Promise Ring Meaning
Promise rings are often confused with engagement rings. The purpose of a promise ring is simply that, to indicate some form of vow. A promise ring is given as a tangible symbol of this vow or commitment that one person has made to another while an engagement ring specifically signifies one's intent to wed another.
The commitment associated with the bestowing of a promise ring can be for almost anything you can imagine. For example, one might give a promise ring to another as his or her way of saying, "I will always be there for you" or "We are friends forever". Note that these two examples do not necessarily indicate any form of romance. In fact, the promise can really be about any subject matter and even exchanged between people of the same gender.
However, most people in today's society typically identify the promise ring as indicator of dating (going steady) or some form of a romantic relationship between two people. In this common form, one can think of a promise ring as a precursor to the engagement ring. No commitment to marriage has been given, but a commitment for a personal, one-to-one relationship has.
Promise rings are often given by younger people as a way of showing their commitment to one another and are sometimes used in lieu of an engagement ring when they are too young to be formally engaged or because other circumstances prevent the use of an engagement ring.
To summarize, a promise ring does not necessarily indicate a romantic relationship between two people or their intent to wed, where an engagement ring definitely does, though either (or both) are common uses for such a ring.
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