I just had a thought, and as soon as it came to me, I was surprised
it hasn’t come up before (as far as I know).
In this age of growing equality of the sexes, why don’t women also
give men engagement rings? If marriage is an equal partnership, the
"I’m promised" token should certainly work both ways.
I have made very few wedding rings and no engagement rings, but this
seems like an idea whose time has come. Right-hand rings for
unmarried women, engagement rings for men!
Noel
I have made very few wedding rings and no engagement rings, but this seems like an idea whose time has come. Right-hand rings for unmarried women, engagement rings for men!
An interesting idea, and a hard sell.
It’s hard enough getting men to wear their wedding rings – you’ve
got men who lose their rings, men who can’t wear them because it’s
dangerous at their job (construction, electrician, etc.).
And, I bet women would be resistant to the idea too. Studies have
shown women are resistant to equality in terms of supporting a man
who works less than she, or doesn’t work at all.
I think engagement rings for men goes further than our culture is
ready for.
Hi Noel,
There are such things as engagement rings for men. I know Greeks
wear the wedding ring on their right hand until the ceremony then
change it to the left. I don’t know of any other practices similar to
that but that is a great idea.
Noel,
Nice thought but not a new one. I’ve been making men’s engagement
rings for close to 15 years (not for gay men–that’s probably been
longer). Not many requests for them, but they do pop up from time to
time and I always encourage them.
Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambrige, MA 02140
Noel
There are groups, affinity, ethnic, social, religious where an
engagement ring is given to a man.
I have made and sold lots of men’s rings but have not questioned the
purchaser as to why.
I had personal experience with a guy from Brooklyn who expressly told
me that his ring was an engagement ring. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio
where there was every ethnic group you could name. I think the
practice of men’s engagement rings is more common among ethic
groups.
You could promote this idea on your own to your customers and revive
this practice. Ask around Chicago do a casual survey.
KPK
Maybe best known as “Promise Rings”
Even though promise rings are not commonly worn by men, men's
promise rings have their own significance. Promise rings are
exchanged between a girlfriend and boyfriend with a commitment
to stay faithful to each other.
Men's promise rings can be worn as pre-engagement rings,
friendship rings, or just as purity promise rings. Purity rings
are a special category of promise rings, often presented by
parents to their children. These rings signify the strong bond
of trust between them and indicate a promise on the part of the
child to stay away from sexual relationships and practice
abstinence, until marriage.
To intensify pre-engagement relations, the design of men's
promise rings is made similar to that of their spouse. Generally
referred as promise pair rings, these rings express the couple's
love and care for each other.
The finger on which the promise ring is worn depends on the type
of the ring. If men's promise rings are exchanged as a symbol of
friendship, then it is common to wear them on any finger
including the thumb on the right hand. The pre-engagement rings
and purity rings are mostly worn on the left hand ring finger.
As men's promise rings are meant for daily usage, they should be
made of durable metal. Men's titanium promise rings are
certainly the best choice. Beautifully inlayed gold, silver and
platinum men's promise rings are also of great demand. Some
men's promise rings are marvelously hand-painted while others
have an antique touch. Further, some men's promise rings are
inscribed with names, initials, or a brief verbal description
about the promise.
Men's promise rings are cool jewelry pieces which come in a
variety of designs. Both handmade and machine cut promise rings
are available. The most commonly used designs are Celtic knot
rings, Sterling silver rings, Turkish puzzle rings, and Greek
key style rings. Men's promise rings with multi-gemstones and
other precious stones are also available.
Mens Rings provides detailed on Men's Rings, Men's
Engagement Rings, Men's Gold Rings, Men's Promise Rings and
more. Mens Rings is affiliated with Anniversary Flowers.
Article Source:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Mens-Promise-Rings&id=252864Good luck on this one Noel.
I stock mens jewelry so that my customers see that I stock mens
jewelry. To generalize…Most men wear watches a wedding band and
maybe a medal of some sort. That’s it. If they get fancy they’ll have
diamonds in the band.
There are a lot of men that do like jewelry but those men buy it for
themselves. Personally, (and I’m going way out on a limb here) I
don’t think women buy jewelry for men in general and the men don’t
miss it.
As for the right hand ring? That was a promotion to empower women to
buy jewelry for themselves not just their other hand. Most women like
jewelry.
Mark
Just my opinion. Not meant to stir up a six month thread.
I agree! I actually did give mine an engagement ring. I had casually
asked him if he might want one, and he really liked the idea, thought
it romantic and modern. I made just a simple platinum band (which he
proceeded to lose a couple years later going through a big rock pile,
and I have yet to replace but it’s on my to-do list).
kara
Circles express eternity, I do believe the Knotted Ring that Loren
Damewood goldenknots.com teaches and sells, makes perfect sense for a
man’s engagement ring.
They can be made as his and hers, with hers having a stone set
within it, in a bit more traditional sense.
I love the symbolism, and have worn mine every day since I made it.
Thanks Loren.
Hugs,
Terrie
I gave my husband a gold engagement ring (a long time ago !). I
designed it but had it made by a jeweller (I was still in school
studying something totally different than jewelry). He lost it last
year while putting stuff in the recycling bin (we think). Now he
wants me to make him a new ring in titanium. Can’t find the time to
do it!
Linda Savineau
Good morning Noel,
I was engaged to be married in 1981 and decided to make our rings.
My fiancee’ purchased the diamond and then gave it to me loose. I
used to carry it around in my pocket (!) to show it to people before
I had finished my ring…haha. Anyway, as I was making my engagement
ring, I decided to make him one, too! It was in the same design as
mine, but just a band and much thinner. Then when we got married, we
both wore matching bands that “stacked” with our engagement rings. I
must say, it was a beautiful look, and it always got lots of
comments. And he was proud as punch to be wearing an engagement ring
himself! I think more couples would like that idea, if anyone ever
presented the option…(now watch the big ring companies start
this selling campaign!)
Hope everyone has a great spring!
Susan Owen Studio Metalsmith
I think guys like jewelry, but I don’t think there aren’t enough
designs that appeal to them (in my opinion of course). I don’t see a
lot of guys wearing nugget rings, or animals (like the old lions
head) up here in the northeast. I do like the look of the stainless
steel and tungsten rings that have been appearing in JCK, etc. I do
think there is a market niche for correctly designed mens rings (as
if that’s a revelation).
I also think that the mens rings need to be very durable depending on
the trade they are in since the ring could take a beating.
Craig
Well my first wedding ring set was going to have a diamond gypsy set
in the woman’s ring (along with some birth stones) to combine the
wedding band and engagement ring in one swell foop… and at the end
of getting the design and prices sorted out the guy stood there with
huge puppy dog eyes and quivering lower lip and said “But now I want
that too!” I could have kissed him.
Norah Kerr
www.besmithian.com
Good luck on this one Noel. [snip] I don't think women buy jewelry for men in general and the men don't miss it.
Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. I bought my husband a piece of
artist-made jewelry years before I made jewelry… I have no idea
where it is now. He wore it a couple times when I insisted. And I
made his wedding ring, also very personal and appropriate to him.
That’s in his desk drawer. He doesn’t even wear a watch.
I just was thinking that if Tiffany or De Beers latched onto this
idea and promoted it the way they have the right-hand ring, it could
maybe stir up some new demand.
Plus it bothers me that women wear a token that says they’re taken,
but men are unmarked, as it were. Many don’t even wear a wedding
ring. Conversely, in this day and age, why should a man have to
shell out for a diamond ring and women not? I believe in equality,
no matter who it does or does not benefit or convenience.
Oh well.
Noel
Anyway, as I was making my engagement ring, I decided to make him one, too! It was in the same design as mine, but just a band and much thinner. [snip] I think more couples would like that idea, if anyone ever presented the option......(now watch the big ring companies start this selling campaign!)
First, why didn’t he get a diamond too? ;>) I think a flush set
diamond would make a great engagement ring for a guy.
Second, if the big companies popularized it, I think we’d all get
more buyers for the idea, don’t you?
Noel
Noel you announced on this forum that you are an artist. Except for
those looking to have jewelry manufactured in foreign places I took
this forum as a place for people who are, or trying to do work that
is special.
I’m not calling you out on this Noel; well I am, but as an exemplar
Artists are leaders not followers.
Artists are the avant garde; why wait for “big companies” to do it.
Try it on your own and see what happens. You have a more direct
contact with the buying public.
I’ve read so many posts on Orchid talking statistics about what men
won’t do or buy. We’re not statistics and I hope the people we deal
with are not considered statistics Personal service is everything in
what we do. Don’t accept statistics.
I’ve sold men’s jewelry (high end gold jewelry) from NYC to LA and
many places in between. I’ve said this befoRe: people including men
don’t know what they want until they see it. How can one sell a piece
of men’s jewelry if it’s not in the display case?
KPK
Plus it bothers me that women wear a token that says they're taken, but men are unmarked, as it were. Many don't even wear a wedding ring.
Ah, well this is extended well past the matter of the ring, such as
in the practice of women taking men’s last name.
I think guys like jewelry, but I don't think there aren't enough designs that appeal to them (in my opinion of course). I don't see a lot of guys wearing nugget rings, or animals (like the old lions head) up here in the northeast.
Men wear jewellery for different reasons then women do.
Jewellery for man must be highly individualized, or man would not
wear it. It has been tried before to market mass-produced jewellery
for men. They all failed.
The roots of this behavior is in survival instinct.
In stone age, women signal their intention to mate by wearing
decorations, and gemstones were highly prized. When sitting around
the fire, even uncut gem would look mesmerizing and would guaranty to
attract attention of another gender.
For a man to wear something attracting attention, meant something
else. It meant that his chances of becoming a target for an attack
were significantly increased, so to survive, one must be circumspect.
While in position of power, than a man could afford to attract
attention and wear jewellery, but it was his way of showing that his
status. So jewellery, for a man, is a summary of his accomplishments
up to a particular point in time, which is changes frequently.
This behavior is a part of our genetic code and is not likely to
change.
One can have a very thriving business doing men jewellery, but every
client must be carefully interviewed to understand his needs, and
jewellery must be carefully designed to reflect it.
Leonid Surpin.
Here in Florence (Italy) some couples still exchange matched
his-and-her engagement rings (usually just plain bands) before
exchanging the wedding bands, although it is considered rather
‘old-fashioned.’ I’m told that it used to be quite common here!
Hi Noel,
Been doing it since I’ve been selling rings.It’s another service to
offer to your customers. I think it will become more commonplace now
that more and more women are making more money than the men they are
in relationships with. Generally, the women seem to purchase rings
as a symbol, though, and not as a
“how-many-months-salary-can-I-put-on-my-man’s-finger”. They go for
something handsome, typically with the interior engraved (but that
may be from me offering it), but I have yet to sell a “traditional”
engagement ring for a man to wear.but that could be because we don’t
do traditional here!
Chris
Chris Ploof Studio
508.886.6200 EST