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As Slate's Dear Prudence advice columnist, I receive a surprising number of questions about "the ring." The diamond industry, in its infinite marketing savvy, seems to have convinced young couples that the only way to declare a lifetime commitment is for a man to ruinously spend two or three months' salary on the proper rock. Men write to me to say that they're ready to get married, but given school debt and the depressed economy, they simply can't afford a good enough ring, and they despair whether they'll ever be able to pop the question. Here's a secret that the folks at De Beers don't want young people to know: All you need to do to become officially engaged is tell everyone, "We're getting married!" (As my Slate colleague and fellow ring unenthusiast Meghan O'Rourke wrote, the "blingfest" is a modern invention.) Read More ...
