Mary Schwager: Mangagement Rings

When you see a man wearing a ring on his left hand, most would assume he's married, but get this: He may not have hit the altar yet -- the ring you see may be a mangagement ring!

Yup, you read it correctly, "man-gagement ring." Nope, it's not a company ring he was given for his promotion to the management tier; it's a ring he was given by his significant other. It's actually an engagement ring for guys!

Whoa! What the heck? Is this some gimmick by the jewelry industry to get you to spend more? Is it some ploy by feminists to brand men with engagement rings, too? Is it something for insecure partners who weren't satisfied he changed his Facebook status to "engaged" and want to alert the entire world their man is in a relationship? Even as this author types this article, the spell check on the computer underlines "mangagement" as an alert, a red flag, it found a word it does not recognize!

Amada Gizzi, spokesperson for the Jewelry Information Center, says the concept is starting to take off in America! "Engagement rings for men are a new concept here in the United States. Men and women both wear engagement rings in a lot of countries around the world. For the United States it has never been our tradition. Therefore, it is a foreign concept to most people."

Mangagement rings are perfect for a woman who wants to turn the tables in a traditional heterosexual relationship and pop the question to her guy, and she's now got a ring to complete the proposal.

Jewelry industry insiders say they're starting to see a lot more female clients doing the proposing! (Of course, we want to point out here that at no time should her man assume that diamonds are an unimportant part of the deal.) Gizzi adds, "The idea that the man will also wear an engagement ring gives relationships a new sense of equality. It is a pre-commitment, commitment from both the man and the woman."

They're also perfect for same-sex unions and engagements. If a man proposes to another man, he can also have a mangagement ring ready to go.

If this concept sounds interesting to you, the good news is some of these rings are more affordable than wedding bands. Of course, you can go as expensive and elaborate as you want, but the prices usually range from a couple hundred dollars to well, of course, to the sky's the limit. Gizzi says the types of metals usually range from platinum and gold to stainless steel and tungsten. "Find one that fits his personality and style."

Then what do you do on the big day, standing at the altar, ready to exchange rings with a mangagement ring? Jewelers say it's up the couple. You can add on another ring to the initial mangagement ring, keep it, upgrade, it's all about your taste, style and budget.

This article first appeared on GalTime.com.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-schwager/mangagement-rings_b_987953.html

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