“Why don't men wear engagement rings?” |
| Why don't men wear engagement rings? Posted: 16 Jan 2011 10:32 PM PST Q: Why don't men wear engagement rings? - Tranisha Hawkins, San Antonio A: Tranisha, there are some handsome engagement rings out there for fellahs. Not the diamond solitaire settings many gals wear. (Imagine the guys at softball oohing and ahhing over Big Jake's new sparkler. And think of how he could scrape his cleats with that rock!)The grooms' models are typically a wide gold band with an inset stone. And in some countries - Germany, for instance - both spouses often begin wearing gold bands when they get engaged. But the man's band of gold usually doesn't get slipped on until the preacher pronounces them husband and wife. Yet the woman wears a ring all through the engagement period. So she looks "taken" while he still looks "free." What's up with that? Jewelry historians cite several reasons for this custom, which is fairly recent, by the way: •Men wear far less jewelry, in general. •Men usually propose, and the ring has become the key symbol of this presentation. •The engagement ring has become a sign of both a man's ability to provide for his bride and his appreciation for her. •For better or worse, our culture puts more of a premium on showing that a woman is "taken." "Is that a double standard?" asks Christie Romero, author of "Warman's Jewelry" and director of the Center for Jewelry Studies in California. "You bet." But at least we've come a long way since the original engagement rings. Some experts say those were reeds and thrushes early man used to bind a mate and "claim" her. When he was sure she wouldn't run away, he'd reduce the bindings to a loop around one finger. That's not exactly a 50-50 relationship. Early man needed relationship counseling. It's too bad Dr. Phil wasn't there in a loin cloth and tie to say, "Let's get real, Og. You've got trust issues." The first diamond engagement ring is often cited as the one Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. This made diamond engagement rings a fashion, but only among royalty. They didn't catch on with even upper-class folks until Tiffany devised its famous solitaire setting in the 1880s. And a long-term public relations campaign by the De Beers diamond syndicate helped make diamond rings synonymous with American engagements. What's important, of course, is not whether one, two or none of you wear a ring - or whether they're from Tiffany's or Cracker Jack. What's important is your feelings. That's the great thing about love. Every couple gets to rewrite history their own way. And if your honey starts to get a little Neanderthal, just look him or her in the eye and say: "Let's get real, Og . . ." Why don't men wear engagement rings? Why don't men wear engagement rings? - Tranisha Hawkins, San Antonio [...] in some countries - Germany, for instance - both spouses often begin wearing gold bands when they get engaged. Jewelry historians cite several reasons for this custom, which is... This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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