Engagement rings are in the category of the most carefully shopped for items, that is, items that people shopping for are typically very keen to get right. But just why do people actually buy engagement rings in the first place?
Well, as the name suggests, one – and probably the main –reason as to why people purchase engagement rings is to signify their engagement to their partners. Traditionally, it is the women who wear the engagement rings, to show that they are engaged to their men, and awaiting to be married to them. In a way, by getting his woman to wear an engagement ring, a man is ‘marking his territory’ in her, showing other men that she is his, and other men should keep off. So here, in this simple explanation, we end up with at least two of the reasons as to why people buy engagement rings, namely to ‘ward off’ other men from their women, while also showing the seriousness of their intent to marry the women in question. Additionally, the woman who gets bought such an engagement ring can show other women (say aunts in some cultures) who might linger about asking her as to when she is getting married that at least, ’she is booked.’
Now all these might sound like very petty things, but they are very important things to the parties involved in them. The man who gives his woman an engagement ring as a sign that he has ‘booked’ her, for instance, can live with the peace of mind of knowing that even if the ring does not deter all prospective suitors looking to usurp him and rob him of her, it is sure to at least deter some faint-hearted suitors. In a similar manner, the woman to whom the engagement ring is presented, especially if it is an expensive ring she has been presented with, can live with the peace of mind of knowing that is much loved and valued – the very things women are always on the lookout to know. And in as much as the engagement ring gets ‘prying’ aunts to stop asking her questions as to when she plans on getting hitched, the woman in question can live with even more peace of mind till actually gets married to her beloved.
Of course, beyond the traditional application of engagement rings described above, we also have another trend where engagement rings are also increasingly bought for their aesthetic value alone. Under this situation, a woman just wakes up one day, proceeds to the nearby ring store (or to her favorite online engagement ring store) and purchases for herself the engagement ring she fancies and starts wearing it for its aesthetic appeal with no absolutely no man anywhere in the wings.
Another possible reason as to why people buy engagement rings nowadays, especially ladies is to ward off unwanted suitors, or at least faint-hearted ones, who are likely to be deterred by the sight of the engagement ring. This, of course, does tend to have a paradoxical opposite effect sometimes, where the sight of engagement rings has been known to awaken the competitive spirit in men, who (especially where the woman in question is a very beautiful one), might decide to try their best, on seeing the engagement ring, to unhinge the lucky chap from his place in the woman’s heart!
