During the course of your relationship, your spouse gives you a ring. Perhaps this is an engagement ring signifying that the two of you will be married in the future. They spent thousands of dollars on it, meaning that it instantly becomes one of the most expensive assets that you own.
At the time, you viewed that expense as a touching example of how much your spouse cared about you. But it’s now causing some contention. Your relationship is ending and you’re getting divorced. Your spouse is demanding that you give the ring back because they spent so much money on it, and you want to know if you legally have to return it to them or not.
Conditional gifts
In many cases, wedding rings and engagement rings qualify as conditional gifts. You do own the ring, but only if certain conditions are met.
As such, the way that your relationship ends will likely determine whether or not you have to return the ring to your spouse. If the two of you got married and are now getting divorced, you already met the condition of marriage that you agreed to when you accepted the ring. It is most likely that it now counts as a personal asset, and you don’t have to return it.
On the other hand, if your marriage is being annulled, or if you broke off the engagement prior to getting married, then the condition hasn’t been met. This means that your spouse is still the rightful owner of the ring, and you would need to return it to them.
This helps to illustrate how complex property division can be when a relationship ends. Be sure that you carefully consider all of your legal options as you go through this process.