I don't like my engagement ring 😞 (pic)

I think it looks beautiful. Timeless.

But not the OP! Nothing to suggest that here.

The ones you've picked OP are gorgeous 🥰

Love the antique style

Just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean anything.

Yes it does. It means every woman I know who has an engagement ring (and is married,) wears the bloody engagement ring as well as the wedding band! 🙄

Just because the Princess of Wales wasn't wearing her engagement ring in the video yesterday, it doesn't mean anything.

Since you really don't like the ring, I think it's best to tell your fiance and find a way of changing it for something you do like; swapping it for wedding band(s) might be the only way, if you're not keen on the other items in the shop. He might be upset, but he made a bad decision buying an engagement ring that can't be returned, and you may have a lifetime of unusable birthday and Christmas gifts ahead of you if you don't explain that your taste in jewellery isn't always the same as his. You could also tell him all the things that you love and admire about him.

My concerns over this @Marooney are that your partner appears to make decisions without talking to you first.

You've posted that he also ignored your 'wishes' about a necklace a while back and bought what he wanted!

If this is a trend in your relationship, does it bode well for the future?

You've mentioned a cultural difference too. How is that affecting your relationship? Does he feel 'men know best' and women should 'know their place'?

If it were me, I'd be worried he was domineering.

This is only my personal take on it but I think women should choose their own rings with some knowledge of the budget. And I know of women who contribute to the cost to get the ring they really want.

When DH proposed to me, we were living long distance. I looked at a few rings without him (window shopping) and then we went to buy one together.
It wasn't my ideal ring as we didn't have the budget for that.

Now, we do have the budget (35 years on) and I could have one far more expensive (like a lovely 1carat solitaire) but I'm not really bothered!

I'm just concerned for you that your partner is making this 'all about him'.

Definitely tell him. It should be a ring that you love because you’re the one who is planning to wear it for the rest of your life. His two hours of choosing is nothing compared to you wearing it for 50+ years.

My DH didn’t dare try to choose my engagement ring. He knows that I’m fussy. We went to many jewellers and I tried on many different styles of rings to find what suited my hand and what I liked. We then narrowed the search in on that style until we found one within his price range and that I wanted. Nearly 25 years later I still like it.

Tell him. Today. Take the ring off and put it in its box so it’s in perfect condition for exchanging at the jeweller.

Lovely.

Much prefer them!

Mine is similar to the 2nd but all diamonds.

Love the 4th one!

I agree with this. ^ When a wedding band is alongside the ring, it will look fine. A chunky-ass engagement ring with a wedding band looks shite IMO.

Like this.

@Marooney i think all the rings you've uploaded photos of are ghastly. I can understand people not sharing the same taste, but all of these ones just look tacky.

I'm shocked by people saying that £420 is really cheap for a ring. Maybe that's the case on Mumsnet, but in the real world most people would be thrilled with a ring costing that much and with the thought that had gone into it.

I think it's beautiful, very classic.
Remember you're going to have a wedding ring on the same finger too eventually so you could choose something bigger and a bit more unique

The ones you've shown are lovely - as is the one he chose (just a different style of lovely).

All of us know our own 'style' and he's just not quite got there that's all.

I'm sure he'll understand - after all he wants you to wear this for the rest of your life so it's got to be something you love to see on your finger.

For the record, I'm with a few others on here. My DH proposed but produced a 'ring from a cracker' as the ring. We'd joked about it when I got the ring at a Christmas party a few months before. He got teased by some friends that it was 'a sign' and I wore it for the night as a hint! He'd managed to save it and kept it 'just in case' and produced it on holiday when he proposed. I wore it every day on that holiday and still have it in a drawer 22 years later.

Then we went out to buy the ring together so that I got exactly what I wanted. We bought a matching wedding ring for me whilst we were there.

I would really prefer DH to wear something that was special to him rather than half heartedly wear something I'd chosen. We can't know every thought in our loved ones head.

Are you for real? So many people are materialistic and do everything for show/others ... very sad way to live.

Your partner wouldn't want you to have to wear a ring you didn't really like, even if he did choose it. He will hardly give it a second look but you will, every day.

@Marooney

ooh I like no 2

I feel you really do need to tell him tonight, I am sure he wants you to be happy
and he wants you to wear a ring as a sign of his commitment and your love for / to each other

so surely it makes sense to have / wear a ring you love !

and want to show, that's usually the first thing someone asks when someone is newly engaged ' oh can I see the ring ' and the person then ( dutifully ) admires it

It all sounds a bit Gerald Ratner doesn’t it? the CEO who boasted an M&S sandwich cost more than Ratners jewellery and probably lasted longer.

I’d be upset if my partner didn’t know what I wanted.
I can’t stand when ppl say well I love the ring, totally missing the point.
doesn’t sound very thoughtful of him

Earlu in the engagement but u could both choose your wedding rings from there. Or perhaps consider making this years xmas presants jewellry ( whilst keeping within your usual per person budjet) would your partner perhaps like an engagement ring/ watch/ cufflinks. Tbh i hated my engagement ring but i didnt have the heart to say to my partner. Then after a while i started to think about how he went out shopping ( he hates shopping) just so he could find something that would make me smile. He would have been imaging all sorts of nice soppy stuff and it was all about me.To explain better when my parents got married they had no money (1958) so my mums wedding ring was a very cheap narrow ring. At the time my dad promised my mum that 1 day he would buy her a better 1. Well he did - he was so chuffed with himself my mum thought it was lovely. But refused to take off the original. That was the 1 that had real meaning to her she wore the exspensive ring on her right hand good luck and try not to be too downcast just think the man you love wants to spend the rest of his life with you. YOU only you. You are his 'forever person' wishing both of you the very best of luck in your future lives together

Back in the day, couples used to go and choose a ring together, which is a far better idea.

Agreed, choosing a ring together should be an ‘event’ not “here’s a ring bought from Argos in under 2 hours, wear it for life and be grateful, it’s irrelevant whether you like it or not” as many seem to be saying on here.

This is why I think men should propose without a ring and that shopping for it is part of the process.

Tbh though I wouldn’t get a pearl ring as you won’t be able to wear it all the time.

It’s cheap for an engagement ring. Especially from a man who happily pay that for two dinners. A remodel would cost more than its value and could never make it into her style. The point is, whatever it cost, she doesn’t like it. There are rings made from better quality materials, in her style that are still affordable

This is a great idea - you'll need to buy them anyway, so saves you money

It doesn’t matter if anyone here thinks the ring is lovely-OP doesn’t and it’s her who has to wear it forever.
OP be gentle but honest with him. The longer you leave it the worse it’ll be. FWIW I agree about the original ring and love the styles you’ve chosen-they’ve very different and I totally get why the original isn’t your style.

I’m quite tempted myself! Less than £1k is great value I think.

I think you’ve had some unfair responses, I hear you 🙋‍♀️ Jewellery is like art, it’s subjective. I’d hate someone choosing for me, I know what I like better than anyone else because I’m fickle.
Tell him, be honest, channel your inner Rachel Green and ask for the receipt.