Ed Sheeran is a big celebrity in the U.S., but he’s huge in his native England.
So when the folk-pop artist was spotted wearing a new ring at the Feb. 21 Brit Awards, the British press took notice. Why? Because the ring looked an awful lot like a white gold or silver wedding band, and Sheeran is known to be engaged (not yet married) to girlfriend Cherry Seaborn.
Did the pair marry in private? That was widely assumed—until Sheeran told The Sun reporter Dan Wootton (the very next day) that Seaborn made the ring for him, and that the band is actually his engagement ring.
“I never saw why men didn’t wear engagement rings,” Sheeran told Wootton. “Cherry made it for me herself out of silver clay. I really like it.”
And soon after, on the British talk show Lorraine, the singer plainly said, “It’s an engagement ring…I feel like it’s good to both do things.” (Seaborn herself already wears a sizable diamond engagement ring—as captured in full blur by the British paparazzi.)
The Guardian is now wondering if Sheeran’s homespun engagement ring will kick-start a craze for man-gagement rings throughout England.
“Does this mean all men have to wear engagement rings now?” the news outlet asked itself, before answering itself, “Possibly. After all, Sheeran is hugely influential, wedding-wise. His music already accounts for a ton of first dances.”
Men wearing engagement rings in the U.S. or U.K. is a rare sight, but in Sweden, it’s customary for men and women to wear an engagement ring (which are traditionally plain bands), then typically only the woman gets a second ring at the ceremony.
And according to Who What Wear, both men and women in Chile wear engagement rings, which they wear on their right hands, then move to their left hands once they’re married.
Photo: Ed Sheeran and his ring on Instagram (Image: @teddysphotos)
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