Brain Fart: The Singelringen

This probably sounds pretty odd coming from Mr. Impulse Purchase (especially Mr. Useless Toy Impulse Purchase), but I'm continually amazed at how products are created for a need that previously never existed.

Take being single. It used to be fairly simple - if one didn't wear a ring (at least on the left ring finger), one was single (or hiding one's ring so illicitness could be attempted).

A while back, somebody realized that they could sell more rings if they started adding on to the traditional ring symbolism, so the right-hand ring was created. Now more diamond rings could be sold, even though those same rings could have been bought before and worn on pretty much any finger. But here's the great part - they'd still been given more of a 'purpose' than a decorative ring, even if they represent the lack of need for a traditional one. Rings began to be marketed to the ringless, and to the anti-ring folks - rings to say, "I don't need a ring," or maybe more specifically, "I don't need that ring."

I'm not saying that single people shouldn't wear diamonds, but it's amazing to me how somebody figured out how to sell more diamond rings just by pulling a new rule straight out of their ear (at least, it's a new rule to me. I'm assuming this isn't some ancient tradition, or these rings would've been sold much earlier).

But still more rings could be sold. (I think) men were still out of the equation. How to give jewelry a symbolic vocabulary, and yet make it as unisex as possible? That's where the latest wrinkle comes in - the Singelringen. It sounds like it comes from Germany (and it actually might - let's just say that after the whole Häagen-Dazs thing, I'm not so quick to assume that anymore), so it feels worldly, sophisticated, cosmopolitan.

Now both men and women can wear it, broadcasting their relationship status with an accessory, rather than the lack of one. Phew - now everybody's finally covered! I guess the only step left is to make rings for pets or plants or something - but I'm sure that's probably already happened, and I'm just not aware of them yet...

If you're curious as to what brought all this on, look here.