Archive for June, 2010

 
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Must you Wear an Engagement Ring to be Engaged?

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

While most women dream of their proposal and the style of their engagement rings their entire lives, other women are not as interested in wearing a ring.  Maybe she never really planned to get married, perhaps she is very active and the thought of wearing jewelry all day – every day seems daunting, or perhaps she just wants to wear a simple wedding band because her style is more modest and refined.  If this describes you or your future wife, then perhaps you decide that there will be no engagement ring…if so, does that mean that you are not engaged?  Maybe you are planning a special trip and want to pop the question during this time, but don’t have the resources for the diamond of your choice.  Can you propose without a ring and buy one at a later date? If she does not wear a ring, then are you really engaged?

 

This is a question that many brides and grooms pose, especially in turbulent economic times.  Since engagements are sealed with a ring and a promise, perhaps without this ring they are not valid.  Marriages are also sealed with a ring and a promise, but there is then the accompanying paperwork and legal binding contracts that follow the ceremony.  Engagements do not have legally binding contracts, and courts have ruled in the past that the offer and acceptance of a diamond engagement ring does in fact legally create an agreement.  So, when there is no physical token of your proposal and acceptance to marry…are you in fact engaged?

 

Some feel that you are not, and that in order to truly be engaged you must wear some sort of ring.  If this is true, then are there stipulations to what the ring must look like?  Does the engagement ring have to be made of metal?  Must the engagement ring have diamonds?  Or, can the engagement ring cost .25 cents from the local vending machine, as opposed to $2500 from the local jeweler?  If an engagement ring is mandatory to secure a true engagement, then what are the required parameters of the engagement ring?  Would a bright yellow plastic decoder ring do just as well as a platinum engagement ring or diamond solitaire?  Must the ring be worn everyday, or can it just be worn occasionally?

 

Others feel that engagement rings are not necessary to seal the agreement to marry. A simple ask and answer is all that is needed for a couple to be engaged, and since even if a ring is exchanged either member of the couple can opt out of the wedding at any time (even after all the flowers, bridesmaids, and guest have been collected) then an engagement is not a legally binding agreement in the first place…stunning diamond ring, or not!

 

Either way, it appears that engagements are truly an arrangement between two people, and if an engagement ring is not important to you, then you do not need to wear one.  No one will prevent you from walking down the aisle because you have not been flashing a brilliant cushion cut diamond engagement ring prior to the big day, but if you do wish to have an engagement ring, try shopping for yours at EngagementRings.org!

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Engagement Ring Trends for 2010

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Engagement Season runs from around Thanksgiving, through the Christmas holidays, past New Years Eve, and all the way to the end of February encompassing Valentines Day.  This season, what many thought would be less active in response to the fledgling economy, has actually been full of diamond ring proposals, much more than expected!  Not only has the general American population been full of engagement ring love, but many celebrities have also surprised the gossip columns and have become engaged as well.  Carrie Underwood is set to marry hockey player Mike Fisher, Backstreet Boy AJ McLean proposed to his girlfriend on the eve of his thirty-second birthday, and singer Katie Perry is engaged to comedian Russell Brand after just four months of dating!

 

Are you considering joining the likes of Fisher, McLean, and Brand, and proposing to your girlfriend as well?  Or, are you dropping hints to your man to treat you like Carrie Underwood or Katy Perry, drop to one knee, and present you with a diamond ring?  If so, you may want to consider what some of the diamond engagement ring trends for 2010 will be.

 

Eternity Rings:

Eternity rings, or anniversary rings, are unlike a diamond solitaire engagement ring and have diamonds that run the circumference of the band.  These are typically given to a wife by her husband on an anniversary, but are also becoming popular as engagement rings and wedding bands.

 

Alternative Metals:

Gold is a hot commodity in a down economy, it has also caused quite a stir among the “Green” crowd as detrimental to the environment, and is one of the softer engagement ring metals available.  These facts have increased the popularity of alternative metals such as titanium and stainless steel.  Both of these metals are less expensive then gold, they are much stronger than gold, and many rings made from stainless steel have been comprised of recycled materials.  Today, many jewelers offer extensive selections of titanium engagement rings and stainless steel engagement rings.

 

Non-Traditional Designs:

People are thinking outside the box and straying from traditional diamond engagement ring solitaires.  Think colored gemstones such as rubies and sapphires, geometric shapes such as triangles, diamonds, and rectangles, and other non-traditional designs like those that incorporate several types of metal, inset the stone as opposed to a raised setting, and include more stones that just the diamond solitaire.  There are many modern engagement ring settings on the market…or design your own!

 

Custom Engagement Rings:

Can’t find the ring you want already designed by a jeweler?  Today’s ring buying market wants to see their funds spread as far as they can, and if they choose to part with their hard earned cash in this type of economy, they want to get the ring of their dreams.  This is leading many couples to opt for custom engagement rings with the help of online retailers as well as brick and mortar jewelers.

 

Antique Engagement Rings:

While many couples are breaking from engagement ring tradition, others are seeking a symbol of the past and selecting among the many recreated engagement rings from the Edwardian and Art Deco period.  These rings are very detailed and feminine, often made from white gold or platinum.

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Broken Engagement: Who Keeps the Ring?

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Its horrible to think that the one you love, the one you want to propose to and spend the rest of your life with, may not be the right one.  Ideally, you will offer her the ring, she will eagerly say yes, and the two of you will live happily ever after. But what if you don’t?  What if you never even make it down the aisle?

 

There has been a lot of debate over who owns the engagement ring when a couple who is planning a wedding decides to call it off, both among the public, and the courts, but several precedents have been set, and before you propose, you may want to be aware of what could happen.

 

Barry Meyer and Robyn Mitnick became engaged in August of 2001 when Barry proposed to Robyn with a $19,500 engagement ring.  A few months later, Barry presented Robyn with a prenuptial agreement, which she refused to sign.  The disagreement over the pre-nup ended their engagement, and the couple broke off their wedding.  Barry asked Robin for the engagement ring back, but she refused, prompting him to sue her in a Michigan court.

 

There are a few legal terms that apply to engagement rings that you should understand.  These terms support the precedent setting court case Meyer v. Mitnick, where Robyn, even after appeal, was ordered to return her engagement ring after the couple broke off their upcoming marriage:

 

Conditional Gift:

This is a gift that is given essentially under contract.  Meaning, when given, the receiver and the giver have entered into an agreement that validates the receiver holding the gift.  Engagement rings are considered by most courts to be conditional gifts.

 

Unconditional Gift:

This is the traditional thought behind gifts, that they are given unconditionally, and once gifted, cannot be revoked.  This term applies to most gifts other than engagement rings.

 

Fault:

Many have believed that whomever is at fault for ending the engagement revokes the rights to the engagement ring.  In other words, if the man breaks the engagement, the woman keeps the ring, but if the woman breaks the engagement, she returns the ring.

 

No-Fault:

This is the general rule set in place by the courts.  It doesn’t matter who breaks the engagement, the ring must be returned.

 

The courts declared that an engagement ring is a conditional gift, dependant upon the couple actually getting married.  If the marriage takes place, then the ring belongs to the woman, she did not break the condition of the gift.  If the couple does not marry, the condition has been broken, and the gift must be returned.  The court also believes that this does not depend on who is at fault for ending the engagement.

 

The Meyer v. Mitnick ruling reads as follows:

 

“Affirmed. A determination of who owns the engagement ring following termination of the engagement does not require a determination of which party was at fault. Marriage is an implied condition of the transfer of title to the ring, so the gift does not become absolute until the marriage occurs. The ring must be returned to its donor.”

 

You can read more blogs about and shop for engagement rings at EngagementRings.org.

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Katy Perry and Russell Brand, When’s The Wedding?

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

It seems that famed “I Kissed a Girl,” singer Katy Perry can’t stay out of the celebrity engagement gossip.  First, in 2008 Perry denied rumors of engagement to on again-off again boyfriend and Gym Class Heroes front man Travis McCoy, after it was reported he proposed to her during a trip to France.  Then, back in early September of 2009, Perry was spotted flashing a diamond engagement ring in L.A. forcing her to deny, for the second time, rumors that she was in fact engaged to McCoy. Shortly thereafter, the couple split and Perry began dating British comedian and star of Saving Sarah Marshall, Russell Brand that month.  Then, coming just four months after she denied her engagement to McCoy, Perry got engaged to her new boyfriend after a New Years Eve proposal in India.

 

Brand, 35, and Perry, 25, met during the MTV Music Awards this past year and since the well known playboy has reportedly only had eyes for her.  Couple insiders report that while the two new lovebirds were having an intimate Indian dinner in London, Katy professed to Russell that she loved the eastern culture.  As a Christmas gift, he whisked her away on a trip to Bollywood, where he proposed marriage just before midnight on New Years Eve. The New York Daily News reports that the engagement ring is “a large, square-cut diamond set in a platinum band,” but this is all the news we have regarding the status of the rock.

 

After the proposal, the couple donned traditional Indian outfits and had their engagement and relationship blessed by an Indian love guru.  According to The Sun, the ceremony took place at the base of a mountain in Jaipur, in a tent.  Shortly after the traditional love ceremony, Russell further surprised his new fiancé with a trip to Thailand to celebrate their engagement.

 

The rumors of their engagement actually began when Brand was spotted shopping at a West London Cartier store, allegedly looking at engagement rings.  This is where he is said to have purchased the square-cut diamond and platinum setting.

 

Katy and Russell have only been dating for a few monthsmonths, so the news of their engagement has not been taken very seriously among the celebrity media.  Perhaps this is another story of a hot and heavy Hollywood romance that will fizzle out before it gets started, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised if we never hear the wedding bells ring for the famous couple.  It is reported that she and McCoy, Perry’s previous alleged fiancé, had trouble in their relationship due to her hectic tour schedule.  With Brand’s history of drugs and sex addiction, her fame, and the lack of privacy that accompanies celebrity relationships, the couple will have to fight hard to make it to the alter.

 

Russell-Brand-Katy-Perry-At-Taj-Mahal-500x375

 

Katy and Russell in front of Taj Mahal which she shared on Twitter. “He built this for me,” she wrote in the Tweet.

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Twilight Saga: Eclispse Stunning Vintage Engagement Ring Revealed!

Monday, June 21st, 2010

In the final scenes of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Edward Cullen slips a stunning diamond engagement ring onto Bella’s finger and asks her to marry him.  What a cliff-hanging way to end this movie and keep fans salivating for their next dose!  In addition to the excitement dripping from Twilight fans across the globe, surrounding Bella and Edward’s wedding details, there has also been quite a buzz about the design of Bella’s engagement ring…and now they have been revealed!  As it turns out, after so much preparation, the Eclipse engagement ring Edward gave Bella at the end of the movie barely made it into the scene.

 

After five different jewelers made an attempt and the Twilight staff conducted exhaustive research, the perfect engagement ring was finally revealed.  Stephanie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Saga, had a specific idea of what she wanted Bella’s engagement ring to look like.  The movie’s prop master Grant Swain tirelessly researched design styles of vintage engagement rings from the Victorian era and hired four famed engagement ring designers to submit their create vintage engagement ring designs.

 

After reviewing the four engagement ring submissions, Stephanie Meyer was still unsatisfied, so she created her own engagement ring sketch and offered it to a Portland jewelry designer, the same designer that Twilight had used to create the Cullen family Crest.  The final result was the perfect inspired antique engagement ring, which arrived to the set just hours before the final scene was to be performed.

 

Stephanie Meyer’s idea of the perfect engagement ring for Bella is a Victorian inspired diamond engagement ring.  The large face of the engagement ring is fashioned into an oval shape and covered with small round diamonds.  The engagement ring’s pave setting is arranged in slanted rows of sparkling diamonds, but no word on the total carat weight. The folks at Twilight had preferred an engagement ring made from cubic zirconium, but these rocks could not be ordered in time, so authentic diamonds were used in their place.

 

Vintage engagement rings have become very popular over the last several years, especially engagement rings inspired by the detailed and romantic designs of the Victorian and Art Deco eras.  Their elegant design details, delicate tracery, engraved patterns, white gold and platinum finishes, and arrangement of sparkling diamonds inspires romance.  Bella’s Victorian pave diamond engagement ring is a stunning example of this trend.  Avid Twilight fans can find replicas of this engagement ring online, but sorry ladies, while the engagement ring is for sale, Edward Cullen is not included in the purchase.

 

You can find out more about vintage style engagement rings at engagementrings.org.

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Engagement Rings Sales are Positive this Past Holiday Season, Despite the Recession

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Sellers of diamond engagement rings and wedding bands look forward to the holiday season because it is the most popular time for hopeful grooms to pop the question.  Known as the Engagement Season, with the Christmas spirit in the air and the hopefulness of the New Year ahead, many smitten men find it to be the perfect time to propose.  Whether under the mistletoe, beside the Christmas tree, on a horse drawn carriage through the wintery park, or as the ball drops at midnight, the holidays offer many perfect settings for an engagement proposal.  It is estimated that one third of all proposals take place between Thanksgiving and Valentines Day.  In America, that is approximately one million couples!

 

The Nielsen Company had predicted that last year’s holiday sales would be rather flat, with a modest positive result.  They anticipated that sales would increase about 0.03 percent, with 44 percent of households spending the same amount of money as last year, 42 percent spending less, and only 4 percent increasing their holiday budget. With turbulent economic conditions, sales are affected in all areas of retail.  Jewelers, like other sellers, were unsure what to expect this holiday season, but it seems that even in times of financial depression, men and woman are still planning weddings.  Engagement ring and wedding ring sales this last November and December were much better than forecasted.  Maybe hard economic times are actually bringing people closer together, and reminding Americans that love and family are the most important aspects of life.  The demand for engagement rings and wedding rings has not just held steady, but it has actually begun to climb!  This is not only great news for wedding ring and engagement ring retailers, but the condition of the American family as well.

 

Many engagement ring and wedding ring websites and brick and mortar stores are advertising and promoting recession friendly ring options, and expected to see a surge in the less expensive silver and gold engagement and wedding rings, but this has also not been the case.  Platinum wedding and platinum engagement rings, typically the most expensive option, have shown strong sales.  This is especially true in the United Kingdom, and Ben Roberts of Clogau Gold, a Welsh jewelry company says, “It could just be that the Christmas spirit overwhelms couples – or that girlfriends and fiancées’ hints are not as subtle as they once were.” This may be true, but these high sales of Platinum wedding and engagement rings in the United Kingdom could also be due to the fact that the British Pound has held a much higher value than the American Dollar.  Either way, it appears that even in a recession, people still find love a priority and look forward to making their commitment official with an engagement proposal or wedding ceremony.

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Penelope Cruz Still Flashing an Engagement Ring

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

The engagement rumors regarding 35-year-old Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and 40-year-old Spanish actor Javier Borden have heated up again in recent days after the private couple was photographed getting frisky on a beach in Brazil this week.  The rumors began back in October, when Cruz was flashing a stunning engagement ring at the screening of the film Broken.  The pair denied the rumors, but a friend of Cruz leaked information to the press saying that “Penelope’s parents are conservative Catholics and are really pushing for her to get married. Javier would like to take things slowly, but Penelope wants to make her parents happy.”  The friend also told reporters that a holiday wedding may be possible for the pair, and because Cruz is from Spain, she would like a Spanish designer to create her wedding gown.  During this time Cruz was spotted visiting a famous Spanish dress designer at the House of Balenciaga.

 

The first several months Cruz and Borden were very low key and revealed nothing to the media in regards to their relationship.  This leak angered the couple, who had hoped to keep their relationship and wedding plans out of the press, and came just after Cruz downplayed marriage to a reporter for Britain’s Psychologies magazine saying that, “I don’t know if I believe in marriage.  I believe in family, love and children.” This is obviously very different information than that that was leaked by her friend.

 

While as far as the press knows, there was no holiday wedding, Cruz is still sporting the ring, as evidenced in the photos taken in Brazil.  The alleged engagement ring is an enormous sapphire center stone surrounded by smaller diamonds, and leads one to believe that if it wasn’t an engagement ring, why would she wear it everyday, or at the beach?

 

Cruz and Borden originally met before the two Spanish actors had hit it big in mainstream Hollywood.  Back in 1992 they filmed the movie, Jamon, Jamon, together, but Cruz broke off their steamy relationship after the filming had ended.  A few years later, they met again on the set of Live Flesh, in 1997, with no rumors of a relationship, and it wasn’t until their latest film together that the two really got hot and heavy.  They have been back together since 2007 and meeting again with their supporting roles in Woody Allen’s movie Vicky Christina Barcelona.  Cruz played Borden’s ex wife in the film and was so convincing that she won an Oscar for her role.

 

The two have been inseparable since, despite rumors that Cruz had been angry with Borden over his workload, and broken things off.  Cruz and Borden have still been quiet regarding their relationship.  So quiet, in fact, that the couple could already be married and we may not even know about it!

 

Cruz

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Michael Buble Engaged to Young Latin American Celebrity

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Crooner Michael Buble is the next celebrity to join the ranks of Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, and AJ McLean, and plan to be married during engagement season 2009/2010.  The Canadian born singer, songwriter, actor, and Grammy winner, reportedly proposed to his Argentinean girlfriend Luisana Loreley Lopilato de la Torre, a Latin American Soap Opera actress, singer, and model.  Buble’s rep Liz Rosenberg told People magazine that, “Michael proposed to his girlfriend, Luisana, in November, in front of her family in Argentina. They’re ecstatic. They’re adorable, in love and laugh all day long.”

 

Michael, 34, and Luisana, 22, met at his concert in Buenos Ares in November 0f 2008, one year before he popped the question.  Apparently Luisana caught his eye during the performance, and the singer serenaded her during the show, falling in love at first sight.  Since, the two have been dating exclusively, and their meeting come shortly after Buble parted ways with his British actress girlfriend Emily Blunt, whom he allegedly cheated on.  While he had never proposed to Blunt, this is not the Grammy winner’s first engagement.  He was previously engaged to long time girlfriend and singer, dancer, and stage actress Debbie Timuss.  Timuss and Buble also worked together.  They both starred in the stage performances, “Red Rock Diner,” and, “Forever Swing.”  Timuss also sang backup on Buble’s album, “It’s Time,” and the break-up of their engagement in 2005 inspired him to write the hit song, “Lost.”

 

This is also not Luisana’s first engagement, or her second.  In fact, in just twenty-two years of life the young Argentinean celebrity has now reached her third engagement.  Her first time around she had planned to wed fellow Latin American actor and Alma Piratastar, Mariano Martinez.  Next, she was engaged to tennis player Juan Monaco, and now she wears a ring given to her by Michael Buble.  Let’s hope this engagement is the keeper…

 

Luisana’s career has been as active as her love life.  She has starred in several big Latin American hit shows including the Argentinean version of Married with Children, playing Christina Applegate’s counterpart, called Casados Con Hijos.  She produced three hit albums and completed three tours with the musical group Erreway, recently leaving the group to become a trio and attempt a solo career with the label Universal Music Group.  She has been a host for several Latin American MTV projects, including the 2007 Latin Music Awards, and has served as a spokesmodel for many companies in South America including Glamour magazine, McDonalds, and Coca-Cola.  Her latest project was starring in her fiancé’s latest music video titled, “Haven’t met you Yet,” it seems Buble really enjoys mixing business with pleasure.

 

This will big a big year for Buble, not only is he now engaged, but his fourth and most recent album is set to win big at the Grammy Awards Ceremony that will take place later this month in Los Angeles.

 

Michael-Buble-Engaged-To-Marry-Luisana-Lopilato-500x691

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Three of the most popular Diamond Shapes for Engagement Rings

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

For more than two hundred years the tradition of offering engagement rings to secure agreements to marry has held strong in the United States and has spread to many other countries.  These engagement rings are very special to the wearer and differ from wedding bands in that they are typically more expensive and offer a beautiful sparkling diamond solitaire or group of diamonds as a token of everlasting love.  Since the advent of engagement rings there have been many different diamond shapes that have emerged, but there are three shapes that are most often seen in engagement rings.  If you are about to search for engagement rings you should know about the Cushion cut, the Round Brilliant diamond, and the Princess cut.

 

The Cushion Cut Diamond

Engagement rings that showcase the Cushion cut diamond have been popular for many years, but until recent times they were most often in antique engagement rings.  This is because the Cushion cut diamond was in high fashion during the Victorian Era.  Also referred to as the Pillow cut or Candlelight diamond, Cushion cut diamond engagement rings do not sparkle as brilliantly as some of the other diamonds shapes so popular in engagement rings, but they have other benefits.  Engagement rings that feature the Cushion cut diamond are classically beautiful, have a romantic feel, and certainly stand out among other diamond engagement rings.

 

The Round Brilliant Diamond

For those seeking a traditional looking engagement ring or a classic diamond solitaire engagement ring, round brilliant diamonds are the most popular shape for engagement rings today.  The engagement ring retailers are well stocked with Round Brilliant diamonds so those seeking engagement rings with this diamond shape will have many options to choose from.  The way the Round Brilliant diamond is cut is the most important of all the four C’s, so choose engagement rings with Round Brilliant diamonds that feature ideal cuts.  This will ensure that your engagement ring will sparkle beautifully.  To increase the impact of the diamonds brilliance, Round diamond engagement rings can also include smaller side stones for added sparkle.

 

The Princess Cut Diamond

Square cut diamonds have always been wonderful options for engagement rings, but until the arrival of the Princess cut diamond, they did not offer the brilliance of a Round diamond.  Engagement rings that feature a Princess cut diamond are beautiful options for brides that seek the sparkle of a Round Brilliant diamond but want engagement rings that have a little different and more modern look.  Because of their unique style, Princess cut diamond engagement rings have become very popular options in recent years.

 

Engagementrings.org offers extensive selections of diamond engagement rings that include the Cushion cut diamond, the Round Brilliant diamond, and the Princess cut diamond.  See some of these engagement rings at engagementrings.org

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