Originally posted by FlyingToaster I am an American and have a girlfriend who is from and lives in Brazil. Recently she told me it's common for couples in Brazil to give dating rings. I didn't know about this, and this doesn't seem common in the US, at least among adults. I know dating rings signify that one is dating and not available to others, but I am interested in more information about the custom of dating rings in Brazil - For instance, do both people in the couple exchange dating rings? What exactly does the dating ring signify and mean? Is there anything else I should know?

Dating / commitment rings ("anéis de compromisso,") as people said here, are used when you're dating someone for a while and the relationship is starting to get serious. It's a very recent habit.

Considering that, you should only give one to her if you consider your relationship something serious – this kind of ring doesn't mean you intend to marry her, though. Not that it matters – as we've discussed in another topic, if you two decide to live together, our law considers it as a "stable union," which grants you the same rights and obligations of a real marriage.

If you do decide to buy her a ring, you can safely give her a silver ring – silver is not expensive here. You can get a reasonably nice silver ring for as low as $10.00, so you'll spend $20.00 for a pair.

Take a look here:

http://www.pratafina.com.br/aliancas?gclid=CJvZirDKmq8CFQqc7QodO3G-aw

Well, the idea is forever, I think dating rings just further devalue the concept of marriage being permanent, i may be old school, but I am a firm believer in until death do us part, otherwise what is the point of marriage, why not just cohabitate?

Originally posted by Megabyte Originally posted by andrewfroboy otherwise what is the point of marriage, why not just cohabitate? Cohabitating in Brazil is becoming quite common nowadays. My sister has been doing this for quite a while with her husband, and things so far are quite well. Cohabitating in Brazil has the same effect of a legal marriage after a while, anyway.

She means it breaks up the relationship.

Originally posted by Brelett My girlfriend mentioned it to me when things started to be more serious between us. At first I thought it was just something she said to trick me into an engagement or whatever. But when I got here, I saw that her sister and his boyfriend has it (she is 22 and he is 26, I think). Dont know how common it really is here though. Maybe I´ll buy her one before I go back to Norway if it makes her happy.

It's fashionable nowadays. Only buy her a ring if you plan to come back, though. Otherwise, buying this kind of ring is quite inexpensive, so I don't see a problem.

My namorada put a ring on her finger and when I came she gave me one (with some trepidation if I would accept wearing it.) She had unilaterally pronounced me her "marido" starting from few months into our relationship.

In most cases I think the recommendation is to be cautious if the woman pressures you into a marriage. In this case, she just loves to exchange words and signs of commitment. An actual marriage ceremony isn't really what she had ever asked or even fantasized about. But then, in Brazil, we always need to be mindful of the common-law marriage (união estavel) which might bind us sooner than we want to. See my other 2 threads on união estavel and alimony under Getting Married for more on that.