The engagement ring that you bought for your significant other cost thousands of dollars. Perhaps you paid over $10,000, saving up for months to make this purchase. You were excited to get engaged and you wanted to show your partner how much you valued them.
But the relationship has not gone as you hoped, and now you are getting divorced a few years later. You are still thinking about how much money you invested in that ring, especially because it is your partner who filed for divorce. Since they are ending the relationship, should you get the ring back?
It is a conditional gift
In most cases, courts will find that the ring is a conditional gift. However, the condition is not that the two of you have to stay married forever. It is just that you have to get married initially.
In other words, you would get the ring back if your partner said no when you asked them to marry you or if they broke off the engagement prior to the wedding. The only reason you gave them the ring was because they said they would marry you, and you get to keep the ring unless they agree and follow through.
But once the two of you get married, that often means that the transfer is complete. The ring now becomes an expensive gift that you have given directly to your spouse. They may not be obligated to give it back because they fulfilled their side of the bargain and got married.
These cases can get complicated and the court may need to make a ruling regarding who should receive the ring. Make sure you are well aware of your legal options at this time.