There is a debate on whether or not to return an engagement ring if the wedding is called off, but why is there never a question that the woman gets to keep the wedding ring if the couple ends up divorced? Why doesn't the man get it back then?
by 
Teasdale
ANSWERS: 9
-
Well, these are all based on societal assumptions. It was very rare in times past that the woman called off the marriage. After all, they were un-empowered, and might even have been promised as part of a good family merger. So I can understand the tradition that if the engagement is broken, she keeps the ring. However, in this day and age, I would suggest that whoever bought the ring should keep it if the engagement is broken. This is fair to both parties. If the couple ends up divorced - hmm, I guess society thinks that could be due to either of them. I know this is going to be contradictory and old-fashioned, but I would side with the receiver keeping the ring, that was given as a token of love and sincerity. People who truly give gifts from their heart don't expect them back again. [Note that for me gender doesn't enter into it. Who ever the receiver was, should keep it.] Good ?, +3
-
It seems to me that if the man calls it off, she keeps the ring. If the woman calls it off, the man gets the ring. If a wedding did take place, the ring is the womans no matter what. Why, I don't know. But I certainly would not want his ring upon divorce, why would he want mine? Because it is a diamond and it is worth more?
-
that is what we call, "HER HALF"
-
The engagement ring indicates a marriage. Once the two get married, the deal is done. The ring is hers to keep.
-
Well a divorce is pretty much a civil court case and if the man wants he can ask for it in court. But since he is a man going through a divorce, he has to learn a new definition for half. The ring is the least of his problems.
-
Here's how I view it. The engagement ring is a deposit until the wedding day when it is finalized. At any point that the engagement should end, he gets his deposit back. Some consider it a gift, but it isn't, it's a contract. In exchange for the ring you agree to marry him. If you don't follow through, the contract is void and the ring is returned since the contract to keep it is not fulfilled. The wedding ring is a gift at the wedding as a symbol of having fulfilled the contract (a signing bonus so to speak). Regardless of how long the marriage lasts, the rings belong to the members respectively. Also when two people get married they merge assets, including the rings, and should the marriage split, the assets are split, and so the wedding ring set is also split. Family heirloom rings seem to be a big wrench in this situation because of the sentimentality of the ring. That is a whole different ballgame. I would imagine that eventually the husband would have replaced that ring with one of her own.
-
In some places it is the law that the woman gets to keep the ring unless otherwise stated before a ring is exchanged, for instance if he says if we break before we marry i get the ring back, the ring is seen as a gift and therefore the woman gets to keep the ring
-
Deciding to get married is like entering into a contract. The ring is given anticipating fulfillment of the contract. If the marriage doesn't take place, the contract is broken and the ring goes back. If the marriage does take place, the contract has been fulfilled and the ring stays.
-
Legally, it is a matter of state law.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC