Gifting a ring is a special occasion, whether it’s to signify friendship, promises, or engagement. You can present a ring to represent your commitment and/or promise to abstain from something or that you are on your way towards something.
You can present a ring as a symbol of friendship and dedication. Or, you can present a ring to represent engagement and an upcoming wedding.
When you gift a ring to your boyfriend, the most common reasons are promises and proposals, but they can also simply be given to your man as a gift from the heart. Regardless of the “why”, rings are special and offering the ring should represent the statement that the ring makes.
Types of Gifted Rings for Men
There are some different reasons men are presented rings. Make sure that you understand your intentions beforehand so that your man isn’t confused by your offering.
Gifts of love
Sometimes, we simply want to show someone how much they mean to us. And, what better way to do that than presenting them with a ring? You can simply provide them with a ring as a gift for a special occasion - such as a holiday like Christmas, birthdays, Valentine’s day, or anniversary - or any day of the week you find yourself lovingly looking into their eyes, thinking there’s no place you’d rather be but right at their side.
Gifted rings can be worn on any finger the person so chooses. They can also be worn around the neck on a chain, if the wearer prefers.
Promise rings
Promise rings don’t just signify a promise of engagement and marriage. They can also signify a commitment or promise such as abstinence, quitting a bad habit together, or forming new habits. A promise ring is a great way to prove to your man just how devoted you are to your relationship and the promises that you’ve made together.
Promise rings are most commonly worn on the left middle finger next to the ring finger or the right ring finger, but can honestly be worn on any finger.
Engagement rings
We all know what engagement rings are. You’ve decided to spend the rest of your life with this person, and now you want a ring that symbolizes your commitment and devotion to him.
Engagement rings are always worn on the left ring finger.
Fun Fact: Engagement rings are worn on the left ring finger because, at one time, it was believed that this finger had a vein that led directly to the heart. It has since become a tradition.
How do I choose the right ring?
Now that you’ve made your intentions clear for yourself, it’s time to ensure you're doing it at the right time… with the right ring. The first step in this is to have a few talks with your partner and ensure they are on the same level as you, especially if your relationship is still fairly new. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to pick out the perfect ring.
Know his intentions
Before you ever go to the jewelry store and choose the ring, you need to have a few conversations with your man and understand where he’s at in the relationship. Gifting a man a ring when he isn’t ready, even a gift ring with less intention than a promise or an engagement ring, is likely to potentially scare him off. Therefore, make sure you’re asking pointed questions such as, “Could you see yourself spending the rest of your life with me?”. This will make sure your gift ring, even a simple one, won’t scare him off.
Match it with his lifestyle
Now that you’ve got the go-ahead from his answers, it’s time to choose the perfect ring. Make sure you’re keeping his lifestyle in mind to get him a ring that he’ll appreciate. If he works with his hands day-in and day-out, getting him a durable titanium ring may be the best choice. If he’s a guy who enjoys the finer things, getting him a flashier ring may be right up his alley.
Pay attention to his clothing style and the jewelry - if any - he currently wears. Even just a watch can lead you to the perfect ring choice.
Customization
Now that you’ve got the ring, you want it to be special. You want it to symbolize your love, commitment, and devotion. What better way to accomplish this than customization? Luckily, there are plenty of ring customization options out there, from jewelers to websites dedicated to customized rings.
One of my personal favorites is Etsy [ref. http://www.etsy.com]. They offer a large selection of customization options to choose from - from engravings and poesy rings to simply adding in birthstones or other decorations. See here [ref. https://www.etsy.com/market/ring_for_boyfriend] for some examples.
How to Gift the Ring to your Man
So, you’ve listed your intentions, understand how he feels about these intentions, got the ring, and had it customized. Now, all that there’s left to do is gift it to him! There are plenty of different and unique ways to do this. If you need some inspiration depending on the type of ring your gifting, read through some of our examples.
Gift it to him
If you’re simply providing the ring as a present of affection, simply giving it to him may be the way to go (especially if he expressed reluctance when you mentioned marriage). You can simply hand it to him as a gift or hide it in another, larger gift. To add to the fun, you may want to pull a, “hey, look over there!” and hide it in his view before he turns around.
Romantic scavenging
If you want to get a little more extravagant, or if the ring calls for some extravagance, try making up a scavenger hunt for your beau to find you and the ring. Leave him hints that take him to his favorite places until he makes his last stop: You. When he finds you, ring in hand, he’ll know why… More importantly, he’ll appreciate all the work you’ve put into it.
This is better suited for engagement rings since promise rings hold a little less weight. However, promise ring presentation should have its own romantic flare.
Recreate your first date
This is great for promise rings, gifted rings, and engagement rings! Recreating your first date creates nostalgia and will help you both to look forward to the future before the ring is ever presented. Then, when he thinks the day can’t get any better, surprise him with your gift!
Ensure to make your intentions clear as to why you're gifting him the ring so he doesn’t get confused.
Planned activities
This is also great for all three types of gifted rings. You can plan a whole day of activities or a simple one, based on the type of ring you’re gifting. These activities can range anywhere from hiking to shell-collecting to a simple trip to the zoo. Get creative and choose something that you both will enjoy.
Under the stars
This is a fantastically romantic idea for a promise ring or engagement ring gift, although it can also work for a simple gift ring as well. Have a nice, quiet picnic under the stars, talk about your future and dreams and goals… you can even have some light music playing from your car radio or phone. Enjoy your time together and then declare your love and present him with the ring. He’ll be speechless!
In a book
This is one of my all-time favorite ideas! And, it’s perfect for a book-lover waiting on a promise or engagement ring (even if subconsciously). Get a book of love poems or some other type of book that they would enjoy - you may want to buy two if you think they’d actually enjoy reading it - and use a utility knife to cut a hole, a few pages in, into the pages of the book. Create a hole just big enough for the ring to fit snuggly in.
When you present the “gift” (book) to your guy, ask him to read a few pages to you. When he gets a few pages in, he’ll be delighted by the surprise hidden in the pages.
If you got a second book, gift it to him after. This way, you will always have a reminder of your gift and he gets to read the entirety of the book. Everyone wins!
Breakfast or bathtime
Last but not least, you can do something at home for any of the three types of rings. A man who enjoys solitude may actually prefer and appreciate this gesture as it’s not in an area surrounded by people and is in the comfort of his own home. Not to mention, it’s often the little things that count.
Make him a nice breakfast, or breakfast in bed. You can hide the ring in his drink (if it’s clear so he doesn’t drink it). I wouldn’t suggest hiding it in his food as it’s liable to be eaten. You could also tie it with a small, transparent string to his silverware so it dangles before his eyes as he picks up his utensils.
If you want to make a day of it, have a nice day at home after breakfast and, at the end of the day, run him a bath. You could even give him an entire spa treatment (because men enjoy this as much as women).
Light some candles, place some rose petals in the water and put a few drops of essential oil in. Hide the ring on a fake, floating flower or somewhere it’s not sure to be missed and invite him to join you. When he finds the ring, his eyes are sure to well-up with tears of joy and awe that you would go to such romantic lengths for him.
The bath may be more suited for an engagement proposal, so dial the romance up or down depending on your intentions.
Men like to be appreciated too, as much as they may be reluctant to admit it, and there’s nothing wrong with showing your guy how much he is loved and respected. And, women enjoy the chance to be romantic as much as men. So, why not? Why not romance your man? Why not present him with a symbol of your love and affection?
Don’t have your heart set on perfection, because nothing ever goes perfectly to plan. Maybe it rains on the day of your hike. Suck up your disappointment and reschedule. Whatever it is, don’t get discouraged. Your man will appreciate your effort much more than your gift (though the ring is most definitely a nice touch).
The point is: romance your man once and a while. Because, why not?
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