What To Do If She Hates Her Engagement Ring

Step One: Don’t panic.

Any guy who says he’s 100% confident his fiancee-to-be will love the engagement ring he picked is lying… especially if she has given no clues about what she wants. Most men aren’t in the habit of wearing diamonds, and no men are mind readers. So if it turns out that you chose the exact opposite of the ring she always dreamed of, here’s what you should do.

Seriously. Don’t panic!

We won’t deny that the engagement ring is a big deal for her. But it’s not the most important part of the proposal; that would be you asking her to spend the rest of her life with you. Even if she really, really detests the ring, it doesn’t mean it’s all over. You still love each other and want to be together forever, so does anything else really matter? Think of it as the first test of your marriage – we promise in years to come you’ll look back and laugh at the story.

Bide your time

She may not like the engagement ring at first glance, but every single one of us has come to love something we once hated (one example; bedtime as a kid vs. as an adult!). By all means don’t force it, but it’s worth encouraging her to give the ring a chance. After a few days of wearing it around the house or to run errands, she’ll have had a chance to get used to how it feels on her finger and how it looks in different types of light. And she may just end up changing her mind.

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Check the paperwork

If she still hasn’t warmed to the ring, it’s time to dig out the sales receipt, certificate and any other paperwork that your jeweller gave to you. You should have been informed of the returns policy before you bought the ring, but read all of the fine print again now. Some jewellers may offer a full refund within a limited time period, but some may have an iron-clad no exchange or return policy.

No refunds? No problem

No refunds allowed? It’s still not the end of the world. Ask her to detail what exactly she doesn’t like about the ring. Is the stone too big? Is the setting too elaborate for her taste? Too much bling? Not enough bling? Take note, then go back to the jeweller together and talk through possible modifications. It may not take much to transform the ring into the one she’s always dreamed of.

Even if all else fails you can still take the stones from the original ring and use them in a new design, or for a whole other piece of jewellery entirely.