Dummy engagement rings are on the rise. Are we simply becoming too fussy?

Nervous about proposing? Panicking that your (hopefully) wife-to-be won’t like the ring you’ve chosen? Then you may be the perfect candidate for a dummy engagement ring.

Jeweller Beaverbrooks has launched a series of ‘fake’ engagement rings that range between the much lower prices of £40 and £65.

The idea behind this new initiative is to save would-be proposers from splashing the cash on a style that their partner may not necessarily like. It sparked from a survey of 2000 women that found 72% wouldn’t trust their partner to choose their engagement ring.

Each ring is a more purse-friendly copy of some of the jeweller’s most elaborate (and expensive) styles. A £50 solitaire matches a £26,500 design while an £11,500 diamond ring is practically unrecognisable from its £55 cubic zirconia equivalent.

Potential brides can try their dummy rings out for a few days or weeks and swap it for the real thing or pick their preferred style. Of course, there’s the option to just stick with the dummy ring and save the money for a dream honeymoon (or the deposit for a house).

With the average ring costing £573, the idea does make sense. But the start of what could be a new trend begs the question: are we becoming overly fussy? Choosing an engagement ring is traditionally a major part of a proposal that perhaps should be left to the proposer. After all, isn’t a marriage first and foremost about love, not jewellery?

According to marriage proposal consultant Daisy Amodio, most people have a pretty good idea of what their partner will want to wear for the rest of their life. “About 95% of our clients have already bought a ring – very few do an ‘I owe you’ or use a dummy ring. Many couples want something completely personal to them,” she told Stylist.

“Often couples talk about styles beforehand or the proposer has a really specific idea of their future spouse’s preferred style.”

There’s plenty of tales online of women hating their engagement rings with one high-profile name being repeatedly seen. Miley Cyrus admitted that her vintage Neil Lane design – chosen for her by Liam Hemsworth – “isn’t really [her] aesthetic” and even said she sometimes swaps it for more creative things like unicorns and candy canes.

So is it the thought that counts? Or are you entitled to have a say in a ring you’re expected to wear every day?

Let us know if you’d go for a dummy ring at @YahooStyleUK.

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