9. The Casual Circlet

Generally as Seventh-Day Adventists, we don't wear jewelry.

A lot of Adventists still don the wedding ring. Shaun's conviction has always been not to, and after I read Creeping Compromise by Joe Crews (page 32 to page 50 if you're interested), we both agreed we wouldn't. Wearing a ring doesn't save my marriage, Jesus does.

This decision has saved us so much money. Instead of spending so much on a small rock that's going to be used to build the pavements in heaven, Shaun got me an Apple Watch as an engagement present... at 50% off!

I can't imagine myself living without it, not because it's my engagement present, but because it has this one function - probably the only function I ever use it for. It makes my phone make a noise (a pinging sound) wherever it is. This is especially useful, because I'm always misplacing my phone and always digging in my bottomless pit of a bag, wondering if my phone is inside.

But, back from my tangent, the casual circlet of a ring isn't something we ever considered. However, Shaun's mom did try to sneak in a small suggestion to Shaun that we should get one because "diamonds/rings are forever, we didn't have to wear it, we can just keep it".

This was highly surprising to me, because even my mother did not pressure us about it.

I guess, this is where the history of the diamond comes in.

You need to read this:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/how-an-ad-campaign-invented-the-diamond-engagement-ring/385376/

How an Ad Campaign Invented the Diamond Engagement Ring.

TL;DR
In summary, diamonds or diamonds rings were never worth anything. Diamonds catapulted into popularity when a company set out on a decade-long marking campaign to brainwash an entire generation (of men and women) that a diamond engagement ring is the source of all happiness.

That's why you have the songs, "a diamond is a girl's best friend", and "diamonds are forever". Diamond rings were never present in the beginning when people got married, but are actually newly introduced in the 1900s (less than 100 years ago!). The marketing campaign was so successful that EVERYONE now, who wants to get married, needs to get a diamond ring. The bigger, the better.

So, if religious reasons aren't enough for you, and monetary reasons aren't enough for you, hopefully this is. Don't be a victim to a marketing campaign and find yourself tends of thousands poorer. Use that money for your honeymoon. Or even better, put it into a self-denial fund and donate it to a ministry. :)