Are Engagement Rings for Men the Next Big Thing?

When it comes to jewelry trends, sometimes the next big thing is hard to see coming. While it can happen overnight, such as when identical sunglasses to those worn by Tom Cruise soared in sales after Top Gun, a trend can also develop so slowly that nobody really takes notice. That has, until now, been the case with men’s engagement rings.It has been a slowly growing trend for women to propose to their boyfriends. While it is an idea that has taken some warming up to by the male community and by traditionalists, female proposals are actually becoming rather common. In some countries engagement rings for males are tradition, but in many nations it is only a recent idea.

Earlier this year people truly started to take notice of the growing trend when the United Kingdom opened its first jewelry store dedicated to engagement rings designed solely for men. The trend is growing in popularity in the United States as well, and many jewelers are starting to offer engagement rings for men. In fact, many designers are creating entire jewelry lines geared directly toward male wearers.

When it comes to the rings themselves, they are quite different than women’s engagement rings. A majority of the rings are standard bands engraved on the inside with a date, a phrase, or some other sentimental note. While this is in line with the standard ring style for many men, the desire to wear a classic band typically has less to do with fashion than function. Rings with stones that protrude are likely to get caught on gloves or machinery, making them quite hazardous at many jobs and even sporting events. For this reason, a great number of men prefer the safety of a simple band, with their fiancées and wives comfortable in the knowledge that the ring is a symbol of their love. Most women would prefer their fiancées to wear a simple band all day than to purchase a special studded ring that must be taken off frequently.

Even a simple band can have a designer look, and many rings use more than one metal, such as white and yellow gold. Adding bronze tints throughout the ring or engraving the band are other ways to create a unique and stylish piece without diverting from the desire to wear a band. There are many ways to create a band that is both unique and functional.

While most rings are bands, there are certainly a number of diamond engagement rings for men. The difference with men’s rings is that the stones typically do not protrude and the diamond is not on display. Typically the stone will be recessed into the ring. If more than one diamond is used in the ring, they will typically be uniform in size and aligned in a row, rather than a series of small diamonds surrounding a center diamond, as is seen in many women’s rings. This is not only about style, but once more about function. Men’s rings tend to undergo more damage from frequent bangs and scrapes, and recessed diamonds simply survive wear and tear far better than a protruding stone. While women’s rings are a classic design that was created for delicate wear, men’s rings are designed to withstand the results of manual labor and rough athletics. This is not designed to be a gender bias, but actually stems from traditions that extend centuries into history.

While there are matching engagement and wedding band sets, many men prefer to wear only a single ring. For men who wish to keep their engagement ring, there are two highly fashionable options. Some men choose to simple move their engagement ring to their other hand after they have said “I do”. Another option is to buy a wedding ring similar in style to the engagement ring or to purchase a two ring set, and to have the wedding and engagement bands soldered together to form a single ring.

In general, the costs of a men’s engagement ring are similar to those incurred when buying a women’s ring. Even though men’s rings typically contain fewer and smaller stones, there is much more precious metal used to make the rings heavy and durable, as well as thick. This difference in metal content keeps prices surprisingly similar.

In all, the idea of women proposing to their boyfriends is still foreign and even slightly uncomfortable for some men, particularly those of older generations, but many men are warming up to the concept. In addition to being incredibly romantic, many men feel that it takes the pressure off of them to set up the most romantic night possible in order to pop the question. At the end of the day, the concept is not new, but it is still growing. For many women, however, it is the one way to be certain that the proposal happens just the way you always wanted… albeit with a bit of a twist.