Although we would hope that this will never happen to you, the process of what happens to the engagement ring should the relationship end is not as straight forward as you may think.

This is a particularly important subject if the ring was bought as an investment as well as a symbol of your love for each other.

The one thing which you have to remember is that it does not really matter who actually ended the relationship or why it was ended, and there are a few guidelines which should be followed.

Firstly, the ring should be returned to whoever made the purchase earlier in the relationship. Traditionally this has been the male, but in today’s society it very well may be the female depending on their own financial situations.

Secondly, if the person who has purchased the ring no longer wants it then it is accepted that the other partner should be able to claim the ring. However, it would be very insensitive and morally wrong to immediately sell the ring and keep any funds which generate from this.

Following on from this, it is understandable that if the engagement ring was a family heirloom ring, then this should be returned to the previous owner without any questions being asked.

Finally, what should happen if the ring was purchased with joint funds from both of the couple? In this situation, then it is probably for the best to sell the ring and split the money generated from this.

Ending a relationship is always a rather tense affair and it is important that whatever your thoughts about why it occurred, that you treat the ring with a degree of sensibility and maturity.