Do you tell him you hate your engagement ring?

Whether you’ve been together for years or have had a whirlwind romance, you will forever remember the moment when the love of your life pops the question. Everything is perfect: the setting, the words, the ring… Oh yes, the ring… What if the ring isn’t right?

The engagement ring is something you will be wearing from now until forever – it will become part of you – so what if the sight of it repulses you? OK, it will take a lot for a ring to make you turn on your heels and run away, but the burning question is: do you tell your husband-to-be the truth and risk hurting his feelings or do you risk spending the rest of your life looking down at a sparkler you hate?

First of all you should have dropped more hints about what type of jewellery you like and hate early on in the relationship. If you’re not vocal about your preferences, chance is that he’s not going to magically pick the right ring when the time comes. Do you keep a blog and are secretly hoping your boyfriend will get down on one knee without you knowing? Make sure you blog lots about rings! He might head there for inspiration…

Speaking from personal experience, men might also turn to those who would know: the best friend, so make sure she – or he – knows what your taste in diamonds is. Rectangular, round, oval, princess, marquise, pear, and droplet – the cut makes all the difference when it comes to this particular ring.

If not, hope that he proposes with a plastic ring or a hula hoop so that you can head to the jeweller and choose the perfect engagement ring together.

Now, the trickiest situation will be if the ring is a family heirloom – like Kate Middleton recently experienced – yet it is something you would rather not be seen wearing. The solution? Simply say you wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing such a valuable item every day and keep it somewhere safe and only wear it on very special occasions. Then buy a shiny new diamond for everyday wear – clever eh!

Or simply go for the safest choice. Make it known that you want to get married and choose the ring together and forget about the ‘surprise’ element of getting engaged. Picking the ring together can be just as romantic.

Been in this situation? What did you do?

Image: De Beers