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If women can wear engagement rings to announce their status, why can’t men?
Well, there really is no reason. The wearing of men's engagement rings is more
common in other countries than in the United States and Canada, but the
tradition is becoming more popular in North America as more couples want the man
-- as well as woman -- to wear evidence of their engaged status.
Some choose to buy a
traditional man's wedding band as an engagement ring, for later use as the
wedding ring. Others prefer a more interesting ring so choose a man's diamond
solitaire (which can also serve as the wedding band) or other unique design.
When the couple becomes married, the engagement ring then becomes a right hand
ring and is replaced on the left finger by the wedding band.
Choosing a Ring
A man’s engagement ring with gemstones can still have a very masculine feel.
While large diamond solitaires are a bit extreme,
mens engagement bands are often set with diamonds or
cubic zirconium. Another way to signify commitment is an Irish
Claddagh ring, which doesn’t look like a traditional wedding or engagement
ring but conveys the same message. Vintage rings, signet rings, and
tungsten or
titanium rings with unique detailing -- with or without gemstones -- are
also excellent options.
When She Proposes to Him
Proposing is no longer the exclusive province of men. In fact, more and more
women are popping the question in today’s modern world. If a woman presents an
engagement ring to a man, what does he do? Well, it depends on how avant-garde
he is. Many men don’t think twice about accepting both the proposal and the
ring. Others are more reticent. Women often want to choose their engagement
rings; he may want to do that as well.
If he out-and-out rejects the idea of wearing an engagement ring, the
bride-to-be may give him some other personal gift as a token of their mutual
commitment. A dress watch,
cuff
links, a
money clip, a masculine bracelet or neck chain are all appropriate symbols
of engagement. What matters is his preference, of course. While men’s engagement
rings look nothing like the women’s rings, they both signify the same idea:
mutual love and commitment to each other.
Men’s Promise Rings
A promise ring, given to a man by the very special woman in his life, is a
symbol of friendship, caring, and connection. It is not so much a promise of her
intentions as it is the promise of the potential for a deeper romance to develop
between them. The tradition of giving promise rings for men has evolved over the
years, as have so many other traditions associated with love and romance. In the
last century, women sometimes gave promise rings because the man was not yet
ready to become engaged. The gift was usually a surprise, and the recipient had
the right to decline if he wished. Refusing, while it is an option, had to be
handled with great diplomacy; but then that’s a challenge women have faced for
centuries. The important thing to remember is that “the times, they are a
changing,” and styles in men’s jewelry are changing right along with them.
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