Promise Rings and Engagement Rings

[archangel]

I have talked it over with my valkyrie about these rings and she is pretty open... which is good I guess for me.

Starting out with promise rings...
I have seen a lot of rings with hearts on them when I checked them out online and in some jewelery stories but what I am wondering is...
1. can they be made to resemble wedding bands... with a Celtic pattern carved into them?
2. can they be made out of semi-precious gemstones? (like Jade or Quartz)
Any info on this would be really nice!!

As for Engagement rings.. I'm having a bit of a crisis. I only know of a few designs out there... but I was wondering, how many different types are available?
I know and have seen diamond engagement rings... but i'm asking you all for more ideas!
I want to surprise my Valkyrie with something she will never expect and love so much.

[bigmac62]

There are rings specially made with a Celtic pattern on them...they're called claddagh rings. There's a story behind them that my 10th grade Global History teacher told me once about a blacksmith and his girlfriend, but I've completely forgotten it.I gave my girlfriend one of them once and she loved it!

Basically, the general design is two hands holding a heart with a crown on top of the heart. The heart can be solid metal or can have a jewel in the middle (like hers does). They're usually pretty cheap (about $10-$15 for the more inexpensive ones), but really pretty and your girlfriend will love you for it!

[Zephii]

I wouldn't agree with cheap lol, I have a claddagh that cost closer to $300, it's rose gold tho But I agree they are beautiful and traditional. The hands symbolise friendship. the heart love, and the crown fidelity.

I've seen jade, quartz and hematite rings, but never engraved with a pattern. Should be fairly easy to find one at a new age store. Try to find a stone that has romantic properties if you can. Rose quartz is always a good fail-safe, but there are others too, depending on what colours she likes etc.

You can get wedding bands with celtic engraving, and bands that look like knotwork etc. They are quite pricy, but if you put it in google, something will come up.

Engagement rings are tough... I don't envy guys/lesbians there. Its probably the piece of jewlery a woman would be most fussy about, and she probably has something in mind already that she will never tell you. You need to know her really well to pick for her, that's half the challenge

[FireflyGal]

Having had some female friends go through the engagement process pretty recently, I'd say either:

A) Ask for her help point-blank...at least get some ideas, so you can see what she likes. You can always stage it as theoretical (My friend just proposed to this girl, he used this ring, do you like it?) but chances are she'll figure it out anyway. She's hopefully gonna wear the thing for the rest of her life, so finding something she likes is probably good. You can also ask her friends (harder over distance, but try facebook). Many girls have a good sense of what their friends' tastes are.

B) Go for a traditional Solitaire (1 cut diamond on a simple band) unless you know that doesn't fit her personality (ie, she's really modern, or really glitzy, or whatever). It's timeless, it's classic, and it will ALWAYS look good, no matter what trends come and go.

I am not envious of you, though...it's a tough call regardless. I can't imagine how I'd go about it, and I'm extraordinarily grateful that I don't have to. My boy is probably pretty grateful, too, that my great-grandmother's ring is waiting in a box for whoever wants to propose to me, and that he was present one time when my Mom and I talked about and talked about the fact that I would like to have it and wear it (I'm my great grandmother's only female descendant at this point, so there's no competition there).

As for the promise ring, TOTALLY go for it. I don't currently have one, but I do wear my boy's class ring on a Chain around my neck every single day....which is his traditional, Southern-boy way of asking me to "go steady" with him....for him, presenting it to me was a big pre-engagement moment....and even though it's a little big and clunky and not the most attractive piece of jewelry out there, I've never gone a day without wearing it, and thinking about him while I do, since he gave it to me.

[Mio]

Go to https://www.raru.com

[sagittariusgirl89]

My boyfriend is supposed to get me a promise ring on our 2 yr. (July 3rd)

[archangel]

I actually came across a website last night that sells engraved promise rings... their are very beautiful and not too expensive since they have no stones on them. Hehe... I am looking forward to when my SO is done her exams. Since then she will be able to start looking at engagement rings.
I would post the link here, BUT since my SO is part of LFAD, I would rather keep it a secret so I can surprise my SO.

[DelicateMelodies]

I got my guy a personalized engraved promise ring for $15 at www.limogesjewelry.com. ^_^
Here he is fashioning it :

[Altessa]

We actually shopped for promise rings together when he came to visit me, then we decided we weren't really ring people cos we didn't find any that we liked. So we decided not to get any promise rings. Will be waiting for my engagement ring though *cough*. :P

[BJL_Sweetheart1109]

I don't think there is any set rules for the rings....may be some traditions but it's all about what has the most meaning for you two. SO if you want the Celtic pattern do that, if you prefer the stone do that! I'm sure she'll love whatever it is!

You can look up engagement ring styles it explains styles and diamond cuts and the grading of the diamond and all that.

Idk, we were suppose to go look....really just for the heck of it but then he bought me a necklace for xmas and it was just beautiful. So I totally trust him to choose a ring on his own. lol Definitely post pics once you get it PLEASE?!

[Scanny]

The options are endless but the rings with most personality can be hard to find.
This my dream engagement ring:
I probably have no hope in hell of getting it, but I showed my SO and he has an idea what my taste is like anyways. I'd take an onion ring from him though. I'm just that in love

Promise rings can be anything you want really....a lot of people like to make it a smaller, cheaper version of the future engagement ring, but no one's bound to that.

There's a lot of trending towards custom, unique rings that are symbolic and personal to the couple. That's starting to tear down the walls of tradition and make all sorts of things acceptable. However, if you want to go celtic, I am with those that recommend a claddagh. I'm a bit of a biased Irish girl though

ETA: You should take a look on Etsy for some ideas. Lots of nice, unique, handcrafted stuff there.

[Sarah M]

These rings are an Irish tradition. Famous over there. Well, to tourists.

The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown).
The way that a Claddagh ring is worn on the hand is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic availability, or lack thereof.
1) Traditionally, if the claddagh ring is on the right hand with the heart facing outward and away from the body, this indicates that the person wearing the ring is not in any serious relationship, and may in fact be single and looking for a relationship: "their heart is open."
2) When worn on the right hand but with the heart facing inward toward the body, this indicates the person wearing the ring is in a relationship, or that "someone has captured their heart".
3) A Claddagh ring worn on the left hand ring finger facing outward away from the body generally indicates that the wearer is engaged.
4) When the ring is on the left hand ring finger and facing inward toward the body, it generally means that the person wearing the ring is married."

I got this information from the Claddagh Ring Store

Hope it helps.

[kissoflife61]

Thanks for the link, DelicateMelodies!

[JoMarie]

I know what you mean about wanting things to be personal and special to just the two of you. A promise ring is something that should mean a lot to the both of you, and an engraving on the inside with something that is personal is a great idea. As far as an engagement ring, I agree that you need her opinion...or to at least know her taste. Good luck!

[EclecticWoman]

I got three rings from my ex, a silver one, a stainless steel one, and a gold and emerald band.

After that realtionships tho I decided that I was never doing rings again...don't even want a wedding ring! However I will give you a couple of tips.

1. Silver marks and bends easily. However it is cheaperand there are lots of lovely stones that can be set in it
2. Stainless steel looks lovely and doesn't mark or bend and is cheap, however it has to be hacksawed off if it gets stuck on your finger (true story)
3. gold is muchmore expensive, but 9 ct is more durable than silver.


definately go with an engraving, AFTER you know she will love the ring and that it fits! The more meaningful and individual, the more she will love it.

If you buy silver, buy her a chain for it as well so she can wear it round her neck when she does the dishes and other work that could scratch or dent the ring.

all the best!