A lot has been spoken about Engagement rings but there is a new phenomenon in the jewellery world for those who do not wish to take the important step of an engagement, just yet, but still wish to promise their love to one another. Today, I will share with you information about this new trend of Promise Rings through my latest story written for the Solitaire Magazine (Asia Pacific Edition). Enjoy and do leave your feedback in the comments section!

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY’S NEW FIANCÉE, has been spotted wearing a ring with the letter ‘H’, believed to be a promise ring, given by the Prince. Sometimes called a love ring, a pre-engagement ring, or a commitment ring — a promise ring can mean different things, but the purpose is one and the same, to seal a promise between two people.

Although a promise ring can be exchanged among friends or family, it is more common between lovers, usually given before the engagement when the couple is not yet ready to announce it. Not necessarily a new trend, exchanging tokens of promises has been practiced for ages, some in the form of pendants and lockets. Yet, promise rings don’t automatically mean an impending engagement, but more of a reflection of loyalty towards each other. Exchanging promise rings is a beautiful and fashionable way to express love and devotion to a partner.

While not many couples believe in exchanging promise rings, the popularity of the trend has grown recently. From leading brands like Tiffany and De Beers, to other diamond experts like Cara Jewellers, Suen Jewellers, and Carat 55, many brands have presented their own beautiful interpretations of the ring.

Promise rings have much simpler designs than engagement rings, and typically smaller in size and are less expensive. They usually feature hearts, knots, entwined motifs, eternity, or even plain bands, and have more meaning attached to them than embellishments. Just like engagement rings, they are also typically worn on the ring finger of the left hand, and sometimes around the neck as a special pendant. Unlike engagement rings, though, this ring doesn’t require being ‘on one knee’ when being presented to a loved one.