Promise Rings: Essential things you need to know

A promise ring, otherwise known as a pre-engagement ring, is a ring that’s people see as a symbol of commitment to a relationship. This ring signifies abstinence from extra-marital until the official engagement. These rings come in various styles, most not being as valuable diamond-studded engagement rings. This post is a guide to promise ring, the history, the significance, the cost, and why you should consider getting one for your partner.

Promise Rings: Essential things you need to know

Promise Ring History

Promise rings have been around for some time, but their purpose and how people give them have differed slightly over the years. Long ago, promise rings are used to seal promises, and this practice carries on until today. Church bishops also wear promise rings to signify their spiritual relationship with the church. Dignitaries in Venice toss rings into the river on Ascension morning once a year to renew the marriage between the city and the Adriatic Sea.

People didn’t start using promise rings for the purpose we do today until the late 16th century. This time marked the first period when people exchange rings as love or friendship tokens. People give the “poesy ring,” engraved with sentiments or promises to friends and lovers. While promise ring date back to the 16th century, people only started referring to them as promise rings recently. The first usage dates back to the early 1970s when the term appeared in a jewelry terms dictionary.

Meaning of a Promise Ring

The meaning of a promise ring can differ from couple to couple, from symbolizing that you’re committed to each other to hinting at a potential engagement and marriage. Most couples decide what promise ring are for themselves. However, seeing a promise ring on someone could:

-Show that they have a developing relationship and would like to show how important they regard their partner.

-Show that they have a relationship and would like to show a long-term commitment, but an engagement is out of the options because either person in the relationship is too young.

-They are in a long-distance relationship, and they wear the ring to show commitment to each other and avoid other relationships.

-Show anything else. Remember that you and your partner can choose an arbitrary significance for your promise ring. You don’t need to go by the general perceived meaning or use of the ring.

Some partners may choose to engrave the special meaning of their promise ring on the ring itself to remind themselves of the promise and commitment that the ring signifies.

When do you give a promise ring?

Give promise rings at your discretion. When and how you give a promise ring is usually up to you, but you can also use some of our help. You can give promise rings to show dedication to a relationship. This usually happens when you plan to take your relationship to another level but not to an engagement level. Friends can also give themselves promise rings. Since it isn’t an engagement ring that performs a specific task, promise rings are the perfect choice for expressing friendship.

In the context of relationships, promise rings are a simple way to say: ‘I want to marry you, just not right now.’ Hence, the best time to give a promise ring is when you’re confident that the relationship will end in a marriage, but you aren’t ready for an engagement yet.

On which finger should I wear a promise ring?

Unlike engagement rings that traditionally go on the fourth finger of the left hand, you can wear a promise ring on any finger. Sometimes, people even choose not to wear it on a finger but a chain around their necks.
Just as promise rings don’t serve a specific purpose for everyone, they also don’t go on the same finger. That said, most people still like wearing their promise rings on their left ring fingers. This style is the most common way ring, and promise rings aren’t an exception. However, some people wear promise rings on their right hand to avoid confusion with an engagement ring.

How much do promise rings cost?

Similar to most engagement rings and other jewelry, there aren’t any specific rules explaining how much to spend on a promise ring. Promise rings can range in price from just a few hundred dollars for a simple, elegant ring made from gold or sterling silver to thousands of dollars for a full-featured engagement ring-like diamond promise ring. Since promise rings are engagement rings but for a different purpose, you don’t get a different price for wanting a promise ring.

However, most people prefer to shop for the cheaper rings, as they’d have to buy an engagement ring later after shelling out for a promise. Generally, the higher the quality of the diamonds used in the ring, the more expensive it should be. The price also varies directly with the quality of gold used in the band.

What’s the difference between a promise and an engagement ring?

The ring’s purpose makes for the most obvious difference between an engagement ring and a promise ring. An engagement ring has a specific purpose: proposing marriage.
A promise ring, on the other hand, isn’t really to propose for marriage. It is more like a symbol of faith and commitment to the relationship. A promise ring doesn’t signal a readiness to marry the recipient, unlike an engagement ring.

Also, promise rings aren’t only for romantic relationships. Friends can give or receive promise rings to celebrate their friendship, and religious leaders historically wear them to signify a union with the church.
Promise rings are also aesthetically different from engagement rings. While it is unlikely that a jeweler will label some rings as promise rings, most promise rings look and feel cheaper than engagement rings.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to buy your partner a special gift, why not get them a promise ring? Well, you don’t need to propose to give a promise ring. The ring works in most imaginable settings. Also, you don’t need to break the bank to give a promise ring, and you don’t even need a specific reason. This article is a comprehensive guide to promise rings, showing you how they’re different from engagement rings and why you should consider getting them on your next visit to the jeweler.