Engagement called off: Who Should Keep the Ring?

You got the ring! That beautiful gift turned you from girlfriend to a bride to be, and your love from a boyfriend into a fiancé. The engagement is over: In addition to the heartbreak and sorrow, The heartbroken must deal with the question whether the engagement need to be return. Is an engagement ring really a gift?

It's something a lot of people dispute. Many couples often get engaged. Of those, many or most get married. The rest, however, is not so lucky. A broken engagement can be very painful and confusing experience. People spend a lot of money on rings they cannot afford and then they break up. It's be estimated that a man spends an average of three months' salary to purchase the perfect engagement ring.

Breakups happen and when they do, the woman often either returns or burns everything the man ever gave her to obliterate all reminders of the relationship. When it's a broken engagement, generally both parties will feel that they, morally, have the right to the ring, whether it is because they paid for it or because their partner caused the relationship to break down. 


Although etiquette rules that an engagement ring should be retuned when a wedding is called off regardless of who broke off the engagement, the legal system has differing opinions on the issue.

Most states look at an engagement rings as a conditional gift. This is given with the expectation that a certain even will happen in the future. If that term isn't completed (by the marriage being legalized), the gift "fails" and the giver has the right to take back the gift.

If you live in these states "Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota, Kansas, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, New Jersey, Michigan" your fiancee has to return the ring to you when the engagement is called off, regardless of who decided to break it off.                                                                    

In states like "California, Washington and Texas" who gets the ring depends on who broke-off the engagement. So, if your fiancee calls off the wedding, she has to give back the ring to you. You lose the ring if you call off the engagement, with the exception if you can prove to have a good reason as to why you called the engagement off. Example (If you cancel the wedding after discovering your fiancee was unfaithful to you, a court may order her to return the ring).

So was the engagement ring a gift or not? 

In some states like "Montana"  an engagement ring is a gift, and once given, it can't be taken back. Some courts treat all engagement rings as gift-no matter when, where or how it was given.

Other courts look at the circumstances of when a ring is given. If you gave your fiancé the ring as a Christmas, Valentines Day or birthday present, a court may call it a gift and let your fiancee keep it.

Love is a beautiful part of life.Getting engaged and finding the right person is something to cherish.

I guess you could look at "who" broke it off, if she did, give back, if he did, she keeps! Thats my take on it!

 If a guy gives his lady and engagement ring and then they break up, should he get it back?