Engagement ring

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An engagement ring is a ring indicating an engagement to be married.

An engagement ring is traditionally offered as a gift by a man to his intended bride, as part of his marriage proposal. The offering and acceptance of an engagement ring symbolizes a formal agreement to get married.

In Western culture, engagement rings are usually worn on the left hand ring finger during the engagement period. The wedding band is also worn on the left hand ring finger, so some people move the engagement ring to the right hand after their wedding (or don't wear their engagement ring at all).

Some gay couples also choose to wear engagement rings on their right hand, for privacy reasons ^[1]

1 Male Engagement Rings
2 Gay Engagement
3 Placeholder Ring
4 Settings
5 See Also
6 References
7 Weddingbee Posts

[edit] Male Engagement Rings

Traditionally, only women have worn engagement rings; men do not typically wear engagement rings. This is slowly changing, as some women have started proposing to men. Also, gender equality suggests that women shouldn't be the only ones to wear rings showing that they are "taken". As a result, some couples choose to have both partners wear engagement rings.

[edit] Gay Engagement

Many gay and lesbian couples wear engagement rings to symbolize their commitment to each other. Because so many countries and localities have banned same-sex weddings, gay engagement rings have become an especially important tradition in same-sex relationships.

Gay engagement rings are often deeply symbolic, ranging from rainbow rings and gay pride rings to Celtic and Birthstone engagement rings.

[edit] Placeholder Ring

A placeholder ring is a temporary engagement ring the groom uses to propose to the bride before he has the permanent engagement ring. It is typically used when the groom wants the proposal to be a surprise, but wants the bride to have input in choosing the permanent ring. A placeholder ring can be a family heirloom, a piece of costume jewelry, or a center diamond the groom chooses, set on a simple band. The latter is the most commonly used option, so the bride can wear the stone in the placeholder until she picks the permanent setting that best fits her style and personality.

[edit] Settings

Prong: Three to six metal claws, or prongs, raise the diamond from the band, allowing in the maximum amount of light. Prongs can be flat, pointed, round, or V-shaped.
Three-stone: Three prong settings each hold a diamond, representing the past, present, and future.
Baguette: A baguette setting is generally two rectangular diamonds set on either side of a round diamond.
Bezel: A bezel is a rim of metal that completely surrounds the diamond.
Half-Bezel: Like the name says, a half-bezel setting is a metal rim that surround half of the diamond.
Illusion: With an illusion setting, several diamonds are set side-by-side, and the setting is hidden from view.
Tension: Tension settings use compression to hold the diamond in place, making it appear to be floating.
Cluster: A cluster setting showcases a larger center diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds, often creating a flower shape.
Gypsy: In a bezel-like manner, gypsy settings feature diamonds sunk into holes, flush with the band's surface.
Channel: A channel setting is a band showcasing a row of diamonds, set flush against each other, between two horizontal channels.
Channel End: Channel end (also called "bar" settings) are bands with diamonds set side-by-side with metal bars in between.
Pave: Pave settings have small diamonds encrusting the surface of a band, giving the illusion of a solid surface of diamonds.