‘It’s bad luck’: California woman says a stranger approached her. Then they had a strange request about her engagement ring
It’s often said that the worst thing someone can say to a request is “no.” So ask for that raise; see if your crush wants to go on a date; find out if the car salesman really is offering the lowest possible price. What do you have to lose?
While this advice may be helpful if you’re trying to be more assertive in life, there are some questions that you really shouldn’t ask.
Kira Kirby (@kirakirbyy) was recently on the receiving end of a question that most agree was best left unasked. Someone asked to try on her engagement ring. Not just any someone, either, a total stranger.
Kirby shared her experience in a TikTok that’s accrued over 501,300 views in two days.
Kirby stares into the camera with a shocked expression as a voiceover says, “Congratulations on winning employee of the month!” A second voice lets out a plaintive “ah!” in response.
She captions the post, “Like any other piece of jewelry yes but pls not my baby.”
Then Kirby poses a question to her 332,000 followers: “Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me?”
The history of diamond engagement rings
Kirby sports a candlelight diamond solitaire in a gold setting. Candlelight diamonds are cut in such a way that one site says is “designed to reflect light in the softer, romantic glow of candlelight.”
In the caption of her year-in-review TikTok, Kirby gushes over the stone, “Now no dinner will be boring.”
Giving your beloved a diamond engagement ring is a tradition that dates back to the 15th century—much longer than the white wedding dress, which was popularized in the 19th century.
Like the white gown that’s been worn by millions of brides (some more than once), the diamond engagement ring has royal roots. In 1477, the Archduke Maximilian of Austria reportedly gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring to mark their engagement.
And thus a billion-dollar industry was born.
The global diamond market
Diamond engagement rings represent a little over $1 billion of the global diamond market.
Cumulatively, diamond jewelry is a $90 billion market, per Statista. The vast majority, $72 billion, of these sales are natural diamonds. This means they were mined from the earth, formed from carbon subjected to immense heat and pressure over millions or even billions of years. Kay Jewelers describes them as “a geological time capsule.”
The other $18 billion market share represents lab-grown diamonds.
Experts can tell the difference, but to the naked eye, natural diamonds aren’t any different from lab-grown ones. Where they differ most is in price. Natural diamonds are significantly more expensive than those created in a lab. One source says lab-grown can cost as much as 85% less.
Traditionalists appalled by stranger’s request
Weddings are rife with traditions and superstitions. What to wear, what to say, what to eat, what to drink, who to dance with, and when are all examples of wedding traditions. Sure, they vary between cultures, regions, and religions, but the fact remains that there’s a tradition and superstition for practically every aspect of the nuptial ceremony.
For many observers, asking a stranger to try on their engagement ring is a huge no-no. But apparently, it happens more than one might think.
“I just say no I’m sorry, it’s bad luck and that is an actual superstition so it’s valid,” Danielle commiserated.
Kirby told another that people ask to try hers on “all the time.”
Multiple commenters agreed with this assessment: “It’s bad luck to wear a wedding ring that isn’t yours.”
A few said that they’d let a close friend or relative try theirs on. But not everyone agrees.
“I asked my grandma if I could try on her engagement ring… I’ve never been side eyed so hard,” Brittany shared.
There was one person who fell firmly in the “anything goes” camp. Alexandra wrote, “If someone compliments my ring, I oftentimes tell them try it on!! I feel like everyone deserves to know what it feels like to wear a beautiful ring!!”
When someone pushed back and insisted it’s bad luck, she replied, “In my set of values, sharing beauty and love is something I believe in, and believe that will be returned to me. I prefer that to safeguarding and fear any day.”
To each their own.
Kirby did not respond to an email seeking comment.
@kirakirbyy Like any other piece of jewelry yes but pls not my baby?? does anyone else feel this way or is it just me
♬ original sound – spott
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