Promise rings have a long and eclectic history. They share many characteristics of the engagement ring, and yet are seen as a prior gift before the formality of this.

The promise ring was historically used to mark the fact that the female was committed to a contractual agreement with another family for her hand in marriage. It was normally the case that the actual wedding would be held years into the future, but the ring symbolised the fact that the female was taken and that negotiations about her future had been concluded.

During, and immediately after the Second World War, fraternity pins, or class rings were exchanged to symbolise the commitment between two people and their promise to be faithful and loyal to each other.

Over the last decade our so, this trend has evolved into couples investing in a diamond promise ring as a precursor to the actual engagement ring itself. This action has becoming increasingly popular with people who want to take their relationship slowly, but do want to physically represent their commitment to each other. This obviously provides the couple with the symbolism of the engagement ring, but without the immediate commitment to wed.

Promise rings are certainly something to consider within your relationship, but please be aware that this should be a joint decision as one of the couple could be disappointed that the ring is not an engagement ring.