It’s arguably safe to say that most people think of—or hope for, at least—the best possible scenario when planning to propose to someone. However, unfortunately, the answer is not always a straight-up yes.
When this redditor proposed to his girlfriend, she didn’t say “yes”; nor did she say “no”. Her answer was “where’s the real ring?”, as she expected her partner to pop the question with a different diamond ring. Scroll down to find the full story below.
Proposing to someone can be both exciting and scary
Image credits: Abdurrahim Israfilov (not the actual image)
This woman refused to accept her boyfriend’s proposal unless he offered her a different diamond ring
Image credits: Vera Arsic (not the actual image)
Image credits: Individual-Tree4665
Many people spend thousands of dollars on an engagement ring
There are as many opinions on the dos and don’ts in regards to proposing as there are people. That’s why, while some don’t care that much about the kind of ring they are presented with, others might be upset or hurt by their partner not meeting their expectations.
The latter case might be linked to the idea that a more expensive ring equals a stronger commitment or a longer duration of a marriage. However, not only is it not necessarily the case, some studies suggest otherwise – spending more on an engagement ring might lead to a higher rate of divorce.
Said research, based on a survey of more than 3,000 US adults who’ve ever been married, found that men who have spent somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring had a higher divorce rate (of roughly 1.3 times) than those who allotted a budget of $500 to $2,000, NBC News reports.
“Wedding industry advertising has fueled the norm that spending large amounts on the engagement ring and wedding is an indication of commitment or is helpful for a marriage to be successful,” one of the co-authors of the study, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the department of economics at Emory University, Hugo M. Mialon, was cited saying. “In either case, the general message is that wedding spending and marriage duration are positively correlated,” when in reality, they arguably are not.
Image credits: Tara Winstead (not the actual image)
The interest in engagement rings for men seems to be growing
Whether or not they believe that the price they pay for the ring will determine the length of the relationship, many men choose to spend thousands of dollars on an engagement ring—something nice for their beloved significant other. However, the trend in regards to who gets to wear an engagement ring seems to be shifting.
While it’s typically the woman who wears a symbol of the couple’s love on her finger until they get married, there seems to be a growing demand for engagement rings for men. BBC reports that the jewelry industry is still adapting to the change, as, according to the managing director of London-based online diamond retailer 77 Diamonds, Tobias Kormind, such a demand was close to zero just seven years ago. “It’s still not a core product,” Kormind told BBC, “but it definitely seems to be growing.”
According to the BBC, it’s not only engagement rings for men that seem to be gaining popularity, but men’s jewelry in general. For instance, comprising roughly 7% of all sales in 2021, men’s jewelry at a New York-based jeweler, Eternate, now adds up to close to 15%, while the manufacturer of lab-grown diamond jewelry, Grown Brilliance, reports men’s sales growing at double the rate compared to the lines for women.
It’s unclear whether or not the OP was planning on wearing the special ring himself; however, he was not willing to part with the diamond that contained his mother’s ashes, and the online community didn’t seem to think that that made him a jerk. Not only that, some found it odd that his fiancée wanted to wear such a ring on her finger every day.
Image credits: Sina Rezakhani (not the actual image)
The OP provided more details in the comments
Fellow netizens didn’t think he was a jerk in the situation
