When an engaged couple pulls the plug on their wedding plans, everybody wonders – who gets to keep the precious ring? An engagement ring designer weighs in on the much-debated topic.
A man traditionally gives an engagement ring to a woman when they agree to get hitched. Even though the gender norms have changed with time, the tradition surrounding fine jewelry remains the same should the courtship end in marriage. But it gets tricky when the wedding is called off.
Designer on who gets to keep the engagement ring
Though a person gives the engagement ring as a gift to their future spouse, whether they get to keep it or not depends on various factors when the wedding is canceled.
Michelle, a designer and founder of The Bijou Lab which makes sustainable engagement rings, says the circumstances determine who gets to keep the jewelry.
In one of her TikTok videos, the designer explains that the engagement ring in most places is given as a “conditional gift, ” meaning the receiver accepts it on the condition of marriage.
If the wedding is called off, the ring should be returned to the person who proposed as the promise wasn’t met. However, the only exception is when the same ring is gifted on a special occasion such as a birthday, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day. In that case, it is considered a gift and remains with the lady in the event of a canceled wedding.
However, if you belong to a “fault-based state”, the person responsible for calling off the marriage loses the ring. If the couple is already hitched when one party decides to end the marriage, the ring remains with the woman as the promise is fulfilled, nevertheless.
Which finger should you wear the ring on?
An engagement or wedding ring is worn differently based on your country of origin. Michelle says, people in the United States ideally wear the engagement ring on their left ring finger. On the wedding day, the wedding band is worn on the same finger, while stacking the engagement ring on top.
Whereas, people in Germany, Poland, and Ukraine wear the engagement ring on the left finger and the wedding band on the right for the remainder of the marriage.
Men and women in Colombia and Brazil wear engagement rings on the right hand- usually a plain gold band – and move it to the left hand on the wedding day.
