Do Men Wear Engagement Rings After They Propose?

Marriage is one of the most memorable parts of a person’s life because you will vow in front of God, family, and friends that you will spend the rest of your life with the person you love the most. However, before marriage, there is this one step that most men, or even women, dreaded… engagement.

For men, engagement might require them the nerves to go down on one bended knee and get the sparkling ring for that one question which can change the course of their lives forever. For women, an engagement might make them all giddy and uneasy with butterflies in their stomachs when saying either a yes or a no; or some may actually have the nerves to do the proposal for their men and ask the male species for their hand in marriage.
Whoever initiated the engagement or whatever the method and way it was done, there is one key element that never goes away in every engagement proposal and that is the ring. We normally see an engagement ring given and worn by women who have already said yes and prepare for a lifetime commitment through marriage. But then again, is the engagement ring only limited to a woman engaged? How about male engagement rings, do such things exist?

I seldom hear people asking – Do men wear engagement rings – the answer is yes. But when I do, I can’t help myself but smile because it is kind of far from tradition. Male engagement rings? Oh come on. Men are not that flashy, right? But believe it or not, men do wear male engagement rings.

Engagement rings for men is not common compared to those of women, but a survey showed that 5% of men are indeed wearing an engagement ring before the wedding. This is to show that they are already taken off the market and ready to commit themselves to the person that they love in marriage. There was also a study that 67% of men are open to the idea of wearing an engagement ring as a sign that they are already engaged to their partners. However, since this is not the norm, they are not obliged to wear it on.
When Did The Male Engagement Ring Practice Start?

Male engagement rings started as early as 1926, jewelry companies such as the earlier version of Macy’s (which was then called L. Bamburger & Co.) have produced and campaigned for a certain kind of bling for men but it didn’t take off as they expected it to be. They pulled off an advertisement where men wore a ring on the fourth finger of their left hand while a cigarette lies between their first two-finger. However, since the ring is always symbolized as a woman’s, their campaign failed.

Though it is uncommon in America for men to wear engagement rings nowadays, the practice is common and a tradition in some countries like Argentina and Brazil. In Argentina, both of the engaged couples wear a plain silver band on their left hand for the entire duration of their engagement. After their wedding, the silver band is either transferred to the right hand or replaced by a wedding ring. In Brazil, the couple usually wear a plain wedding ring on their right hand during the engagement period and transfer it on their left hand after the wedding.
Male engagement rings are also given to men when it is the woman who proposes for marriage to her partner. Just like in the British Isles, a woman may propose to a man on a leap year. In recent years, women's proposals have increased in numbers compared to the previous traditional man-engagement proposals.

How To Buy An Engagement Ring?

How to buy an engagement ring that is suited for a man may quite be hard and will make you scratch your head because it is very uncommon and you have no knowledge about what looks good on a man’s finger. Rest assured that buying an engagement ring for a man is as easy as buying an engagement ring for a woman because there are a lot of jewelers who have made custom ring designs for men and you can choose from them or take an idea from their designs to create your own.

1. Work well within your budget. It is a very important thing to set a budget for the ring that you need to buy because the prices vary depending on the design. You can purchase a male engagement ring as low as $200 with a simple design. But if you want something that has diamonds or other gems branded into it, you may spend a thousand dollars and more.

2. Man’s taste and lifestyle. Men, just like women, have also different styles and likes. Consider your man’s taste in fashion. Is he that guy who always wears comfortable clothes like jeans and shirts? Or is he Mr. Corporate that always wears suits? Choose the ring that suits his wardrobe so that it will not look out of place and he’ll be able to wear the ring all the time.

3. Look for the perfect ring for him. You don’t just go to one shop and purchase whatever it is, you see. It is best if you go to a lot of different shops so that you can have a lot of choices to choose from. Take note that an engagement ring is really important because it is a symbol he needs to wear to tell the world that he is already committed to you. So giving time and effort to look for that ring that best suits your man is worth the time spent.

Endnoter
In conclusion, men do wear engagement rings. Though only a small percentage of the male population is wearing it, this is slowly becoming a trend and part of the engagement process. Even celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson and Michael Bublé believe in male engagement rings. Jennifer gave her fiancée a five-carat Neil Lane diamond ring that was custom-made only for him and Michael wore his engagement ring from his Latina fiancée. We only need to push it more so that this new style will become a norm and people will know a man is already taken just by glancing at his finger.