When a gentleman gives you a ring, is it appropriate to accept even when not engaged?
-from a Young Lady
Well, my dear, that depends entirely on the situation (and the ring!). When my dear friends David, Lord Huntington, and Lady Emily Kenton were children, he gave her a ring that belonged to his late mother, a traditional Indian ring called the Navaratna which was meant to protect her. As they were children at the time (though they did wed many years later) it could not be construed as improper or as a token of a binding promise. You do not state your age, but I assume it is not eleven. In that case, I would advise prudence—do not accept the ring unless you are prepared to be engaged to the young man who presents it. (The Star of India)
-Lady Cordelia