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Who traditionally buys the engagement ring and the wedding bands, how the custom differs across cultures, and how couples split the cost today.
In traditional American etiquette, the groom buys the engagement ring and the bride's wedding band, and the bride's family buys the groom's band. Today most couples ignore that split: many buy both wedding bands together, and whoever proposes usually buys the engagement ring. Rings are also not universal. In many cultures the key marriage symbols are something else entirely, such as a mangalsutra necklace, bangles or a mahr, and in some countries the wedding ring goes on the right hand.
According to Emily Post, under the old division of wedding costs, the bride's family paid for the groom's ring, and the groom paid for the bride's engagement and wedding rings.
They are two different rings.
The diamond engagement ring is much newer as a mass custom than most people assume. The Wikipedia article on engagement rings records Archduke Maximilian of Austria giving Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring on their betrothal in 1477, but for centuries diamonds were for the very rich.
Which hand, which ring and whether a ring matters at all all vary.
A few common approaches:
In old American etiquette, the bride's family. Today most couples buy both bands together or each buys the other's.
Traditionally no, but it's increasingly common for both partners to wear an engagement ring, or for whoever proposes to buy one for the other.
The left hand in the US and UK, but the right hand is more common in several Northern and Eastern European countries, and in Orthodox Christian ceremonies.
No. The diamond engagement ring was popularised by 20th-century advertising. Many couples choose other stones, plain bands or no engagement ring at all.
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