It's a marketing thing, it was made up by the industry. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27371208 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27371208 >These two achie

It's a marketing thing, it was made up by the industry. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27371208 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27371208 >These two achievements - making the diamond ring an essential part of getting married and dictating how much a man should pay - make it one of the most successful bits of marketing ever undertaken, says Dr TC Melewar, professor of marketing and strategy at Middlesex University. >"They invented a tradition which captured some latent desire to mark this celebration of love," he says. Once the tradition had been created, they could put a price on it - such as a month or two's salary. And men, says Melewar, would pay whatever was expected because it was a "highly emotive" purchase. Of course, it's all optional, jewelery purchases are not a mandatory part of getting married, I (heterosexual woman) have been married for a decade and neither of us purchased any sort of jewelery.