Promise Rings Anyone?

[Indylady]

Pretty rings Mashira, Paris, and Kargordo!

 

[Indylady]

Pretty rings Mashira, Paris, and Kargordo!

 

[maebelle]

I'm from the Midwest (IL, but NOT Chicago) and although I've heard of a promise ring, I've only known people in HS or College to receive them. After that most just save up for the real deal. I always think I'm living in a different part of the "midwest" that's spoken about on pricescope because the majority of my friends (middle and working class) have 1 carat diamonds, not the 1/2ct or less that people say is "traditional in the midwest", no one that I've known in my years has a promise ring as a grown women and people actually DO folllow fashion trends as they occur.. and not years later.

I'm in Michigan and there is a large range, depending on groups of friends. My friends all seem to have .5 to .75 while the SOs friends all have 1-2 tcw (usually in three stone rings), so who knows?

 

[MayFlowers]

I'm from Kentucky and I feel like a lot of high school age girls get promise rings. I remember when I was younger and I heard that one of my older sister's friend got one. I thought it was kind of pointless because it was basically the same thing as an engagement ring, just smaller. Then when I grew up, fell in love, with both BF and with diamonds , I changed my mind a little. BF gave me a very small three-stone diamond ring during our first year of college. We had both decided that we wanted to get married but that we were way too young to do so at that point. Plus, I wanted and still want to graduate before we get married anyways. He never gave it to me and made a specific promise with it, so I don't call it a "promise ring". But, I feel like it has a special meaning to both of us.

 

[Autumnovember]

Hello!

This is unheard of in Philadelphia/NYC area. Nobody I know has gotten a promise ring, and if they did it was in middle school. I definitely think it varies by region.

Nice rings ladies!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

The simple answer is no. I live in CO and don't know anyone who has done it and to be honest, most people I know think it is something silly that teens do to make their relationship seem more important than it is. I am not saying this is the case, but that is they way it is seen in my area.

 

[4ever]

He never gave it to me and made a specific promise with it, so I don't call it a "promise ring". But, I feel like it has a special meaning to both of us.

I guess my rhr is kind of like this.

I'm in New Zealand and people wouldn't know what a promise ring is here.

BF and I met online and I flew to the UK to spend 3 mounths with him in England during my summer holidays from university. At the end of this time we were obviously upset that I had to go home and continue uni and we didn't know when we would see each other again. So,one hung over day after a brilliant night out in Nottingham he pushed me into a jewllery store and bought my a little white gold band with diamonds in it. In return I took him into another store and got him a watch he really liked. It was kind of a "I promise we'll see each other again" present, and (long story short) we did

Anyway, it is a special ring to me but not a promise to get married.

 

[Mashira]

Oh 4ever, that is such a romantically sweet story!!!

 

[4ever]

Oh 4ever, that is such a romantically sweet story!!!

Thanks Mashira

Our whole relationship has been a bit of an epic, I plan on writing out the whole story properly on LIW when BF proposes for anyone who is interested.

 

[nicoleben]

People sometimes beleive in promise rings where i live in Pennsylvania. However, i never received one from my bf, but that doesnt mean he doesnt plan on proposing.

One valentines day, when i was single and alone in philly (i was doing summer courses at PCOM and was staying at the hilton on city ave for the weekend, since i had class once a month fri-sat and sundays, alllll day... ) and well decided to go to KOP for some spoil me shopping, since i was lonesome and all, i stumbled upon a ring, shaped like a heart that wraps around my finger. I got the 18k white gold one since it was more in my price range than the platinum and i wear it on my ring finger on my left hand for now. Most people realize, and think i am taken because it is on my finger that a wedding band would be on and such is the case! i am taken!

even though my boyfriend didnt buy it, i NEVER take it off..

Not only does it represent that im taken, but it represents who i am as a person, someone that has struggled with so much since i was young, you have to learn to love yourself, so thats what i did!

ur ring is so cute! i love it!

 

[nicoleben]

ohh yea i forgot to mention it was from tiffany's !

 

[peonies]

I have one! I love it, my boyfriend was very sweet and picked it out all by himself!

It's a .25 H I1 marquise solitaire.

 

[Mashira]

Oh peonies that is beautiful! Mind my asking where you are from?

 

[rhbgirl24]

I am on the east coast in NJ, philly area, and I had a promise ring. We started dating when I was 15 and married 13 year later, so yeah, I needed something to hold me over. (He gave it to me when I was 20 I think....)

It was a 1cttw band done in baguettes with a swirl over the top in brilliant cut diamonds in white and yellow gold. I still wear it sometimes on my right hand.

 

[bluebell]

I have one and I am in northern Ohio. We started dating when we were 16 and my BF got it for me before I moved away for college. I also got him one. At the time it was just a symbol of the level of commitment we had to each other and I wore it on my right hand. About a year ago he told me from then on out it would symbolize his intent to marry me in the next couple of years and so I started wearing it on my left hand. It's a white gold, split shank with two 4 point diamonds tension set vertically ( I couldn't get a good pic). His ring is a simple band, he gets asked if he is married sometimes since he wears his on his left hand, but I guess he doesn't mind that

 

[ts44]

I guess in my mind I'm in the "why not just do an engagement ring" camp. I'm in NE Ohio and I think there were perhaps a couple of girls in high school who had promise rings but like...if you are giving somebody a ring to "promise" to marry them, isn't that kind of what an engagement ring is?

Not that I'd turn down bling in any form, but I'd rather get a nice necklace or set of earrings if my boyfriend wanted to get me a big present to show how committed he was but wasn't ready to put an engagement ring on it yet. Actually, now that I think about it my fiance did give me my small diamond pendant on our first year anniversary as sort of a "promise". I wear it every day and it has a lot of sentiment for me. And - I can keep wearing it even now that we're engaged!

 

[maebelle]

Am I showing my movie geekiness too much to quote the movie "BASEketball" from Trey Parker and Matt Stone?

Remer: "What's that?"
Coop: "It is a commitment ring."
Remer: "What, for Jenna?"
Coop: "Yes, I'm letting her know that I'm ready to consider thinking about dating her exclusively."
Remer: "well I'm giving Jenna a precommitment ring. its a promise to pledge that we'll think about getting engaged just as soon as we are ready to make a commitment."

A pretty funny take on it, though who can knock jewelry?

 

[peonies]

I am from California but I live in Colorado now.

 

[Supers]

I'm in Australia and promise rings are unheard of.
I gotta say though, it's a cute idea - and always nice to have more bling!

 

[bee*]

I'm in Ireland and they're not common here at all. Personally I don't see the point of them as I'd rather the money just go towards the engagement ring but each to their own.

 

[Rhea]

Not common at all in London. But people get married much older (I was considered a baby when I got married at 24). I suppose the big pre-engagement symbols of commitment over here are living together, owning a house together, and sometimes having children together.

 

[merilenda]

Just want to throw out that I'm also from the Midwest, and although I know of promise rings, I never knew anyone with one. Even when I was younger. I guess I don't really get the point either. But hey, whatever floats your boat is fine with me.

 

[luckynumber]

No, first time i ever heard of this was on PS! Definitely NOT done in the UK.

Like addy said, we get married a LOT later (addy you ARE a baby getting married at 24, i'm over 30 and only just engaged! ) and frankly any ring given by a teenager as a "promise" would probably be laughed at by most UK teenagers. i DID get a ring from FI before we got engaged, but it wasn't any sort of promise at all!

 

[nararabbit]

While I never had a PR myself, I do see the point re: young couples. Not necessarily middle-schoolers, but those who are not in fields where they can afford a wedding, house, etc as early as others, yet they still want to demonstrate a commitment to their future spouse. For example, I work with a young woman (early 20s) who is about to have her first child with her partner of several years. With the baby coming (not initially planned but still very much wanted!) they opted to put their incomes into that venture first, and spend the money on a wedding later. This girl is catholic and does not want a justice of the peace ceremony, so she'd rather wait until they have the money to "do it right" as they say. Her partner was initially a little reluctant (also catholic, and wanted his child born to married parents) but he also respected her desire to get married when they wanted to, not because they HAD to, KWIM? So, a promise ring was purchased with a little money, and she wears it proudly. One never knows, things can fall apart especially when additional stressors like children are introduced, so I give them kudos for trying to do the best they can for their child and their relationship.

I do think promise rings can come across as cheap and meaningless in some situations, but I think it makes sense for others. I try not to judge either way, whatever makes us all happy, right? (I mean, for a lot of PS women, their original engagement ring is kind of a promise ring - "I promise to get you a bigger one later!" Not a big difference in my mind.... )

 

[calibali]

I'm from the midwest and I thought they were tied to religion for some reason. I'm currently in AZ and have never heard anyone mention one, ever. I guess the symbolism can be important to some, but I just don't understand them.

 

[Nashville]

I don't get the point. You either want to get engaged, or you don't. My friend got a little diamond promise ring she wore on her left hand and after the 50th time someone said "OMG ARE YOU ENGAGED?!" she took it off and told her (now husband) to return it and save the money for an engagement ring.

 

[loriken214]

I grew up in the Spring Branch area of Houston and Promise Rings were VERY popular. Most of my friends had them...it didn't mean that an engagement was soon to follow since we were kids....13-17. It was more like a special gift between the couple and everyone knew that they were going together and were in a committed relationship.

My BF gave me a .20 ct. RB solitaire on a thin yellow gold band when I was 16. We called it my "engagement ring" and everybody was shocked at how big my diamond was. Most promise rings were tiny chips in delicate settings. This was back in the late 70's.

So much for our "engagement".....we broke up, right after we graduated from high school, after dating for a year and a half.

Lori

 

[heyme]

Promise rings seem to be popular here (southern CA) with kids aka high schoolers for the most part.

I only know a few girls who got promise rings, but the relationships didn't work out.

 

[Glitz]

I live in Canada (southern Ontario) and I had a promise ring in highschool, I was probably 16 or 17 when my ex-boyfriend bought it for me. It had 4 small diamonds making a diamond shape in a yellow gold band, I think the whole thing cost $350. There was something on MTV a few months ago talking about promise rings, and they basically came to the conclusion that if you're over a certain age and get one, it's sort of an insult, like you're not good enough for the real deal or something. I don't totally agree with that though, a good friend of mine has matching black faceted tungsten rings with her SO and I think it's super cute! Where I am right now in my relationship (5 years together and 25 years old) I would be very let down if I was given a promise ring, I'm a very all or nothing type though.

 

[Tuckins1]

I'm from Michigan and we do see these around here. I think most of them (that I have seen) are for couples when they are young. They don't have a lot of money to spend on a ring, and they are too young to "really" be engaged, so this is a way to show commitment before being grown up enough to be seriously thinking about marriage...