The season of gift giving has everyone asking "Is it okay to recycle a gift?"
I know this is a matter of personal opinion and I also know lots of people who constantly re-gift items. But the biggest kicker came from one of my girlfriends who said her engagement ring had a previous owner. Call me old fashion but I was shocked. No, he didn't buy it at a pawn shop or at ebay. He was engaged once upon a time and it didn't work out so he got the engagement ring back. A few years down the line, he met my girlfriend, fell in love and proposed. When I asked her how come he didn't just return it to the store or try to sell it. (Depending on where you bought the ring, some places will allow you to return it within the year which is usually how long an engagement lasts before the actual wedding takes place.) She said he couldn't find the receipt and didn't want to lose the value of the ring by selling it and he didn't have a whole lot of money to buy a brand new one.
I get the practical sense but I'm still iffy on the whole "previously owned" engagement ring. What do you think? Is it okay to recycle that particular gift?
Comments (78)
after all it's the love that counts, not the ring?
I would feel odd wearing a ring given to an ex. Unless it's an heirloom passed down within the family, i wouldnt wear it. Wasnt there a post like that on here once??
the ring is important. i don't want any other crazy batches having the ring before me!
It's practical, obviously. But everybody has different tastes, and if it was a ring I thought to be gaudy I wouldn't wear it anyway, new or used.
I guess it's not the same when a man gives a ring that belonged to his grandmother or mother or whoever?
Haha. No! After I broke up with my ex fiancee he got engaged to this girl a few months later and gave her my old engagement ring. O_o Needless to say...they didn't stay together long, lol.
Doesn't matter. Its only engagement ring.
I don't think I would care. It's not the ring that makes the marriage. If anyone is too obsessed over a ring that is only a symbol, they shouldn't be getting married.
No way! I would never except an engagement ring some other girl was wearing. No second hands!
no way.
HELL NO.
Is it a nice ring? It matters that he bought it and she likes the style.
Call me crazy, but I'd rather have the ring he took back from another girl (proves she doesn't still have it) than one he just got off his Mum or Grandma. If it's just one that was "in the family" you wonder how much effort he made in the past and how much effort he will make in the future.
no. im not okay with my ring having a previous owner.
yeah, as soon as i saw this, my reaction was me screaming out "helllllll noooo!" no way. never
@creativearts2009@xanga - I looked at that as a sign of trust; like, he trusts me enough to give me an important family heirloom and not run off with it.
no way man. even if its just a ring, it still matters to me.
If it's a family heirloom, fine. Otherwise, NO WAY! Every couple is different...but man, am I glad my husband never put me through that!
On the one hand, I wouldn't want him to waste another butt-ton of money on another ring.
On the other, if the ring was specially picked out for another girl, I might feel a little strange.
I don't know, I guess it depends on the situation.
I would take it and pawn it myself, then dump the retard.
@Salivarysatisfaction - my thoughts exactly!
Negatory. Not ok if given in a new engagement context.
I'll be fine with a $100 ring but I will not be fine with a ring that was meant for someone else on my finger.
Um, no. He bought it for another girl, with her in mind, and her taste in mind. He wasn't thinking about his now-fiance when he bought it, so it's really not as special as it should be, at least in my mind. I realize he doesn't have a lot of money, as you stated, but if I were in her position I'd be happier with a less expensive ring that he bought for ME with MY taste in mind, then a more expensive one that wasn't meant for me.
no way. beyond the specialness of the ring and the symbol of it, i would think the dude is way cheap also in giving me a ring originally meant for someone else.
As a person who has been engaged 3 times with 3 different engagement rings and having never been married I'd take a used ring. I have gone out and picked out my dream ring before that is gorgeous but since I no longer have the boy then someone should be wearing it. Heck if I found someone who wanted to propose to me I'd ask if he'd be ok with me wearing that ring and just picking out a band to go with it.
I have 3 engagement rings worth a total of over $10,000 but if I resold them then I might get $5,000 or less. Reselling them will lose most of the value and as I can see girls are picky about the ring having a previous owner. So whats a person to do?
But in answer to your question I'd take a used ring, I'd even take a used ring that I had used with a previous fiancee. Not a big deal.
@jeezshoua@xanga - That's kind of how I feel. The idea of taking a ring that was specifically selected for a previous fiancée makes me a little uncomfortable. A ring itself isn't really important to me, so in this case, I'd rather the old ring be sold and the money be put to use for *anything* else, whether a cheaper ring, a less expensive gift, or something totally unrelated but practical.