By Allison Sadlier // SWNS–The average American man knows after seven months of dating if his partner is “the one,” according to new research.

A survey of 2,000 engaged and married American men revealed that 49 percent of men who popped the question received little hints from their partner encouraging the proposal.

The common nudges included watching TV or movies that involved weddings (54 percent), discussing other people’s engagements and marriages (52 percent) and leaving wedding magazines out to be discovered (50 percent).

A partner forwarding emails from jewelry websites (45 percent) and a partner stopping in jewelry stores to look at rings (40 percent) rounded out the top five hint methods.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group, the survey examined everything that goes into the decision of getting down on one knee.

Part of that is finding the perfect ring, which doesn’t happen overnight. The survey found that it took respondents an average of two months to find the dazzling diamond.

Of those who proposed with a ring, three in five said they got some guidance from their partners about what type of ring they’d like.

Once they had the ring, respondents had to keep the proposal secret – and some were pretty crafty when it came to hiding the rock.  Forty-nine percent placed the ring in a home safe and 30 percent snuck the ring into a shoebox to cover their tracks.

A quarter of men always kept the ring with them, while 27 percent entrusted the ring to mom and dad.

“Popping the question and finding that perfect ring to symbolize your love are huge decisions,” said Jessica VandenHouten, Brand Communications Manager for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group. “Deciding how to protect the ring should be equally important.”

But planning doesn’t always mean perfect. Nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) said their proposal went exactly to plan and 85 percent revealed that their proposal actually surprised their partner.

However, not everyone was so lucky, and some had slight mishaps plague their engagement, including lost or forgotten rings, trouble opening the ring box and bird poop during the proposal.

It’s those nerve-wrecking moments that can prompt people to protect their investment. Forty-seven percent opted for protection immediately after their big purchase.

The survey found the most common methods for protection were jeweler’s warranty (56 percent), specialty jeweler’s insurance (43 percent) and manufacturer’s warranty (42 percent).

“Given the time, financial and emotional investment, you want to protect the ring for all its worth,” continued VandenHouten. “Jewelry insurance allows you to pop the question without worry, knowing if things don’t go exactly as planned, you’re covered.”

TOP ENGAGEMENT HINTS
1. Watching TV/movie involving weddings/proposals             54%
2. Talk about others’ weddings/engagements                         52%
3. Wedding magazines left out                                                50%
4. Partner forwards emails from jewelry brands                      45%
5. Finance stopped to look at rings in a store                          40%
6. Social media tagging                                                           40%
7. Wedding invitations from family and friends                        38%
8. Went ring shopping together                                               31%

TOP RING HIDING PLACES
1. Home safe                                           49%
2. Shoebox                                              30%
3. Parents’ house                                    27%
4. At work                                                26%
5. On my person                                      25%
6. In my car                                              22%
7. At jewelry store                                    21%
8. In a bank safe                                      21%
9. With a friend                                        16%
10. In a sock/underwear drawer              14%