ForeverInLoveWithJus

Interesting article.

There are many, many, many reasons that we feel the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline union will not be of the eternal variety. But the most alarming reason of all: Britney had to buy her own ring.

We did not hear this from Britney herself, of course, but it's a reasonable deduction. The 5-carat diamond sparkler is said to have cost $40,000. Even if the bad-boy backup dancer saved the weekly stipends Britney's been giving him as a sort of paid companion ($1,500), he'd have come up significantly short. With child support payments to ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson, and judging by his wardrobe, Kevin can't have too much stashed away. Besides, we hope that he sprang for at least a couple of those romantic jaunts to Subway.

Britney's not the only one said to have bought her own ring. Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" had to officially deny the same rumor after her engagement to Peter Hermann, a lower-profile actor. The topic probably came up when Danny Moder proposed to Julia Roberts. And even Jennifer Lopez could probably have afforded a bigger ring than the one Marc Anthony gave her.

Anytime the bride-to-be is more successful than the groom-to-be, it's a possibility that a woman would buy her own ring. So is Britney sparking a new trend?

Dating and relationships expert Gail Prince, for one, hopes not. In fact, she says she's never heard of such a thing.

"It just seems so money-centered," Prince says. "The man buying the engagement ring is such a part of the wooing process, the courting dance. I think that women really feel this is an opportunity for men to declare their love."

Prince says the ring is a symbol -- a symbol of love, not of your income.

When women buy the ring, "It says that I have to have a gorgeous stone on my hand for me to feel happy with myself," Prince says. "So if you can't afford it, I'll go out and do it."

Not a great way to start off the relationship of a lifetime.

Prince says when her son proposed to his girlfriend, he gave her his grandmother's ring. "It's .8 carats," says Prince, "but she loved the whole idea of it. It's like you're passing on history. It's very touching, and memorable."

No heirlooms in the family? Prince doesn't think a modest ring is anything to be ashamed of. "You could tell each other, 'For the time being, let's get this smaller ring -- with the hopes that our future is bright and shiny.' "

If you're Britney Spears, that might be hard to say with a straight face.