. Two of our male friends who recently got engaged also wear e-rings.

It's important to us that everything is equal and it makes no sense to us that a woman wears a ring to show she is taken when they are engaged, but the man doesn't.

As far as the engagement, he proposed, but I had his ring first. He knew I had to pick out my ring personally, and even then I changed rings a zillion times lol

 

[mara54]

Well, this is a good topic and site. I actually did propose to my husband and surprised him with a engagement ring. He loved it. He still wears it till this day now on his right hand. I personally designed it for him with a diamond in the middle. I tell him I need to take it in to get it buffed and cleaned but he says no I want it to stay on my finger for always..lol When I get home though from BA, Argentina I am going to take it in because the design on the side is totally smoothed out which it should be brush to give it the look it had before. He finally agreed.lol

Here is a picture of his ering. Sorry, but very dirty and needs a buffing.

 

[SYC]

Date: 7/29/2008 11:30:28 AM
Author: mara54
Well, this is a good topic and site. I actually did propose to my husband and surprised him with a engagement ring. He loved it. He still wears it till this day now on his right hand. I personally designed it for him with a diamond in the middle. I tell him I need to take it in to get it buffed and cleaned but he says no I want it to stay on my finger for always..lol When I get home though from BA, Argentina I am going to take it in because the design on the side is totally smoothed out which it should be brush to give it the look it had before. He finally agreed.lol

Here is a picture of his ering. Sorry, but very dirty and needs a buffing.

wow Mara, that''s a spectacular ring!! How wonderful that you designed it for him.

It''s great to read more about men receiving engagement rings -- maybe it will be a new trend!

 

[JoeNewbie11]

After researching diamonds on PS and other sites for months in order to find my Fiance''s diamond and ring, I gained a high appreciation for diamonds. So I decided to have my own wedding band custom made from WF (see below

). Anyways, once it was made and I saw it, I knew I couldn''t wait a year until the weddling, so I told her I would just wear it as an engagement ring as well. I''m not really the traditionalist type, so I have no problem wearing it. Plus everytime I look at it, it I think of my Fiance and it gives me a big smile

. I would say, the man can definitely wear his band as an engagement ring, who cares...

 

[ztajanice]

I have two male friends and they gave each other the tiffany etoile, the solitaire in platinum, as thier engagement rings. It is such a beautiful look on men or women. They had the rings sized up to fit thier hands. I love thier rings

and I think it is a great idea for the straight or gay man.

 

[Logan Sapphire]

My husband wore his wedding ring on his right hand, so it wasn''t quite an obvious engagement ring look. I wore my wedding ring on occasion and everyone thought we were both crazy.

 

[Toreo]

Date: 7/29/2008 10:01:15 AM
Author: RxTechRN2b
I bought my XH a black onyx ring with a tiny inlaid diamond to wear before the wedding, and after we were married he wore it on his right hand. I''m all for a guy wearing an ''I''m taken'' symbol -- why should only the girl wear a ring that says she''s no longer in the dating pool?

Exactly! I''m glad a lot of you agree. I never had EVER thought about that before but I love the idea of showing that commitment before the actual day as well. Why not be fair?

 

[gemgirl]

My husband's ring needs to be polished again but I don't like to bring it in too often. I forgot to mention it's a totally eye clean G SI2.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

In my culture, both men and women wear their wedding bands as engagement rings, on the right hand.

The only downside is that we, ladies, don''t get a engagement ring as well as a wedding band.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

My DH got a pewter ring years and years ago (long before we met). It''s a band with a pretty carved pattern. He gave it to me to wear while we were dating. I wore it on my left thumb because it was too big to fit any of my other fingers. When I got my e-ring, I gave the pewter band back to DH, and he wore it on his left pinky the whole time we were engaged. (It was too small to fit his left ring finger.) Then, when he got his wedding ring, he stopped wearing it. (Which is good, because it''s seen better days! LOL!)

 

[anyname]

Date: 7/29/2008 8:17:38 AM
Author: AStack75

Date: 7/28/2008 11:52:28 PM

Author: anyname

i think it''s an interesting question. I wonder if a woman proposed if she would give the man a ring? I don''t think my fiance would ever go for the idea of an engagement ring for him, but he got an engagement camera.

A friend of mine got an engagement 60'' high-def. television. He''s a hero for men everywhere!

niiiiicee....my fiance asked if i would rather have an engagement TV or ring. I did think about it for a little while, but in the end i figured the TV would only last a couple of years at most before it becomes obsolete, but the ring would last a life time.

 

[jewelerman]

when i was engaged several years ago I designed her ring with a white diamond center and sapphires on the sides...she wanted me to have a ring of engagement ...i picked a 1920s platinum ring by Cartier with an oval sapphire center and white side diamonds which i would wear on my right hand after the wedding and wear a plain band on my left.When we broke up the ring was sold to a very excited cartier collector.I WISH I WOULD HAVE KEPT THAT RING!