Those who have proposed and been proposed to will understand the emotions involved in this highly-charged moment. This is a pivotal time in people´s lives. It is when they have finally decided to fully commit to one another and are now truly envisioning the rest of their lives as being inextricably intertwined.

Or so they hope. Unfortunately not only do 1 in 3 marriages end in divorce but a percentage of people never actually make it down the aisle in the first place. Plenty can happen between "I will" and "I do" that can throw the future happiness of a couple off course and lead to the end of a betrothal. At this point many women are left wondering what they are supposed to do with their diamond engagement rings. UK law is fairly clear cut on this situation and states that it is presumed an absolute gift and therefore remains the property of the women.

The exception to this is if the man has stated, either implicitly or explicitly, at the point when the ring was handed over that it is conditional on the marriage taking place, as was the outcome in the case of Jacobs v David (1917). This can potentially be overruled however if the ring was bought at a time when gifts are usually exchanged, such as at Christmas or on birthdays.

In the US, however, the law is different. Engagement rings are more often then not considered conditional gifts, which is an exception to the rule that gifts generally do not have to be given back. It is a "no fault" line which means it is irrelevant who broke off the engagement.

However in some states, the law holds with the "no fault" line where a woman is not obliged to return the ring no matter what. Other variations on this are a "modified" ruling in which the man has a right to the ring back unless he breaks off the engagement or "strict fault" ruling where again the fiancé is entitled to the ring providing it was not his actions that led to the end of the betrothal.