Traditional things on Engagement Rings

In Western tradition, an engagement ring is worn by a woman representing her engagement to be married. Traditionally, the ring is presented as a gift by a man to his future wife while he proposes marriage or directly after she accepts his marriage proposal. It indicates a formal agreement to future marriage.

In some countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, an engagement ring is worn on the left-hand ring finger, while in other countries, such as Poland and Ukraine, it is customary for the ring to be worn on the right-hand. Similar traditions supposedly date to classical times, dating back from an early usage seemingly referring to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the “vein of love".

In the United States and Canada today it is becoming more common, but still rare, that a woman will also buy her partner an engagement ring at the time of the engagement. These may be called male engagement rings or man-gagement rings. This practice is more common in other countries.

The tradition in many cultures has been that the future groom privately selects and purchases a ring, to be presented to his desired bride when he proposes. More recently, some couples have chosen to select an engagement ring together. In countries where both partners wear engagement rings, the matching rings may be selected and purchased together.

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. 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.

In some countries (but not most of the Western world), both men and women wear engagement rings. Both rings are often in the form of a plain band of a precious metal, however, other metals such as stainless steel and titanium are now being widely used. Often, the engagement ring eventually serves as the wedding ring for the man. In other cultures, the future bride may prefer to buy a wristwatch for her future husband as an engagement present. This is more common if she proposed marriage to him.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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