In Western societies it is customary for a man to propose marriage with an engagement ring. According to the American Gem Society, this tradition may have stemmed from a Roman custom in which married women wore rings attached to small keys to indicate «husbands’ ownership.»
This simple practice was kicked up a notch in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy, with the very first diamond ring ever commissioned. Many anthropologists believe that this was very beginning of a long standing tradition of men giving women diamond engagement rings.
More than 500 years since Maximilian’s special gesture, our society is set on the notion that the bigger the diamond, the stronger your love. Recently, a young woman took to Twitter to express this sentiment and the internet was not having it.
Last week, Twitter user @Daymjina uploaded a photo of a petite but pretty engagement ring along with the caption, «Imagine finally being proposed to and this is the ring you’re given,» complete with a few crying emojis.
Imagine finally being proposed to & this is the ring youre given ????? pic.twitter.com/XN64jnbQtw
— tyaa fan club ? (@Daymjina) August 18, 2017
As soon as the Tweet was posted, it rubbed many other users in the wrong way and they didn’t waste time in calling her out for her superficial post.
Although there were a few people who supported @Daymjina’s tweet, the general consensus was that the size of the diamond doesn’t correlate with the degree of love and happiness.
Many shared their own experiences with engagement rings to prove that size doesn’t matter at all and some even tweeted photos of their rings to drive home the point.
The ring my dad gave my mother because he just wanted to marry her. pic.twitter.com/fVzpRDlP1D
— zoezoe? (@you_want_moore_) August 21, 2017
One user replied saying that he gave his girlfriend the option to pick out the ring she wanted and she opted for one that’s even smaller than pictured in the original post.
My girlfriend picked out the engagement ring she wants. It's smaller than that. The size of the ring doesn't matter
— Bad Luck Chris (@bigpancakeguy) August 21, 2017
Another user reportedly wrote, «If the size of the ring is more important to you than the man who is giving it to you, do him a favor and say no.»
Some users expressed disgust at the fact that someone would publicly mock the size of a ring given out of love.
Imagine proposing a girl & she mocks the size of the ring on social media ?????
— Ali (@khajasaaein) August 21, 2017
If that was my future fiancee I would take the ring back and leave her. She is vain and self-centered. Leave her like yesterday's trash.
— Ron Brown (@tarf1a) August 31, 2017
There were users who wrote that they actually preferred smaller rings because they appreciate the simplicity.
this is the beautiful ring that my fiancé proposed with. it didn't matter how simple it was cuz all I want is to marry him. pic.twitter.com/A5Qcf7Bi2Y
— NeenWeen (@ninaryann) August 21, 2017
my boyfriend give this ring to me ? it is so small compared to my big hand ? pic.twitter.com/4Nhm11x1y3
— 172cm (@azreen_aiza) August 21, 2017
I think small, understated & simplistic rings are classier anyway! would go with anything ?
— mj (@MegGriessel) August 21, 2017
The woman who posted the original tweet told Yahoo! that she shared the photo to troll people, not to belittle anyone who has a smaller diamond ring.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting a big ring, it is definitely not acceptable to shame those who prefer a petite gem. As the above users have proven, the size of the ring doesn’t dictate the success of the relationship.
What do you think? Does size matter?
