[dimgl]

Women expect it. It's that simple.

[GJim]

> Women expect it in the USA. It's that simple.

You will find quite a few cultures with bride prices and dowries that turn this on its head.

[hungie]

Some women in some cultures in the U.S. expect it. Many women in the U.S. expect a ring, diamond or not.

[tiborsaas]

Why do plastic/silicone wedding rings exist then?

[red-iron-pine]

commonly as placeholders, for people using their hands and at risk of de-gloving incidents that would seriously hurt them.

[wkat4242]

Hmm that sounds a bit shallow and materialistic tbh.

But I have to say I'm an outlier anyway, I've never been married and I prefer polyamorous relationships. And I've never had real money to speak of. So I'm not really the right type.

I do know the families with a big house and fancy dinner parties with Sunday silverware. But I tend to stay away from those settings :) I don't fit in and I don't even own a suit or dress shirt that fits.

So yeah I probably just don't 'get it' :)

[kelnos]

> Hmm that sounds a bit shallow and materialistic tbh.

It is. But the diamond cartel's marketing (at least in the US, I won't speak for other countries) has been so good since well before I was born that diamond = love, romance, relationship, marriage. For many, many, many people, there's an inextricable link between the two.

It's super lame. But it's how it is. Hopefully that's already changing.

[ninetyninenine]

It is shallow. Women want tribute or some sort of proof that you care. This is the true meaning of romance. Romance is essentially a man paying some sort of tribute to a woman mostly in the form of time, effort and/or money.

[hungie]

Can we avoid painting with such a broad brush? "Women want tribute" is a wild thing to assert.