Why Some People Are Choosing ‘Dummy’ Engagement Rings

Some avoid the real deal at first.

Some men are popping the question with “dummy” engagement rings — low-cost jewelry meant to hedge against the risk that the bride-to-be won’t like her guy’s choice, Yahoo Style UK reports.

If she does like it (and assuming she says yes), the couple can go buy the real version. If she doesn’t, she can choose something else that suits her better.

British jewelry company Beaverbrooks is now selling a line of dummy rings made from such materials as cubic zirconia, according to Yahoo Style.

Prices for the fakes range from 40 British pounds (US $48.66) to 65 pounds (US $79.07). They correspond to much more expensive versions.

For example, one dummy ring that sells for 50 British pounds corresponds to a genuine version that sells for 26,500 pounds (US $32,215.12).

Are such rings necessary? It depends on whom you ask. Stylist quoted Daisy Amodio, a marriage proposal consultant, saying: “About 95% of our clients have already bought a ring – very few do an ‘I owe you’ or use a dummy ring.”

Read more at Yahoo Style UK