IdonowIdont.com: US entrepreneur makes money out of heartbreak

Over 100,000 engagements are broken every year in the US. It can be an extremely painful and costly process for all involved. But what happens to the ring?

IdonowIdont.com allows jilted lovers to flog their diamond rings for a song and cash in on their broken relationship.

Founder Opperman started the business after he came home one night to find his fiancé gone and her ring sitting on the coffee table. "I thought a great way to move on was to sell the diamond engagement ring that I had scrimped and saved for," he says. "So I took it back to the retailer I had bought it from. I assumed I would get a "haircut" off the price, but at least receive a decent offer. That’s when I got my second shock."

Opperman was offered a third of the $10,000 he’d paid for the ring. He was devastated. "Rather than get mad I decided to break even! That’s when I launched I Do Now I Don’t."

Of course, IdonowIdont.com might be great for the seller. But how many people want to buy a second-hand (and possibly cursed) engagement ring for their loved one?

Quite a few, as it happens. I Do Now I Don’t has featured on Whoopi Goldberg’s show, Reuters, CNN and has experienced a spike of 145 per cent in traffic since last autumn.

IdonowIdont.com has even spawned a whole social community of jilted lovers. With stories of broken engagements and a list of the best break-up songs to sing to ease the heartache.

And there was also a happy ending for Opperman: "I am pleased to report that I was married in August! To the real love of my life!"

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