A woman in America has divided opinion after sharing a shot of her modest engagement ring – that cost just $182 NZ.
Ariel McRae was shopping for an engagement ring with her partner of two years, Quinn, when she found one she totally fell in love with.
But as the couple browsed, one of the shop assistants commented how “pathetic” it was that some men chose those particular rings to propose with.
In a post on Facebook, that has since been shard 50,000 times, Ariel wrote how her partner’s face dropped at the remark.
“My husband doesn’t have a lot, neither of us do. We scrape and scrape to pay bills and put food in our bellies…” Ariel explained.
“I wasn’t even thinking about rings, I just wanted to marry my best friend,” the 22-year-old added.
But after the shop assistant’s inconsiderate comment, Ariel said her husband-to-be was devastated.
“He was so upset at the idea of not making me happy enough and of me not wanting to marry him because my rings didn’t cost enough money or weren’t flashy enough.”
But as Ariel puts it, it isn’t the ring that matters but the love that was put into it.
“Y’all I would have gotten married to this man if it had been a 25¢ gum ball machine ring. When did our nation fall so far to think the only way a man can truly love a woman is if he buys her $3,000+ jewelry and makes a public decree of his affection with said flashy ring? Sure they are nice, sure the sentiment is wonderful and I’m not trying to cut down any of your experiences, but when did it come to all that? Why do material possessions equate love??”
Despite the upset of the ring buying mission, the couple have now married in the court house, with Ariel saying she is “happier than I could ever imagine.”
And while some people still seemed to be on the shop assistant’s side, hundreds of Facebook users have commented on Ariel’s post, telling her that her ring is “beautiful and so is your love story.”
One user, Hannah Michelle Sharpe, wrote: “My fiancé spent the last of his money to buy me a ring at K-mart. He always asks me if I want a different engagement ring, I keep telling him that I love this ring and always will.”
Miranda Hillman agreed, writing: “In the same boat with you. My wedding set is a 9 dollar set from Walmart coated in clear nail polish so my fingers won’t turn green. But it doesn’t matter I love them. Our wedding was perfect. And I love my husband more and more everyday regardless of what’s on my finger.”
Meanwhile Rebecca Cook said: “The jewelry is nothing. It’s replaceable. But nothing can replace the bond made with the man who has your heart. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one.”
