Last year, my best friend got engaged on Valentine's Day. In her favourite restaurant, surrounded by loved-up couples, her partner got down on bended knee and popped the question. I'm not the hugely romantic type, so when she called me afterwards, my reaction surprised me: squeals of delight, mutual tears and - to my shock - a pang of envy.
While 14 February has become an excuse for every shop to peddle some kind of heart-shaped paraphernalia, there is one tradition that remains unsullied: the Valentine's proposal. The date - the romantic significance of which can be traced back to the 14th century - has long been reserved as the occasion to express your love. And of all the romantic gestures, asking for your partner's hand in marriage has got to be the grandest. Combine the two and boom! That's love, right there, on my friend's finger.
We've gathered together a gallery of new engagement rings because it's the time of year for spreading a little love. If you're planning a Valentine's Day proposal, get in the mood with Tiffany's What Makes Love True app (or go online). Mark the place you are planning on proposing on Tiffany's map of romantic locations around the globe or add your photo to the True Love in Pictures gallery, which you can send to that special someone as a Tiffany postcard.
Cartier, meanwhile, has launched the latest installment in its True Love Has a Colour and a Name campaign, a short film about an unexpected marriage proposal featuring the English actor Oliver Jackson Cohen, the Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen and the new Solitaire Cartier Destinée engagement ring. As if we needed reminding why we heart Cartier so much, the ring has arrived in store just in time for Valentine's Day.
