| Buying a diamond ring, or the Shabka, is one of the downsides of preparing for a wedding in the Egyptian society |
| By Randa El Tahawy |
| If you thought your engagement ring will be presented to you as your man is down on his knees proposing to you in a carriage with soft music playing in the background, you obviously haven’t realized yet you’re getting married in Egypt and couldn’t be more wrong.
Well, your man might be down on his knees alright — begging for this process to be over, that’s why.
I will never understand the concept of the Shabka in Egypt. According to what people say is Egyptian traditions, the Shabka is a gift from the groom that normally consists of jewelry, gold or diamond, depending on the class.
While there are so many other things to worry about, for the past week I have been in the middle of meaningless debates about a ring. I don’t understand why this gift must be a diamond and I do not understand why it is such a big deal for everyone.
You guessed it, this is another one of these posts where I complain about the process of getting married and the customs in Egypt.
First of all, when it comes to buying the ring, size does matter, the bigger the diamond the better. Whoever put this as a rule has clearly no taste at all, I don’t understand how a humongous ring shining with humongous diamonds can be worn on a women’s tiny hands. But for people it is not about looks, it is a sign of status and wealth — you need to have a “decent” stone mounted on as many diamonds as possible to show that you have money. What is the obsession with showing off the bling anyway? Why not carry packs of thousands pounds in a chain, will this show how much money we have?
As every good mother who cares about her little girl’s wedding, my mother has been at the center of this diamond frenzy. She has been constantly criticizing my choice of rings, she calls them “too small,” “not valuable enough” and has been doing everything I think is wrong with this Shabka tradition.
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