Propose to your beloved with this bitcoin engagement ring

Much like the idea that Santa Claus wears red, the notion that you should spend a fortune on a diamond engagement ring is the invention of advertisers. So, since the act is already about ostentatious displays of wealth, why not invest your money in something more useful than a big rock -- like bitcoin? That's the idea behind the bitcoin ring, a 3D-printed piece of jewelry with a QR code that lets anyone with the corresponding app see how much cash you've really got.

The BTC Ring is the brainchild of Seb Neumayer, who told Motherboard that he originally thought up the idea at an MIT hackathon in 2014. Less than a year later, and he's tweaked the design ready for mainstream adoption, at least as mainstream as you can get with the cryptocurrency crowd. Of course, should you lose the ring, you won't have lost your money, since your stash of cash will remain tied into the blockchain. There's also the perk that, should you start making some serious bank, you can top up the corresponding account -- which saves you buying a Ferrari and a T-shirt that reads, "Look how fatuously wealthy I am."

If you want to get one yourself, the schematics are available from the BTC Ring website and craft your own, or get Shapeways to make one out of metal. There's no charge, although you can throw a few BTC towards Neumayer's tip jar if you've always wanted your bling to be encrypted. Now, sing along: Bitcoin is forever; it is all I need to please me; cryptocurrencies stimulate and tease me...