Rings are not only for weddings. They come in
all colors, shapes and sizes. If you are like me you don't just
want to look stylish, but also stand out from the homogeneous looking
fashion crowd
Just over half of all marriages end in divorce
and most Germans wait until they are aged about 30 to tie the knot.
Meanwhile, the number of unmarried couples is rising.
Recently, the German parliament Bundestag passed legislation authorizing
child subsidies for the first time to unmarried couples. Hitherto,
only married couples could apply for tax break subsidies for minor
children.
The jewellery industry is stunned by the downturn in wedding rings. In the 1960s, virtually all married couples wore wedding rings on the third finger of their right hands - as opposed to the left hand in English-speaking countries.
That right-hand, left-hand difference caused some confusion in post-war Germany when a British or US soldier assumed a young woman with no ring on her left hand was available - oblivious to the gold wedding ring on her right hand. Nowadays, however, there is no wedding ring at all in many cases.
The new study by the Allensbach polling institute shows that only 74 per cent of German women wear a wedding ring. Among husbands, only 60 per cent say they wear a wedding band. In erstwhile eastern Germany, the rates are even lower, with six out of 10 east Germans dispensing with wedding rings altogether.
Engagement Rings
An engagement ring is worn by a woman on her left-hand ring finger indicating her engagement to be married. The ring is usually presented as a gift by a man to his prospective bride as she accepts his marriage proposal. It represents a formal agreement to their future marriage. The majority of engagement rings contain a precious stone in a setting with the diamond being by far the most popular selection. The actual ring itself is made of any number of precious metals including gold, white gold, platinum, titanium and others. The engagement ring is normally far more expensive than the wedding band.
The engagement ring used to be selected and purchased by the groom.
They were then given at the proposal and usually came as a surprise
to the woman. Today, most smart thinking grooms will let the potential
bride actually pick the ring and surprise her with the proposal.
More on marriage proposals later.
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