An engagement ring is simply a ring signaling that the individual wearing it is already married, particularly in Western societies. An engagement ring is most often presented by a husband to his future wife as an engagement present or right after a wedding proposal is received. The ring may also be presented by the bride to her future husband as a “wedding ring”; if he is not married but is planning to get married. The ring has been used throughout the ages as a symbol of traditional love and commitment between spouses.
Engagement ring materials vary widely. In the past, precious stones such as diamonds were commonly used in proposal ring (求婚戒指). Today, one can find this particular type of ring with diamonds or other gemstones of varying sizes and shapes. There are many different precious stone options for proposal rings, however, most commonly one will see natural precious stones such as diamonds being used. Most of these stones are set as solitaires (precious stone that requires two metals to hold them together), though there are some that are paved and have additional material on the outside of the band.
One of the most important things that need to be considered when choosing an engagement proposal ring is which ring style best represents the relationship between the two partners. The two main styles that are most common include the flat band and the prong setting. When a diamond is set as the center stone of a ring it symbolizes the couple’s love and devotion towards each other. The solitaire setting, also known as the “prong setting”, consists of three small prongs that wrap around the edges of the ring creating a single band.
There are other engagement rings that are becoming popular with couples who do not want to invest in a diamond or any other gemstone. For those who are against investing money into a gemstone, there are other ideas that they can use as a proposal ring. There are engagement rings that have a place setting, or rather, two spaces that connect to another ring that has a stone in it. The two spaces are designed to represent that the couple loves each other, but they do not have to have a diamond. The use of this type of ring as a placeholder for the engagement makes it seem like the couple is saving the money for the big occasion.
Those who do want to add a diamond to their proposal ring may choose a three-stone ring instead of a traditional two-stone band. In this case, the three stones are going to be accentuated by the wedding band that sits on top of them. Though the wedding ring is not going to look as great as a diamond, the added sparkle of the diamonds in the proposal ring may make up for it.
Finally, there are some proposal rings that are designed to fit into a metal that is less expensive than silver, gold, or platinum. These types of bands will have a cut that is less severe and a size that is smaller, which means that the carat weight will be less than twice as much as it would if the ring were made out of a platinum band. Carat weight size are both things that affect the price of a diamond, and this can help someone who is interested in purchasing a cheaper alternative to buying a diamond to get an idea of what they will need to spend up front.
