[Kzonon]

What Pritchke is talking about is the Engineer's Iron Ring. The iron ring ceremony is a highly "secret" ceremony in that not everyone is allowed to attend only people who have the ring or people who are about to get the ring are invited. So most people don't know that it happens, when it happens or where it happens.

The ring is a many sided ring made of iron (of course). It is to be worn around the pinkie finger and serves as a reminder of the Oath that engineers make when they receive the ring. You can also tell whether the bearer is experienced or inexperienced from the ring. Over the years as it is worn, the edges of the sides wear down and so in the end you do get a smooth band.

I'm not an engineer so I don't know all the ins and outs but if you see the ring you know what "industry" the bearer is in....

Now to the point....Cloudy there are so many engagement rings out there....some very similar and some completely different. I've always liked simple elegant designs so (when I buy one) it will probably be just a single stud (1/4 to a 1/2 carat). But I don't think the girlfriend will continue to wear the engagement after she gets the band. The band will be worn all the time and the engagement ring will be kept away some where.

Right now I wear a sterling silver ring on my thumb. Its an interlaced design between polished silver and brushed silver. Don't where it all the time because sometimes a thumb ring when meeting clients doesn't make a good first impression.

Kz