When I heard this morning that Kris Humphries (NBA player and former future Mr. Kardashian) is planning to auction off the 20 carat diamond engagement ring gifted to ex-fiance Kim, it brought me back the old debate of who lays claim to the ring when engagements are called off?
One side of the argument would claim that regardless of whether the couple was ever married, the ring is still considered a gift, and therefore should remain the possession of the person to whom it was given. Others would argue that without a binding contract of some kind the ring could still be considered property of the purchaser, and should be returned so that this person can attempt to reconcile the value of his/her purchase.
The case of Kris and Kim is obviously a unique one. They were only married for 72 days and the relationship was ripe with controversy, mainly the reported tens of millions of dollars the couple made selling the rights to cover their extravagant wedding ceremony and party. More pedestrian couples usually do not have such controversy surrounding their separation.
Unfortunately there is not established "rule of thumb" as to who gets to keep the ring in broken engagements, and matters such as this need to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Some breakups are civil and the purchaser of the ring is happy to let their significant other keep the ring or vice versa. Others are messier and cause serious drama at the end of a relationship, both monetary and emotional.
Either way, it is important to keep situations like this in perspective. Broken engagements are not a happy time for any parties involved, and the best course of action is generally the one that will lead to both parties leaving the relationship on good terms. They say love conquers all, but when it doesn't we hope that cooler heads will prevail.
That being said...Visit us online if you are looking for an engagement ring!
Sydney Rosen Company
No comments:
Post a Comment