Who Invented Engagement Rings, Anyway?

by Kelly Bare

2001: Brad Pitt sues Dalmani International, which made the wedding ring he gave Jennifer Aniston. Pitt says the ring was his exclusive design, but the company sold replicas and implied the couple endorsed them.

2002: According to a Fairchild Bridal Group Study, more than a third of couples buying diamond engagement rings spend at least two months’ salary.

2003: Wal-Mart introduces its “Keepsake” brand of diamonds and, according to its annual report, becomes “one of the top sellers of diamonds in the world.”

2005: A week before Valentine’s Day, the one-carat round solitaire diamond ring set in 14K white gold ($1,988) is out of stock on Wal-Mart.com. The author of this story notices a day-glo billboard in her hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, advertising an “ENGAGEMENT RING EXPLOSION,” and hopes no one was hurt.