Engagement Rings

The Marriage Zone: Engagement Rings
By Christopher C. Meyer
© May 2009


When things go wrong, and the engagement is broken, what happens to the ring? Interestingly enough, there is caselaw that applies to this issue.

At the risk of over simplification, if the engagement is broken off through no fault of the person receiving the ring, that person can keep it. If the engagement is broken off through some fault of the person receiving the ring, they must give it back.

The rules of etiquette are somewhat different. These rules dictate that the ring should be immediately returned when the engagement is broken off, unless the ring is a family heirloom of the person receiving it.

My own view is you should not give somebody something if you don’t want them to keep it. I will not represent a party in a case that primarily features a dispute involving jewelry. Rings (the precious!) seem to have significance way out of proportion to their intrinsic value, and folks involved in these disputes often lose all perspective.

If you are considering giving your special someone an expensive ring or one with family heirloom characteristics, you may want to have something in writing that expressly states what will happen to the ring if things don’t work out as expected.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice about your case.

Chris Meyer is an attorney practicing family law in Northern El Paso County. Chris’ law practice is limited to domestic relations cases. Chris has been practicing law since 1977. He is a former prosecutor and is licensed to practice law in Colorado, Florida, California and Wisconsin. Chris can be contacted at 719-488-9395. Chris’s website (www.cmeyerlaw.com) has additional divorce and family law information and articles.