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There’s been popular songs written about the subject, including Madonna’s, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” stating, “If you liked it then you shouda put a ring on it.” So why do men propose on one knee and gift their new fiancé with a diamond ring? Was it always done this way or is this tradition more modern? 

However, it wasn’t until Prince Albert proposed to Queen Victoria in 1840 that proposing with a beautiful ring took off. He proposed with an emerald ring as it was her birthstone, but he gifted her several diamonds during her time on the throne, especially in 1887 to commemorate her 50 years on the throne. This made diamonds popular in the Victorian era.

In fact, diamonds didn’t become popular until the mid 1880s when they were discovered in mines in South Africa, and Cecil Rhodes founded the DeBeers mine. The popularity of diamonds quickly spread to America, in conjunction with the “Breach of Promise to Marry Act.”

Historically, in the early 1900s, women prided themselves on remaining virgins until their wedding day. If a man called off the wedding but she was no longer a virgin, she was often seen as “damaged”. This prompted first the “Breach of Promise to Marry Act,” where women could sue if the man called off the engagement, and the ring, which is both romantic and almost an insurance to get down the aisle. In theory, the woman was offering her hand to her partner in marriage, who promised to “tie the knot,” at a later date soon. Back then it wasn’t overly romantic, but things changed over time.

Image by Bill Young via Flickr

In the late 1940s, DeBeers developed their “Diamond is Forever,” campaign, showing that a diamond and love is both everlasting and that women want one. This prompted other ads from reputable Brisbane jewellery stores stating that your girlfriend is worth it. The campaign also started the old school etiquette of paying at least two months’ salary on an engagement ring.

Even though marriage proposals and engagement rings have existed for hundreds of years, women still have certain expectations. Even today, we expect the man to get down on one knee, pop the question and present a box with a beautiful diamond ring so she’ll feel like a princess in her favourite fairytales.  Throughout society and culture, men have always asked and most women don’t want that to change. They like the special feeling of being asked and repeating their engagement story and showing off their ring for days to come.

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Disclosure: This article is published in partnership with Mediabuzzer.