Are you thinking about asking your boyfriend to become your husband? Or, perhaps you’ve already asked and he’s said yes, and now it’s time to think about choosing the perfect engagement ring for him. But what do you buy? Since traditionally, men ask women to marry them, there’s not much out there to go by when it comes to finding the ideal engagement ring for a man. But as with buying any piece of jewelry for your man, it all comes down to his personality and finding something that matches it perfectly.
Thankfully, there’s more flexibility when buying men’s engagement rings compared to women’s, since this trend is still fairly new and there are no social norms that you might feel you have to adhere to. Pretty much anything goes, but even with that being said, it can still be tricky to buy an engagement ring for a man – especially if you’ve been blessed with a guy who’s notoriously hard to buy for. Here are some tips to help you decide.
Consider Your Budget
How much money do you have to spend on a wedding ring? If you’re both going to buy each other an engagement ring together, it’s worth sitting down and thinking about how much you can both afford to spend – and whether or not you’d prefer to get a cheaper ring and spend the money you save on a lavish wedding or gorgeous honeymoon. If you’re buying it on your own as a surprise, how much you spend is up to you. While tradition dictates that men should spend 2-3 times their monthly salary when buying an engagement ring for their girlfriend – even though many couples are no longer adhering to this – there are no set traditions for buying a ring for a man. So, think about the style of engagement ring that you want to buy and go from there.
His Preferences
What does your man prefer when it comes to jewelry? Does he already wear a lot of jewelry or have you never seen him wear so much as a simple fashion ring? Does he love certain brands more than others, like Versace? These Versace rings from SSENSE come in a wide range of different styles and would be a perfect choice for a man who loves his designer brands.
His Personality
Since an engagement ring is likely to be something that your man is going to have on his finger for the rest of his life, you’ll want to choose something that’s a good match for his personality. If he’s more extroverted and outgoing and enjoys standing out from the crowd, an unusual or even a colorful ring could be a fantastic choice to match that part of him. On the other hand, a guy who’s more reserved and shy might not appreciate a ring that makes him the center of attention, so something a little plainer, like a simple band, might be more his thing.
The Stone
Of course, you don’t have to pick an engagement ring with a stone as a simple band can be a very classy choice for a man, but if you decide to buy an engagement ring with a diamond in it, colored diamonds – particularly coffee-colored and black diamonds – are both excellent choices for men, and both of these colors look really gorgeous with platinum or yellow gold bands. However, don’t think that you have to go for a diamond if you want to get your man an engagement ring with a precious stone in it. There are plenty of colored stones like sapphires, emeralds, and even rubies that can look absolutely gorgeous and are gaining a lot of popularity recently.
Engraving
Men tend to attach more sentimental value to their jewelry than women, and what could be more sentimental than an engagement ring? No matter what size, shape or color of ring you choose to give your man, it’s the ultimate way to declare your love and commitment to him – so why not get it engraved? A simple engraving around the inner band of the ring can be a really gorgeous way to show your man how much you care without making a massive deal out of it, and it gives you the option of keeping the engraving a secret between the two of you that nobody else knows about. You could do something simple like having your initials engraved on the ring, the date that you both met, the date you proposed to him, or a cute personalized message from you – it’s up to you.
While men have traditionally asked women to marry them, the traditions are set to change with more and more women popping the question. Why wait around? If you’ve decided that you want to ask your man to marry you, it’s time to start ring shopping for him.