A promise ring is given to a significant other and signifies any sort of promise. It is often given to represent a commitment to a monogamous relationship prior to an engagement. Sometimes promise rings can represent a promise of sexual abstinence before marriage. These are also referred to as purity rings. Other popular promise rings may symbolize a promise of abstinence from an addictive substance. Promise rings can be worn on any finger, but it is customary, when the ring represents a promise of chastity or future engagement, to wear the ring on the left ring finger or the left middle finger, so as not to confuse it with an engagement ring. The tradition of giving promise rings dates all the way back to the second half of the sixteenth century.
Historically, romantic commitment rings were referred to as “friendship rings” if they did not represent a promise of marriage, and as “promise rings” if they did. Promise rings were often given as placeholders for engagement rings, if the man did not possess the financial means to get married or have children, but he wanted to announce his intentions to marry the woman that he loved.
As is the case with engagement rings, promise rings are customarily not given to men, unless they represent a mutual promise, or are given by a parent or friend. Though promise rings can come in various shapes and designs, heart promise rings are the most popular. These are commonly simple, baring a small heart if they represent a romantic commitment, and they are often engraved with the words of the promise. Silver sterling is often used in pre-engagement promise rings, when a man might be unable to afford diamonds or other precious stones. For those who can afford it, three-stone-diamonds are often used in promise rings, but the stones are customarily smaller than those set in engagement three-stone rings.
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