When people ask what a promise ring is, what they often really want to know is this: What does a promise ring mean? So let us take you on a quick tour to help you discover everything you need to know about promise rings.

Promise rings have traditionally been given as symbols of commitment—representing faithfulness and often a path to engagement. But the truth is that promise rings can mean anything you want them to. The key is the word promise—you can make the promise anything you want. Before you present a promise ring to your partner, do some thinking and decide what you want the ring to represent—you can use it as a symbol of the exclusive nature of your relationship, or simply as a token of your love and devotion. The promise you decide on will give your ring its own unique meaning.

If you’re unmarried, you’ll usually wear the promise ring on the ring finger of your left hand. If you’re married and have been giving a promise ring, you can wear it on your right hand. There’s really no wrong way to wear it though! The reason we wear wedding rings on the left hand’s ring finger is because people once believed that there was an anatomical connection to the heart through that finger (how symbolic!) But that’s actually not correct, so feel free to rebuke tradition here and wear it where it feels or looks right.