What the heck is a promise ring?

[Angsty Meier Link]

My girlfriends b-day is in a couple weeks and she wants a promise ring... idunno what it is, and I googled it and got mostly engagement rings So how much money is this going to blow out my pocket and am I diggin myself a hole here?

PLEASE I hope some girl reads this and tells me what to buy!

[KPT25]

i do`t really know...you can give her a nice looking yet not too expensive ring...in my opinion this is more like a little something to show her you care about her,and willing to go in a new future into a higher level of commitment...but i`m no expert in love matters,so i couldn`t tell...

[UltraRoboninja]

According to Wikipedia:

A promise ring is a ring that is indicative of a serious promise made to oneself or another. It may be given to a romantic partner to signify a commitment to a monogamous relationship, without a more lasting bond such as marriage. Lovers mostly exchange promise rings to indicate their commitment to the relationship they have. Generally, a girl receives a promise ring from her potential mate when they know they want to be married, but because of age or circumstance it is not possible at that time. Students sometimes use class rings as a promise ring, although this may be less common than in the past. A friend may bestow a promise ring to another friend to signify their loyalty and/or resolve to remain friends forever. A promise ring may also just be purchased for oneself as a reminder of a personal promise.

Promise rings are bestowed to symbolize a promise that one person makes to another. In some cases, promise rings are precursors to engagement rings. While the latter symbolize a promise to marry, promise rings can stand for many other kinds of vows.

Typical examples of such vows might include:

"I will be faithful to you."
"I will return to you."
"I will keep you in my heart always."
"I intend to marry you one day."
"We are best friends."
"I will always be there for you."
"I love you."
"I'll wait."
"I will remain abstinent until we are married."
"I will not dishonor you nor myself."
Promise rings can be worn on any finger, but those symbolizing pre-engagement or chastity are generally worn on the left ring finger. There are two schools of thought regarding the origin of the 3rd finger being designated the "ring finger." For those logical souls, this finger is the most practical one for wearing a ring. Protected by fingers on either side, and not as active as the first two fingers and thumb, it is a safe haven for jewelry. A more romantic notion is the ancient belief in a "vena amoris," or vein of love, running from the 3rd left finger to the heart.

[Angsty Meier Link]

Alright I sorta get it now... but I don't even know what I'm supposed to be promising! I don't wanna screw this up cause its her b-day, but I'm not sure how serious I have to be with it.

[DARKTALBAIN]

It's just a nice ring , that means basically one day you may marry her . It's like a pre engagement ring from the way most women look at it .

My girl has one because I'm not sure if I want to marry her & the promise ring cooled her jets on the whole " when are we going to get engaged questions "

Just get her a nice ring .

[Angsty Meier Link]

It's just a nice ring , that means basically one day you may marry her . It's like a pre engagement ring from the way most women look at it .

My girl has one because I'm not sure if I want to marry her & the promise ring cooled her jets on the whole " when are we going to get engaged questions "

Just get her a nice ring .

Haha cools her jets, I like that... that would be a good thing seeing as she's talking about wanting a baby... I'm only 24 guys, I don't think I'm ready for this...

But thanks, now I know what to do.

[b.easy]

The same thing happened to me a while back. 

My girl wanted one for an anniversary. As she put it : "It means you promise to put up with my sh*t"

[EXCh33ky]

My girl told me about that also, its basically a ring that comes with a promise that maybe someday in the future you 2 become an item aka marriage. So its a kinda before engagement ring thing but not as serious, it carries the idea of maybe it could leadto that. Trust me i got this lecture like 100 times

[Luis/Dshiznet]

.. and here i thought it was a aphrodisiac