Engagement ring - choice or surprise?

My ring was a surprise! We'd discussed engagement rings a little before - I'd told my partner that I wouldn't mind something quite small and inexpensive. He ended up getting what I think is a a pretty large ring, but it's gorgeous and he had put a lot of thought into the design and how it reminded him of me. I'm not a jewelry person, it's the only ring I own now or have ever owned, so it's really sentimental to me but it's not really practical for me to wear it every day. I might eventually get something smaller that I can wear every day, but I'm still very happy with how it all turned out.

Mine was a surprise. We’d had a few general talks, mostly that I wanted something low profile that wouldn’t snag on everything. It’s not at all what I would’ve picked out, but I love it because he chose it for me.

View Quoted Comment Maybe you could wear it on a chain as a necklace? That way it's not getting caught on stuff

I saw it as a gift so other than a few general conversations about diamond rings that weren’t even directly about an imminent engagement I was not involved. H knew the cut and setting I liked most but the rest was all him. As for whether I was happy with it, if we had shopped together I couldn’t have loved the ring more. It hasn’t left my finger for the most part since.

View Quoted Comment We bought silicone backup rings. He’ll wear his every day except for dressy events, while I’ll wear my regular ring most of the time and the silicone just for swimming or gardening type things. You might look at something similar if you’re uncomfortable wearing your ring in some circumstances.

I went into Robbin Brothers one day with my friend to just figure out what I liked. I found 2 bands I really loved and told them the shape I preferred. So, they built me a profile and noted everything I said. I let my boyfriend know that I made an account (they sent him a message as well, but that’s optional) so when he was ready to look he could ask for my profile. He LOVED that I did that because even myself walking in there it was SO overwhelming. It helped him pick from 2 bands and eventually he chose the diamond that went into it. It was special to see which on he chose and he knew I was going to love it.

Both! LOL We had never talked about engagement, proposals, rings, etc., and he wanted the proposal to be a complete surprise, so he never brought it up. As irony would have it, I saw a cool diamond right hand ring I loved about a month before he was going to propose, so he ended up getting it as a "stand in" ring for the proposal. Then he took me to his jeweler shortly after and had me design a ring for my official engagement ring. It was unorthodox but so perfect, because I love that the proposal was a complete surprise (like such a surprise I didn't even get what was happening LOL), and I still got to design my ring - I'm not a jewelry person, so it was important that I get something I really love, that's classic (so I will continue to love it 10, 20, 50 years from now), and that's comfortable/convenient for my lifestyle.

My fiancé and I went ring shopping together.(basically we went so I could get fitted). But he had me pick out ones I liked. I got 2 rings because the first one he wanted to propose with he wouldn't have gotten back in time. I love both of my rings.

Me and my fiancé look at rings before but no I didn’t have any say on what I wanted. But at the end of the day, he still got me a beautiful ring and he proposed on Valentine’s Day.

I basically told my FH what I wanted. I knew I wanted rose gold (he always bought me rose gold jewelry and I consider this our metal!), oval, and a hidden halo. I left everything else up to him. He actually went to a local jeweler and him and my dad picked out the diamond together. That makes it so much more special to me. He also picked out the size of the band (he went for a thinner band, I have chubby short fingers and wanted plenty of room for our wedding band), and the carat size. The ring is incredibly meaningful to me and I will always cherish it!

My FW and I discussed what we would like in an engagement ring (size, style, etc) but the exact ring I got was a surprise! I absolutely love it and it exactly fits what I always wanted 😍

I chose my ring! We started looking at rings and I realized that not too many vendors had my size and the look I wanted. It was easier for him to know exactly what I liked, all thought I left the 4 Cs up to him

I actually sent him pictures of the ones i liked randomly one day and then he ended up getting one of those and i love it!! it was still a surprise because i didn’t know which one or when he was getting it!

We chose mine. You're wearing it for the rest of your life, why not make sure it's 100% your style? It's not like you can just exchange it if you end up disappointed with what he picked.


We got the band from Zales to take advantage of their lifetime warranty, and got a lab-made diamond from an online drop shipper (where they just sell the diamonds and there's no physical stores). We saved thousands, and the appraisal for the ring was way more than we actually paid for that way. Now I can say we designed my ring together!

A little of both actually. We always got to the jewelry store, and I tried on a few and gave my opinion on shapes I liked. But the actual ring he choose was a surprise. I love my ring though.

I had a Pinterest board with ones I loved and he took a look and got inspo from that!

I designed my own ring. I was super particular about what I wanted and couldn't find it in stores or online so FH thought it would be better if I took the lead so I could get exactly what I wanted

Both!
Proposal was a total surprise. He did it with a fun ring so I could choose my own. Loved that!

We talked about it and I sent him several pictures of rings I liked. However, the final decision was completely his and my ring is perfect. Tasteful and just the right size for me.

I at first wanted a three-stone ring and told him this. However the ring he presented to me was a classic solitaire. I LOVED it though! He told me his ex-wife had a three-stone ring and I understood completely. I love my solitaire and paired it with a gorgeous wedding band that I cannot wait to wear!