A ring that is a promise for the future....also, it usually means that it is a promise for an engagement ring in the futue

In Christian circles, a promise ring is given by a parent (or by both) to their kid. It is a promise between the two that the child will not have sex until marriage and that the parent will be there for support in the meantime.

A promise ring is a ring that a man will give to a woman promising that at some point in the futur they will be engaged.

A promise ring is given when an agreement or oath has been made between two people and the ring is meant as a memento of that commitment. In some cases, promise rings are precursors to engagement rings. While the latter symbolize a promise to marry, promise rings can stand for many other kinds of vows. Promise rings can mean: "I will be faithful to you", "I will return to you" "I will keep a specific promise to you", "I will keep your secret", "I love you", "My intention is to marry you, but I'm not yet ready to become engaged", "I will save my virginity for you", "We are best friends" ,"I will always be there for you", "You are my one and only Valentine", "I promise to abstain from a vice (gambling, drinking, smoking)", "I promise to replace this ring with a (larger) diamond one as soon as I can afford it" Both women and men can give promise rings. http://www.jewelryonlineinc.com/promise-rings.html & http://www.weddingbandsinc.com/promise-rings.html has even more information, including top 10 styles. Doesn't have to be a certain type of ring. There are different kinds of promise rings, mostly with gold and diamonds. Wearing the heart on the ring inward or outward on a certain hand can having a different meaning too, as indicated in the second website.