The Pear ring: will this social experiment really disrupt dating?

A new startup is hoping to eliminate the need for dating apps by encouraging singles all over the world to wear a small green ring

Dating apps are dead, that much is clear. What’s less clear is how we negotiate fostering romance in a post-dating app world. Enter the Pear ring: a small, turquoise band which is designed to show strangers that you’re single.

“If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn’t need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission,” reads a statement on the Pear website. For £19.99, you’ll get three Pear rings in three different sizes, as well as “a unique membership number,” and an invite to “PearFest”, plus access to “exclusive free events in [their] city.” So far, the ‘first release’ of rings has sold out, with the second release sale ‘ending soon’. At time of writing, their website says that their stock is 93 per cent sold out, while their Instagram has racked up over 162,000 followers.