The diamond engagement ring is a wedding icon, or at least, the folks at De Beers want us all to believe this. But believe it or not, the idea of the diamond engagement rings as a " must have" for every bride is not linked to any tradition as much as it's linked to savvy diamond dealers who know that to sell a product you need to market it just the right way. One example of this is the relatively new trend in China of future brides receiving diamond rings. Once thought only as belonging to drill bits or famous American movie stars, 15 years ago most Chinese never even considered the diamond as a wedding necessity.

But, thanks to De Beers, "the Chinese diamond market has changed dramatically. In Shanghai and Beijing, eight out of 10 brides now receive a diamond ring, usually a solitaire in a claw setting. The wedding ring is a new cultural phenomenon in China but diamonds are also replacing more traditional jewellery in jade and gold. No other market has developed this quickly - it took 50 years for the US to get to this level and 20 years for Japan." (source: " Chinese Brides Are a Diamond Makers New Best Friend" Guardian Unlimited).



I can't help but wonder what De Beers would do if they new my engagement rings is a ruby!