Traditionally (at least in the Western world), men present rings to the women they intend to marry, and custom design engagement rings are the best choice. Such custom handcrafted jewelry is one-of-a-kind; there are no two custom design engagement rings that will ever look exactly alike.

Ancient Tradition

During Hellenistic times, men formalized marriage agreements with the unique piece of custom made jewelry that has come to be known as the engagement ring by placing it on the fourth finger of his betrothed's left hand. In ancient Rome, it was said that this particular finger contained the vena amoris - literally, the 'vein of love.'

This tradition as continued to the present day, as this form of continues to be worn on what we now call the 'ring finger' of the left hand, at least in North America and the U.K. In some cultures however - such as those of Poland and among orthodox Jews - custom design engagement rings are actually worn on the right hand.

It's More Than Gold and Diamonds

Those who work in the field of custom jewelry design create a wide variety of , which can range from plain metal bands made from white, yellow or red gold, silver, or even platinum. Tradition dictates that diamond be used in such custom made jewelry, but such tradition hardly has the force of law - which is the great thing about custom jewelry design. 'Custom' means you can have it your way - so if your betrothed for some reason prefers sapphires to diamonds, there's no reason why such a piece of custom handcrafted jewelry be created!

They're Not Just For Women Anymore

It's a rare custom at present, but the practice is becoming increasingly common: women who at the time of an engagement, purchase custom design engagement rings for their men. In Northern Europe, it is actually quite common for both the man and the woman to wear rings during the engagement. In Spain, a woman's choice for custom men's jewelry when she accepts a marriage proposal is a wristwatch.

Do What You Want

Traditions are made to be broken - it's not like the Middle Ages when the Church provided literal 'engagement police.' If both want to wear custom design engagement rings that are elaborate and feature expensive gem settings or simple gold or silver bands, an online ring designer is available to provide those one or two-of-a-kind custom handcrafted jewelry pieces. After all, the best custom design engagement rings are the ones that please you and your betrothed.