Well I dont agree with this... !!!
An engagement ring is a big part of Western Tradition, even though it might not have the same significance to Chinese folk.
I bought Ming a ring...because it is MY way of making a committment to her, and she knows this. If you dont believe in such symbols...so be it.
If you buy a cheap cubic zirconia...then only you will need to know what it symbolises. But for many centuries, the emotional value of a diamond says something to me.
And Ming wears her ring 24/7...she says she will never take it off...not because it is valuable, but because it came from my heart !!
David
David,
I could not have said it better.
Personally to me a ring is a commitment that comes from the heart.
Xiang mei, has yet to take her ring off. She tells me it is a symbol of our love and devotion to each other.
The value of the ring is more important to some than to others. More likely than not, we all buy what we can afford too. Now I am sure we can all use a house full of furniture, yet I understand quite clearly that I am a romantic. I look for a special kind of love - that comes from the heart.
I do not plan on doing this marriage thing again. So I want to give Xiang mei something that is from my heart, and that she can look at when the sun has long set on my life. Something that symbolizes, commitment, devotion, and love.
We each have different ways of doing things. Yet for me, I suspect, a beautiful diamond ring like our commitment to each other, will stand the test of time, far better than a shining piece of furniture.
If we are lucky, maybe just maybe that diamond ring, can be passed on to a daughter or son, or their daughters and sons - who in passing - can perhaps think about the powerful love that helped to create their lives, in spite of the odds, in spite of differences, in culture, distance, customs and other challenges we surely face.
So whether a half carat, two carats, or no carats it is not about the money, it is about commitment, responsibility, family, devotion, and love.
Alton