What do we do with the engagement ring?

Who is the owner of the engagement ring and gets to keep it during a divorce? If the couple decides before the wedding to call it off, the individual who bought the ring is still the owner of the ring. It is still their property as the engagement ring is a gift in contemplation of marriage.

However, if the couple gets married and a divorce follows, the engagement ring is now property of the receiving spouse as it was a gift in contemplation of marriage and the marriage occurred. Once the marriage occurs it is that spouses’ property and they are entitled to keep it.