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excuse my ignorance, but isn't a promise ring a christian thing? i thought it was a 'saving yourself until marraige' thing... but i don't know
My FI gave me a promise ring for our 1 year anniversary (it was my senior year in high school) because I was about to leave to go to college, and he was staying in our hometown (he's a year younger than me)
He gave it to me basically as a promise that we would stay together no matter what in the year that we were apart and as a physical reminder to me that he loves me and was thinking about me even when he wasn't there.
We've talked about it more recently and have both agreed that if we were old enough to actually get engaged, a promise ring is kind of pointless - we just wanted to be able to commit to one another but we were way too young to actually get engaged. If we were older, then he would have skipped the promise ring and gone straight to my e-ring!
@sunshinebride, sometimes it is a promise to save your virginity, such as when your father gives you a promise ring and/or you decide to wear one yourself. However, lots of people get them from their SO's as a promise saying, "sometime i will marry you and someday I will propose". I didn't get the promise ring persay, but i got an "i love you" ring that i wore on my left hand. Same differnece, really, but it wasn't a promise, it just meant i was taken and in a serious relationship. I wanted him to save his money for the big ring. But yeah i definitely think it's more common in younger ladies. I got mine when i was 19 and thought it was a big deal, now i go "oh i was kinda silly about that" but i still wore it and it really took on a bigger significance when we were in a long distance relationship. It was a nice reminder of him, right there on my finger. But, if you want to get married, I don't see the point of a promise ring unless there's some big obstacle--like you've got years before you finish college or something like that. For me, i wore mine for 3 years before we got engaged b/c it simply wasn't feasible for us to get engaged when i was 19, nor until i was older and closer to finishing college. For him, he just wanted to give me a token of his love =]
PS i just noticed you're 24...so in your position i think i'd just skip the promise ring and wait for the real thing! What are you wiating for anyways? do you think he'll propose faster if he promises? if you guys feel that way about each other you may as well get engaged
@crimsonchik, well i got my promise ring from my guy on our first anniversary. we weren't in a position to get engaged at the moment since we were a year into a long distance romance and not ready for marriage so i was very happy with my ring. i'm actually getting a little sad about exchanging it for the ering. but not enough to keep me from doing so!
@littlemissmango, i don't have any tips for you. i had mentioned to my guy that i wanted to get a ring, just a plain old ring with no kind of significance. apparently he started looking after i mentioned it and he surprised me with my ring for our anniversary. it was then when he gave it to me that he added that it will be a placeholder until he could officially propose. so my plain old ring turned into a promise ring. either way, i cherish it.
but to be honest, if we were in a position to get married back then, i'm sure he would have skipped it and gone straight for the engagement ring.
i think mature people in a mature relationship that promise to marry each other ought to just get engaged. engagements can last for years- there is no time limit on them.
promise rings have different meanings, though, so it could be a promise for something else significant.. . . that ring can be a symbol of an area of improvement, too: like not saying something hateful when bickering or making an effort to include the other's family or even consulting the other with large purchases.. .. so it doesnt need to be sophomoric, but it will always be sentimental.
My FI gave me one just before we bought our house together. While he couldn't afford and e-ring at that point, he wanted to give me something to show he was in this for the long haul. It was the sweetest thing.
If I hadn't received a promise ring when I did, I would have waited for the engagement ring. He gave it to me for our 2 year anniversary. We were both 19 and we knew that we weren't going to get engaged for years. It is just a symbol of our love and commitment at such a young age. I still wear it proudly as I impatiently await the e-ring. lol
I got a promise ring from my stupid ex boyfriend when I was 18, it was sweet I guess but at that point in time I had no intention on marrying him so Im not really sure what the ring was for. He also cheated on me several times after he gave me the ring, lol Im glad i got rid of him!
FI gave me a promise ring on our 1 year anniversary. We were both 19 too and 2 years later I got my ering. I love both of my rings.
Some people were telling us to consider getting a promise ring but we ended up just getting an engagement ring and then having a long engagement since we were still in school. I think at a certain age a promise ring is sort of silly, in most cases. Just wait for the engagement ring!
we got "promise" rings pretty much the day we decided we were crazy about eachother! we'd only been dating for about 3 or 4 months, but to us it was just something we wanted to do for eachother. we wore them on our left hands as an outward sign that we were taken :-) we got them both at a local texas jeweler called james avery. his was a wide silver band, and mine was different from anything i've seen. it's a heart shaped garnet set in sterling silver with 14k gold flowers :
i never liked gold jewelry, but i love the gold flowers against the silver ring and next to the red of the garnet! now that i've got my pet rock (my e-ring) I wear it on my right hand. he still wears his on his left hand until we're married.
I personally like the idea. I don't have one but I'd like one. Even if you're not waiting for any particular reason (like school or something) to get married, it's a nice symbol. I don't think 24 is too old, either. I like the idea of wearing any kind of ring on your left finger to show that you're taken. I've been in the really awkward situation of talking to a guy at social events (school stuff) several times and then him asking for my number. It's just awkward to be like, "Um, I have a boyfriend..." I think if there was a ring like bellamargot's beautiful ring on my left hand, he would've figured it out without both of us having to be super embarassed.
I have one, but he got it for me for our first Christmas together when we were 18, and it came with a matching necklace and earrings. I love it, but now that I'm 24, I'd really rather him save up for the e-ring!
I got mine after we had been dating for 7 months and in long distance. We were talking about moving in together at the time I got it, and he was about to graduate high school. It was another year before I got a proposal, and it really didn't help the itch. lol. I love it, and even though I don't wear it now that I have my e-ring, I keep it in a box on my night stand so I can look at it every now and then. It's small, white gold, has each of our birth stones and our names. = )
Since you're a little older than we were, I'd just wait for the real thing.
Yeeeahh... now that you guys mention it, I'm having second thoughts. Lol. I think I'm on board with the idea that it's mostly appropriate if you're either too young to get engaged, or are in a situation where it would be impractical to do so. I DO like the idea of just an "I love you" ring, just a present to have that would serve a purpose in showing people that you're taken when worn on your left hand. Maybe I should tell my mom (who would be asked by SO) that I want a ring for Christmas. *Any* ring... although a big fat diamond wouldn't hurt!! 
@crimsonchik, every person's situation is different. for us, a promise ring was our best option because when we do get engaged, we plan on having a short engagement. i personally am not a fan of long engagements. then why not wait to get get engaged a little longer? knowing that about myself, this was the way to go for us.
At this point in my life, the only ring that has any promise for me is an e-ring! My ex-boyfriend from high school got me a plain band as a "promise ring," and God knows that turned out to be more of a mini shackle than anything. My current SO bought me a ring, but it's just a gift. It seems pretty common for guys to buy their future wives a ring to feel out their tastes. :P
@bellamargot: My ring's a garnet too! Represent! I love the setting of your ring, btw. I'm hoping to have a band like that with three stones or so for an e-ring rather than a solitaire, since I already have one.
We always knew we were meant to be... right off the bat. We were 19 on our one year anni and he gave me my promise ring - "someday" & my heart is yours was the promise. We were in college and younge, but now I've had it for 3.5 years now and we're getting to the engaged part soon! I'll always love it, but its not satifying the itch anymore!!!
@minutiae that ring is gorgeous!
i'd also like to add that we were 26 and 27 when we exchanged our "promise" rings. did i feel corny calling it a "promise ring" at my age? yes, a bit. did it feel great to have rings on our hands showing we were "taken"? ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY!
We both have one..Ours are mainly because I live in ga and hes in Pa and they are outward signs to show we are taken. I have a small green diamond and he has a band I bought him with the song of solomon enscription (I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine) in hebrew. I attached a real picture of mine and a stock one of his.
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My FH offered to buy me a promise ring but I asked him to put the money aside to something else instead. I think it's really cute though - but it wouldn't have scratched my waiting itch at the time!
I got one such ring once we realized we were going to be together indefinetly. Unfortunately it was a $20 arts and crafts fair ring and the stone already fell out. I still have the stone and the setting in my jewelry box.
we got matching claddah rings in ireland, we got together so young we knew we would eventually get married but we decided to wait till after school to get engaged, so it was a promise someday when we have money ring. they were like 10 euro and sterling, but I LOVE mine.
I got a sort of promise ring on our 6 month anniversary but I wear it on my right hand. It was a great opportunity to chat about rings I liked though!
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My BF gave me one for Valentine's Day 2 years ago and I LOVE it. Yeah, I would rather have an engagement ring, but we are both still in school with very little money. The only problem I have with it is, when I meet people, they think I'm engaged. But I love that the BF thought to give one to me while we are finishing school.
Last year for Christmas my SO got me a ring... While he had no idea what a promise ring was (I think he is still hazy on it even after my mom asked him if it was a promise ring and then had to explain to him what that was) I think of it as one. It was the first major piece of jewelry he ever got me, and a considerable investment considering he and I were still full time students. Knowing how financially conservative he is, it showed me he was still planning on being together for quite some time... He's all about return on his investment 
.
I wear it on my right hand though, I save my left hand for THE RING, when that time comes. And I know however great that will be, this first piece of jewelry he got me will always have sentimental value.
(PS- He took me with to pick it out, and I thought it was super weird how the sales person was talking about "upgrading" and getting the money from this ring towards another one... I'd rather keep my jewelry thankyouverymuch)
Personally I would find it silly. I want a proposal with an engagement ring because I'm traditional. However, there are many women that like getting a promise ring and that's cool too. A friend was proposed to with a promise ring. They didn't have enough money for an actual engagement ring so he got her that instead, and she sees herself as engaged. So it depends on the couple and what they feel comfortable with, but it's not for me.
Here is a better view of my green diamond.. I cant wait to get my e-ring!!! (taken with my blackberry storm!!!)
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As I was browsing through some ring threads, I noticed many ladies talking about their promise rings. I don't think I realized this is still such a popular tradition! For some reason I was under the impression that it was a.) Something teenage boys did to get their girlfriends to sleep with them, or b.) Somthing that just stopped happening in our generation. But, now I'm starting to think it's super cute, and that I really want one! So, I created a poll to indulge my curiosity. Tips on how one can go about acquiring a p-ring would be appreciated, by the way!! :-D