‘I wear it on my middle finger’: The Rise of the Divorce Ring

Glimmering on Deb Marino’s finger are diamonds set in an eye-catching gold ring.

“Of course it’s a middle finger ring, because, why not?” The Florida-based blogger said on her Tiktok feed.

Removing her engagement ring suggests a regret the 34-year-old doesn’t feel – after all, her marriage brought her daughter. Even if he didn’t wear them, they felt like a waste.

“I didn’t want him locked up in a box,” she says. “Diamonds are expensive.”

In addition, sometimes after the breakup of her marriage, she feels the feeling of sticking a finger up.

Deb marks a new chapter in their lives with a new statement piece: the engagement ring is part of a trend that is introducing jewelry around the world.

Deb placed her engagement ring’s diamond on one end of the open circle and added a new sapphire to the other end, representing her daughter. Price $3,000 (£2,245).

That’s a hefty sum to part with in the event of a divorce. Dear.

Ring resale prices tend to be around 30% of original value, so many tend to give old jewelry new life. A better investment.

And Deb’s statement middle finger fits right in with what the fashion pages are calling this year’s “hot summer of divorce” – a celebration of the allure of freedom and the “nonsense of energy”.

Kate Daly, co-founder of a UK company that offers mediation and divorce services, says a divorce ring can be a way to identify a form of financial freedom.

“Your whole life is thrown up in the air,” she says. “Your finances are under great pressure.”

At that time, if a woman decided to buy a new ring, it was a sign that she was making her own financial decision and “didn’t want to ask anyone’s permission,” Daley says.

“Downsizing is easy, but that’s probably the first big spending decision you’ve made in a very long time, and probably the single biggest decision you’ve made in a long time.”