Engagement and wedding rings are a symbol of the beginning of a new period in the relationship between a couple in love.
An engagement ring symbolizes the seriousness of a young man’s intentions towards his beloved, but an engagement ring confirms his intentions
It is important to note that only girls wear an engagement ring; unlike a wedding ring, it is not a pair. Therefore, on the eve of a long-awaited wedding, many girls have a question: “Is it possible to wear a wedding ring and an engagement ring at the same time?” The tradition of engagement is relatively new in our country. A marriage proposal is a romantic and touching moment that many couples in love incredibly enjoy. Among our couples, it is customary to place the engagement ring on the ring finger of the right hand.
Whether or not to wear an engagement and wedding ring on the same finger depends on the wishes of the bride, because there are no clear rules. The combination of a wedding ring and an engagement ring often looks very beautiful. During the period that passes between engagement and wedding, most girls get used to the jewelry on their finger and then simply do not want to part with it and have every right to do so.
Why do they give rings?
There are three main versions of why engagement and wedding rings are given. First version : by giving jewelry, the groom showed his wealth and ability to provide for his future wife and family. And the bride’s parents could be convinced of the groom’s wealth.
Version two : the ring is a symbol of infinity, demonstrating the endless love of husband and wife. And version three : the husband’s ring and the wife’s ring are links in one chain, uniting them forever.
No one knows which of these versions is correct. We think all three.
How to choose the right engagement ring
- Study your loved one's jewelry preferences. This will help you choose an engagement ring that she is sure to love. If a girl prefers simple silver accessories, an inexpensive silver ring with pearls will do. If she is bright, bold and creative - combined models made of 925 silver (less often - 800) and 585 gold.
- Decide on the price. When your budget allows, choose jewelry with precious stones - sapphire, topaz, ruby, emerald. Products with cubic zirconia are cheaper.
- Choose from a contemporary gold or platinum design with a massive diamond, or a vintage silver design with platinum.
- Select the width of the rim. A win-win option is a narrow, thin and flat ring. It is comfortable to wear and matches with any jewelry and manicure.
- Find out your loved one's finger size. Small errors are not a problem. An experienced jeweler will be able to reduce/enlarge the product.
- Explore the assortment in stores. Before placing an order, come to a jewelry store in Moscow. Narrow down your options to 2-3 designs you like.
What is the difference between wedding and engagement rings?
There are not many differences between an engagement ring and a wedding ring, but these differences are very important. The engagement ring is placed by the groom on the hand of his future bride at the moment when a marriage proposal is made, and the bride's response is positive.
An engagement ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand, just like a wedding ring, but only until the wedding. And in the registry office the groom puts on a wedding ring instead of an engagement ring.
By the way, only brides usually wear engagement rings before the wedding, but men do not wear the ring before the wedding. This is the tradition.
There are also visual differences. For example, an engagement ring, as a rule, has an insert of a precious or semi-precious stone, but wedding rings are most often not decorated with stones. Although this tradition is gradually fading away and there are wedding rings inlaid with stones on sale.
How to choose stones to wear on your fingers
A very interesting and extremely important question - someone decides to decorate themselves in accordance with the signs of the zodiac, more practical people are guided by the current value of a gemstone and the prospects for its growth in price, others want to sparkle with stones every day, but corporate ethics does not allow expensive stones.
If you constantly remember all the restrictions, you can be left without jewelry at all. Of course, diamond rings are not the most affordable pleasure, but if you look, you can always find stones of good quality and at an affordable price. Especially if you pay attention to discounts in Key to Success stores.
The best option is to have several rings in your box for a variety of occasions. Diamonds and corundums for evening events and celebrations, semi-precious topazes, amethysts and similar inserts are perfect for meeting friends and informal gatherings. Gems can be worn every day: they are modest, purchased at a low cost, and affording a set of several rings with different stones is not at all burdensome on the budget.
On which finger are wedding rings worn?
It all depends on the established traditions, foundations of a particular country, religion and belief. For example, Catholics and Muslims most often wear wedding rings on the ring finger of the left hand. But Orthodox Christians put wedding rings on the ring finger of the right hand.
Traditions are different. By the way, in a number of European countries, wedding rings are worn on the index finger. But in Armenia the ring is worn on the left hand - this hand is closer to the heart.
Even among Catholics there are different traditions. In Austria, the wedding ring is worn on the right hand (and in neighboring Germany - on the left).
No one forbids wearing wedding rings on any finger other than the ring finger, or on the left hand instead of the right (and vice versa). But, at a minimum, at the wedding ceremony itself in the registry office, traditions will have to be observed and followed by the established rules.
What should the decorations be like?
In the European tradition, engagement rings differ from ordinary jewelry:
- simplicity of form;
- lack of elaborate details;
- the presence of a precious stone in a simple frame.
European girls and boys can distinguish an engagement ring from an ordinary piece of jewelry even by its appearance. Therefore, no matter which finger the bride puts the engagement ring on, everyone will understand the ritual significance of this jewelry.
Sometimes a real family heirloom acts as an engagement piece and is simply a must-have.
Today, this approach is increasingly common in Russia. Any jewelry store has a separate display case with engagement jewelry. Although until recently, guys could give their chosen ones any ring in honor of their engagement, without reference to shapes and models.
When it is forbidden to combine
Only folk signs prohibit wearing wedding rings along with engagement rings. Moreover, the basis for such signs is not always clear. The mass introduction of young couples to European betrothal customs (in addition to the traditional matchmaking ritual for Slavic peoples) began only in the late 90s of the last century. That is, only about 20 years have passed since grooms began presenting ritual rings to their chosen ones before the betrothal ceremony to confirm the seriousness of their intentions.
In a jewelry store you can buy a beautiful and delicate set for the bride
Therefore, there is no reason to say that ominous signs were born in the mists of time, and their prophetic power was confirmed in several generations. But if a girl is too emotional and does not want to jeopardize her happiness even with such trifles as wearing an engagement ring along with a wedding ring, then it is better to really abandon this idea and hide his jewelry box with valuables, so that later she can give it to her children as a family heirloom.
Additional combination options
And for those girls who are not afraid to use the entire available arsenal of jewelry and decorations to create an individual style, the modern jewelry industry offers several options for getting out of the situation when it is not clear how to wear a wedding ring and an engagement ring at the same time.
The most interesting solution is to purchase a jewelry set designed for both engagement and betrothal. Such a set will fit well on the girl’s finger and will serve as convincing evidence that the groom is ready for a life together as soon as possible. The only disadvantage of this solution is the cost of the kit.
An interesting version of antique jewelry
If, according to European traditions, the price of an engagement jewelry should be at least twice the groom’s salary, then purchasing a set can cost the newlywed half a year’s salary.
Obviously, there is no big difference or sacred meaning in whether a woman will use two rings to constantly wear: an engagement ring and a wedding ring, or whether she will wear only one. You need to be guided only by taste, sense of style and common sense.
The meaning of an engagement ring
In the post-Soviet space, the tradition of giving an engagement ring to a girl was borrowed from the heroes of Hollywood films. At the engagement party, the groom comes to his beloved with a bouquet of flowers and a box with the treasured ring.
In the best traditions of Hollywood, he should get down on one knee, and having proposed to his chosen one to become his wife, present her with a ring.
By allowing a ring to be put on her finger, a girl demonstrates her consent to get married. From the moment of a positive answer until the wedding, she wears the ring without taking it off. It is customary among the Slavs to schedule a wedding within six months from the moment of engagement.
In the USA, Canada and some European countries, the wedding day is set a year or even two years from the date of engagement. Over such a long period of time, lovers may change their minds about starting a family.
If a girl initiates a break in the engagement, then it is customary to return the ring presented to her. When the wedding is disrupted on the initiative of the groom, the girl keeps the ring.
There is a belief that the loss of an engagement ring will lead to the loss of the man who presented it. If this happens, then you need to go to church and ask God for help, and for yourself the strength to maintain this relationship.
In our country, an engagement ring
is treated as a sign of the seriousness of a young man’s intentions .
In pragmatic Europe, the cost of the ring determines the well-being of the future son-in-law. This is interesting: Wedding ring with ruby for men and women: what is the difference?
From ancient times to the present day, the rule has been that the cost of an engagement ring should be equal to two salaries of the groom.
Signs
In our country, engagement is not obligatory , so everyone is free to choose the traditions that suit him best:
- The engagement ring can be removed only occasionally , for example, so as not to lose it in the pool;
- The loss of such a ring is considered a bad sign in all religions. If the newlyweds manage to lose their engagement ring, their marriage will likely be doomed as well;
- Constantly wearing jewelry is considered a good sign. For this reason, brides have always taken care of the relic. We tried not to allow the ring to come into contact with water for a long time, and kept a vigilant eye so as not to lose it;
- not to show off our decorations too much .
Types of wedding rings
For many years in the post-Soviet space there was a tradition that the smoother the wedding ring, the smoother the family life of the newlyweds. Nowadays young people strive for self-expression in everything, including wedding rings.
The following main types of rings purchased for marriage can be distinguished:
- Classic models with a smooth ring surface and no decorations. They are made mainly from gold, but also from silver. They differ in width and profile - the cross-sectional shape of the product. The most common profiles include: rectangular, round, oval, with a convex inner surface.
- Rings made from a combination of gold of different colors. The Cartier rings presented in the Trinity collection are considered classics of this type of engagement jewelry. The engagement rings consist of three thin rings made of pink, white and yellow gold. Jewelers offer a huge number of products with various combinations of several shades of gold.
- Rings with stones. Wedding rings can have a large stone surrounded by smaller stones, or three stones of the same size, symbolizing love, fidelity and friendship - the components of a strong family. Often, channel fastening of stones is used along the entire circumference of the ring or only on one side of the product.
- Rings with a textured surface. Jewelers offer different surface options for rings. The most popular options include diamond cut, matte surface and imitation waves.
This is interesting: Cartier wedding rings, their varieties and features
Among the stones, clear diamonds have been the leader for many years in a row, and in recent years black diamonds have become popular. Depending on temperament, eye color, horoscope sign and other factors, newlyweds prefer sapphires, emeralds, rubies, agate and other stones.
Newlyweds who strive for originality purchase designer ring designs or order products based on their own sketches.
