I’m not sure how much of a trendsetter Ed Sheeran is, but, if he has his way, the jewelry industry could see a massive spike in sales.
The 27-year-old singer announced his engagement to childhood friend Cherry Seaborn last month. Ed cemented his commitment by giving Cherry, 25, a massive engagement ring.
After the announcement was made, rumors started circulating that the couple may have already made it legal, after Ed was seen wearing a band on THAT finger during a gig on Monday. At that show, Ed was already gushing about the prospect of married life, confessing while introducing a song that, “I find myself getting really excited about kitchen appliances now. I promise this song isn’t about kitchen appliances.”
The ring also made an appearance at the BRIT Awards ceremony on Wednesday and the press in attendance were keen on uncovering its mystery. In a red carpet interview with British talk show Lorraine, Ed told reporter Dan Wootton that “I never saw why men didn’t wear engagement rings. It’s the same commitment either way.” He went on to add that “Cherry made it for me herself out of silver clay. I really like it.”
EXCLUSIVE: @edsheeran on the new 'engagement' ring he's sporting on his left hand: 'Cherry made it for me herself, out of silver clay. I really like it. I haven't told anyone that, either!' pic.twitter.com/XC5SxywCsq
— Lorraine on ITV (@ITVLorraine) February 22, 2018
The ring also took center stage in another interview with Sky News, where, when asked about the band, said, “It’s an engagement ring, because I feel like…I don’t know…I feel like it’s good to both do things.” And, when the self-professed “sucker for love songs” was asked when he would be trading in the engagement ring for a wedding band, he demurred, ”I don’t know, but I don’t know if I’d tell you, It’ll be a situation like this where no one knows.”
Ed Sheeran answers questions from super fan Kay Burley, and says he is wearing an engagement ring not a wedding ring pic.twitter.com/gC8hzazpiA
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 21, 2018
Actually, Ed is onto something. This is actually a “thing,” with the gag-worthy name of “man-gagement rings.” According to Brides magazine, Johnny Depp and Michael Bublé are advocates and they are customary in Argentina. In a recent survey, 67% of the men polled said they were “open” to wearing a future marriage indicator. The trend is growing slowly but surely in popularity, with The Knot reporting that about 5% of engaged guys are already wearing engagement rings.
I’m kind of torn on this. On the one hand, it is a lovely demonstration of commitment on a man’s part. The rings are also perfect for same-sex marriages. But, when I got married, I had to shell out almost a grand for my husband’s wedding band, and, for this starving writer, it was almost three month’s salary. So now, on top of the dress, and the hair and makeup, and the bulk of the wedding expenses, women have to buy guys an engagement ring? Not sure if I’m down with that. One thing I’m definitely not on the fence about is that name. Can we please come up with something less awful than “man-gagement” rings?
Photos: WENN.com
Hmmm. I’ve thought long and hard about this deeply pressing question. I’ve come up with a daring solution the the mangagement issue.
How about just ‘engagement ring’?
LOL +1
+1
I agree with the little douche.
Seriously asking why do people call him a douche? I guess I’m out of touch,but I’ve never heard much on him either way-I am,however,going to vomit if I hear his song “Perfect “one more time on the radio
His songs are nothing but catchy misogyny. This is what makes him a douche.
Guess I’ll have to listen to the lyrics-I’ve just never paid much attention
I’m in the exact same boat as Spicecake38… can’t remember actually listening to any of his lyrics.
This is sweet, though. Why shouldn’t a man wear an engagement ring? I popped the question to my husband with a watch, which he wears proudly and tells anyone who asks “it’s my engagement watch.”
That hair is ridiculous.
Does an assistant follow him with a blowdryer aimed at the back of his hair?
He looks like a ginger badger.
@maum lololol ginger badger.
Adults should look like they know how to drag a comb through their hair.
He looks like he took a shower and dried his hair without combing it at all.
He really needs to find a different style to disguise his thinning hair and hair loss. Because that style is the pits.
Yeah, it’s close to reaching Trump-levels of comb-over.
It really, really is…
http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/16/this-pic-of-ed-sheerans-hair-getting-blown-by-the-wind-is-proof-that-he-is-chuckie-from-rugrats-6513044/
Hahaha, he really does!!
@Corey that’s a double standard than by you saying you don’t want to have to buy your future husband an engagement ring. I like the idea personally!
I bought mine a puppy lol. Before we got engaged I had set aside money because I didn’t feel that it was fair for me to get some kind of extravagant gift when he’d get nothing. So a puppy, supplies, and spay was chosen over the big tv I offered, and that was that.
I think it’s kind of dumb that some men wear them. We have a guy at work who started wearing one (that his MOTHER bought him!!!) after he got engaged. Just a simple band. But it comes off as so arrogant in a way “oh, I NEED to make sure women know that they can’t fall for me because I am BETROTHED” as if he was some sort of hot commodity to begin with. Personally, I wore my ring because it was sparkly and pretty – nothing to do with advertising being taken or not. So I mean – a guy can feel that way too – I think it’s just that the office guy is kind of a giant douche that I think it’s stupid.
Uh,if mommy bought this guy his ring and he wears it …His fiancé may want to consider his mom’s future intrusion into their marriage 🙄
Erinn I bought mine a puppy, too!!!
And, I swear the man loves little George (not so little anymore) at least three times as much as me 🙂
Best present I’ve ever bought him (myself).
OMG, I know, Spicecake. He’s relatively immature to begin with, but he’s definitely his mothers favorite, and I find the whole thing super hilarious as a bystander. If my husbands mother had pulled something like that, I’d have either peaced the heck out, or booked a time slot with a couples therapist right from the start haha.
hahah Clare, I thought it was pretty genius. Because Juno adores me. She actually hated me at first – she was IN LOVEEEE with my husband. But then I started sneaking her extra treats and was home with her when she recovered from her spay so she warmed up to me. But I jokingly refer to her as my dog all the time as she tries to climb on my lap when my husband plays the horrible bad guy who wants to clip her nails xD She still absolutely adores my husband though – she’ll hear his work truck well before I can see it in the window and starts bounding around with her whole butt shaking, not just her tail.
no its doesnt come off that way…. its just a reciprocation thing. Yal doing too much.
I prefer the idea of neither person wearing an engagement ring. Or wedding ring for that matter. It’s weird to me that people feel like they need to mark each other like property, and frankly it’s nobody’s business if you’re single or not.
Leave it to Ed to change tradition. The first engagement ring for woman goes all the way back to 1477. In the 1920’s, jewelers trying to push sales, started promoting engagement rings. Engagement rings for woman actually started big in the late 30’s. But if Ed wants to rock a rock, go for it.
In some countries they are just engagement rings and both men and women wear them.
That’s what I saw couples doing when I lived in Sweden,a couple I knew wore plain gold bands, and I asked if they were married.Everyone explained to me that their custom was both wear bands and upon marriage the woman is given a diamond or gemstone ring.
In Denmark it’s also pretty normal.
The same is true in Argentina. Both man and woman usually use a silver band as an engagement ring and then we start using golden ones at the wedding ceremonies. Some girls receive what we call cintillos, golden rings with several small brilliants, as engagement rings from their fiances, but it is not that usual. Big diamonds or other stones for the fiancee are not very common down here
Yeah they’re a lot more common than people think. I’m surprised Ed has never heard of them considering he’s not that far from the European/Scandinavian countries that favour them the most and he should be fairly well traveled by this point. I learned about Swedish men wearing them when I met a bunch of Swedes in Thailand.
Here in Portugal, traditionally both members of the couple wear engagement rings: they’re like wedding bands but wire-thin.
Im all for women asking men to marry them but this really seems more like about boosting sales. Just like all those rules about how much you should spent on a ring. Nah thats made up. Just like engagement rings for women were to boost those sales.
I mean I would also like to sell a product and shame people to spent “at least three months salary” on it. But you know Im not a scammer.
See also “man bags”. Same tactic thats used for women. That isnt progress or equality.
That’s actually what I was thinking. “Oh look, yet another way people can be guilted into spending money.” Another status symbol we can judge each other over, with a stupid, patronizing name to boot. Now women can enjoy judgement over arbitrary engagement jewelry rules from both sides. Equality!
My husband did, but customs are different here in Sweden. We both wore simple gold bands for engagement rings and then he kept that as his wedding ring and I added another one with diamonds as my wedding ring. Probably seems really strange to Americans…
Should have read your comment first I said same thing up thread about Swedes!Love your country,loved every moment I was there ❤️
Old school Italian Americans have been doing this for a very long time. My Father in law and brother in law both wore engagement rings. I didn’t give one to my husband because I’m Irish American and didn’t realize the custom. My husband is not a big jewelry wearer so he didn’t want one anyway.
My brother and sister have beein in relationships for over 7 years (my sister is getting married in november!) and they’ve been wearing rings since their 1 year anniversary. Not everyone does it in Argentina but it is quite common (I’ve never done it, never felt it was THAT serious).
It is simply to show you’re in a very commited relationship even if not engaged. It also helps that argentine men do wear more jewelry than some europeans? Like, some wear religious necklaces, they wear rings, bracelets, etc.
Tsk ah. He got it from Boy Meets World, when Cory wanted an engagement ring cause Topanga had one. lol.
That was the first thing I thought of too! LOL
Simple solution would be no one wears an engagement ring. I declined one when we decided to get married (we didn’t even call it an engagement) and didn’t see a need for a ring.
We both wear simple gold bands for a wedding ring.
In Germany both partners wear engagement rings, usually just simple bands. And the way I know it the engagement bands are worn on the left hand and after you get married the bands are worn on the right hand. Most German women I know don’t wear an extra diamond ring after the wedding either. Maybe younger ones do because they adapted American customs.
Anyway, not such a revolutionary idea here.
Sorry if that comes across as too personal, but how old are you?
Just asking cause I was born in Germany (like mid-90s) and I’ve never met a couple wearing two engagement rings, even in my parents’ generation.
I’ve never even heard of that being custom in Germany. That’s so interesting!
I’m about 20 years older than you 😉 (not too personal, don’t worry). But yeah, I agree it’s quite old-fashioned, even in my generation. But I have friends my age that still did it that way. My husband and me never got engaged at all, with or without rings.
It could also be a regional thing? You know how different customs are depending on where in Germany you’re from…
Apparently it’s a thing people did in the 20th century according to Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verlobungsring
Is Brazil, Argentina and many other countries, it’s the standard practice that both the man and woman wear a ring when they become engaged.
Actually, not really. In Argentina couples wear simple silver rings when their relationship becomes serious or passes the 1 year mark. They’re not engaged at this point. Women don’t wear engagement* rings per se; the couple will wear gold bands once they marry.
Some couples might wear engagement rings but I’ve honestly NEVER seen this done. My sister has an engagement ring but her fiancé doesn’t. They did wear the silver rings up to their engagement announcement.
* If they do, they’re not diamonds but simple rings.
I only recently found out that in Sweden usually the men and the women wear engagement rings. I’m a huge Skarsgård fan and Alex’s little sister Eija got engaged and when they announced the engagement on Instagram, everyone thought they were married but other Swedish fans informed us that it’s custom for men and women to both wear engagement rings. Apparently it’s a sign of equality?
I really like the idea in theory but the few guys I know IRL who did this are exhausting people who did it less for romantic reasons and more as “look how woke I am” and to get a share of the attention normally given to the woman during engagement.
Also, you don’t have to spend a fortune on rings if you don’t want to. I wanted diamonds and got them but my husband doesn’t give a crap about jewelry. We got him a basic tungsten ring off the internet and a cool silicone ring he wears when working out or playing guitar. Cost under $100 for both and he loves them!
I’m not wearing an engagement ring lol. I’m not wearing a wedding band either but my future husband better do – I don’t care, I make the rules
I go back and forth between liking this red-haired hobbit. At times he’s cringe, but then he does something adorable like this. I’m glad to see a man so happy to commit to a woman.
If you have the money go for it.
I don’t like engagement rings. I find the idea of anyone making a down-payment on another person distasteful. To each their own, though.
etsy, overstock, pawnshop, thirft store boo….engagement rings DO NOT have to hurt or kill anyones pockets…unless your with a bridezella or meglomaniahubby…. then in that case thats a whole other problem.
I dislike them as they represent a woman is someone’s property. I’d be up for both partners wearing them though
I bought my own engagement ring so… does that mean I own myself?
If it works for him and other dudes, great, but personally, I don’t see the need for anyone to wear engagement hardware, male or female.
The older I get, the less importance I place on things like that. A solid relationship is more important to me. And of course you can be solid and have a rock that can be seen from space, if that’s your jam. But if it’s not, that’s ok, too.
My husband really wanted an engagement ring. He had proposed to me with a specific design so I went and got him a matching one designed up without him knowing and proposed to him with it. He loved it and still wears it with his wedding ring.
I’m not a ring person and rarely wear either my engagement or wedding rings. I have never heard of the term ‘mangagement’ and I hope that the term does not catch on as it is unnecessary.
I love that we can do what we want and often think about my parents and grandparents who didn’t get the choices we did.
I hate words that have to be “gender specific”. It’s an engagement ring period. Just like it’s a purse not a “murse” or it’s a bun not a “man bun”. Jeez. Also, nothing wrong with men wearing engagement rings. Why should the guy have to buy the woman a ring so the world knows she’s “taken” but she doesn’t have to buy him one to let the world know he’s “taken” too? Equality people !
I like that idea!
corey baby…. what are you doing???? I feel like a wedding / engagement ring and honeymoon whatev should be well within your budget and shouldnt stress or break you. Shoulda just gone on etsy or overstock and did the damn things….lol
but in all seriousness i just bought and customized my fiance a ring from etsy and he wheres it with pride…. i feel like its the one time you guys’ rings and stuff dont have to match its just a token of mutual reciprocation of wanting to be betrothed to each other… so with that i think its a private and awesome thing.
If a dude has to buy a massively expensive, (in many cases), engagement ring for a woman, I don’t see why that woman couldn’t shell out for a guys engagement ring. It’s always going to be the cheaper of the two.
The whole ideal of engagement rings has become twisted and is nothing more now than a reflection of the success of what might be the worlds best marketing blitz back in what, the 40s? It’s no longer a surprise, it’s a carefully planned, perpetually-agonized-over luxury purchase that is nothing more now than a reflection of status.
Word on, lady.
My now husband bought an engagement ring for himself simply because he wanted to. He said if I wore one, he wanted to as well. It was a simple, sweet gesture. Some of his guy pals questioned him wearing it, but he didn’t care. For him, it was just as symbolic that he “show” he’s betrothed, as I did with mine.
Dear Brides Magazine, I don’t think someone like Johnny Depp advocating anything is something anyone should be doing.
My daughter described her perfect engagement ring as a silver ring with a dark blue stone (probably a sapphire) and her boyfriend has asked her enough followup questions that she knows that is the direction he is going in, so she has picked out a beautiful silver watch with a dark blue face that she is going to have engraved with an inside sentimental joke.