this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2024
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Funny

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[–] [email protected] 111 points 2 months ago (8 children)

i will never understand that stupid craze about expensive engagement rings... i engaged to my wife without a ring. It was just a very emotional situation, i was sure that i wanted to ask her... and then i just asked. No ring, no special event planned out or something... just asked her, and she said yes.

People paying cars worth of money for a ring is so unbelievable for me.

[–] [email protected] 91 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I gave my wife a ring made out of coconut. Cost me $2 and she instantly dropped it off the balcony if the resturaunt we were at. The Thai owner of the place climbed off the balcony into the boulder field underneath and spent 20 minutes looking for it. Even after I explained that it was only a cheap coconut ring. He said the price isn't the point, it's the memories!
He found it, what a legend.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 months ago

I carved a wood ring for her, and she was surprised I popped the question after I was carving it in front of her and sizing it against her finger

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Thai restaurant owner is right: it's not the cost—it's the memories.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

“Once upon a time” an expensive engagement ring worked as a sort of bride price and was a hedge against the risk of premarital sex.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

How does buying/wearing a ring prevent premarital sex?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Back in ye olden times, you would pay a bride price to the parents of the bride, both symbolizing the eternal debt you owed to your wife and as a way to show you had plenty of money to spare to take care of your wife. You would then give your wife a dower, sonething they could hold onto in case you lost all your money or she became suddenly widowed. This historically was property but became rings or jewelry with expensive stones. The wife would take the dower as a sign she would no longer need to worry, and in exchange be a maiden on her wedding night. These practices were only for the wealthy, until indistrialization brought the practice to a growing middle class. Then, in the early to mid 1900s, marketing campaigns began associating the price of a ring to the love you felt for your wife, leading us to today.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Now this is capitalism.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I still don't see how an expensive dower would prevent the couple from having sex before getting married, but I guess I'm just too modern-minded.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It was more for the woman to not sleep around or sell her virginity.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

That seems so much less likely to happen than the couple sleeping together themselves.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Doesn’t prevent it, but gives the girl collateral if the guy breaks off the engagement afterwards.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Diamond rings are basically worth fuckall for resale. Most pawn shops won't even take them

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago

Back when my wife and I were still dating, she found a cheap ring she loved. It was just a normal jewelry ring with her favorite stones in it, not a fancy engagement ring or anything. But she loved it so much, she told me that if I ever proposed to her, she gave me permission to steal it from her and re-present it as an engagement ring. Which I did.

I felt bad about it though. I took the ring to propose, but my plans fell through and it took me a few more days to arrange a new proposal plan. She had forgotten all about our conversation, so the whole time she was tearing the house apart, looking for her favorite ring. She loved that I "found" it and gave it back to her with a proposal.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I got my fiancee a gold cat bell instead of a ring. Granted it was a bit pricey but it has special meaning to us and it was definitely not worth cars amount of money like some people spend.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Plus it's harder for her to sneak up on you now

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

The real benefit.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

I got mine cat ears and she got mad at me.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I gave my wife Nenya, a replica of Galadriel's ring from Lord of the Rings made by WETA who are the folks that did the movie props. Silver and cubic zirconia ost $75. Mine was $14, wood and platinum. We're 9 years in and going strong.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The one my husband gave me is Nenya without the stones. It's just the 6 petaled flower in white gold.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Such a pretty ring. She's the bigger Tolkeon fan of us two, so it also meant a lot to her.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

The industry programmed everyone to pay silly amounts for a ring.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

i'm fine with this shit if it's interesting, or you have the disposable income to spend on it, but outside of that i feel like things that are more immediately sentimental are more interesting.

though to be honest, i find marriage kind of cringe, i would only ever do that shit for the tax breaks lmao.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

sunset, silver ring. cost me about $20.