mens engagement ring

Here is an example of a mangagement ring! Read more below…

We thoroughly enjoy scouring the magical interweb for the latest diamond jewellery trends, wedding news and articles about gold. Here are some of the best stories we’ve found this week, all hand-picked with you in mind to help you decide on one of the most important jewellery purchases of your life.

Men’s engagement rings – A hot new trend

Ask any self-respecting British man about male engagement rings as little as five years ago and they’d probably have laughed in your face. It just goes to show how much things can change in a relatively short time. A quick Google search reveals men’s engagement rings are no longer a no-no. In fact they’re becoming more and more popular. In fact they’re a long-held tradition in some countries, including Sweden and Brazil.

Is it because of the stunning, innovative metals being brought into creative play these days for wedding jewellery? Possibly. After all, modern jewellery made from metals like cobalt, palladium and titanium is less shiny and blingy than traditional yellow gold, white gold and platinum, and perhaps more masculine?

Michael Buble showing an audience his engagement ring in 2009.

Michael Buble showing an audience his engagement ring in 2009.

Apparently around 5% of American men now wear an engagement ring, including same sex couples, and 17% confess to being ‘intrigued’ by the idea of a male engagement ring.  If the idea inspires you, why not explore our men’s wedding rings, many of which would work perfectly as an engagement ring. Go on… we dare you to rebel a little!

Is it OK for a woman to propose to a man?

In a word, yes. And it’s getting more and more common as, in Western cultures, the sexes become more equal across the board, regarded as intellectual equals in more walks of life than ever.

The trend is affecting the state of the nation’s romance in a very positive way, with as many as 1 in 20 women gladly taking responsibility forsaking one of life’s biggest questions: will you marry me?

As Wikipedia says:

“Proposals by women have become more common in the Anglosphere in recent years, with jewellery companies manufacturing engagement rings for men. In many countries it is equally common for a woman to propose to a man, and in many western cultures, engagement rings are plain, similar bands worn by both partners, which are exchanged when the couple enters into the engagement.”

It looks like things are in a state of flux at the moment, since in 2012 research into the subject revealed a different conclusion:

“Despite loosening of gender roles at work and in society as a whole, men and women are remarkably traditional when it comes to marriage, new research finds.

In fact, the study of college students at a liberal-leaning university found that not a single man or woman wanted a proposal in which the woman asked the man to marry her.”

A woman proposing to her male partnerThen again the study was held in the US, where the culture as a whole tends to be more conservative and welded to tradition than rebellious, quirky, eccentric Britain’s. But hold your horses… a survey into US marriage proposals way back in 2003 revealed how almost a third of Americans know a woman who has proposed to her man. Which just goes to show how much use surveys are… different research often delivers very different insights.

How to propose to your boyfriend

If you’d love to pop the question to your man, how do you go about it? The She Knows website provides advice, giving readers 5 ways to propose to your man.

Hm. Having read them, they come across as pretty patronising, very like the advice Jackie magazine used to give to lovelorn teenaged girls in the 1970s (she says, showing her age!). If I was a bloke I’d be offended by the list’s sexism. I’d appreciate a straight question much more than being emotionally manipulated. But it’s horses for courses. You might find their advice useful. Let us know what you think.

One old tradition says women can only propose to their men during  a Leap Year, the next one being 2016. You can stick to that if you like, but there’s no real reason why you should wait. Forget what anyone else says, thinks or does. If you feel the urge, go girl!

Go for broke – propose to your bloke with a ring

Bringing the two subjects together, what about going down on one knee and proposing to your fella with a male engagement ring ready and waiting?

You might feel fully confident he’ll love the gesture and respond positively. But if you’re not sure how he feels about females proposing marriage to men and don’t really know whether he’d love or hate to wear a man’s engagement ring, it might be a good idea to do some subtle homework before scaring the life out of him!

Have you ever proposed to someone?

The traditional ways of doing a marriage proposal, getting down on one knee and presenting a ring, are fading fast whatever sex you and your other half happen to be. It’s great news in many ways, especially since it means more or less anything goes.

We’d love to hear about your proposal, whether you were on the asking or receiving end of it, and how your partner asked the big question. Please feel free to share your experiences by leaving a comment.

 

Edit: We’ve had a high amount of interest in the first ring and i haven’t had the opportunity to get back to people in time! If you want to get some information on the ring in the first picture, please send an email over to info@orlajames.co.uk or give us a call 01903 331707 so we can help you promptly!