How much to spend on an engagement ring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Gross salary, not net.

That is stupid advice. When I got engaged my DH's gross monthly salary was $13,000. 2-3 months salary would be a ring between $26,000-$39,000. Who wants a ring that expensive?!?

Also DH's gross salary is now $38,000 - I would NEVER tell him to get a ring that was 2-3 months salary!

My $25k ring is now worth $50k so there’s that!

lol nope diamonds need a buyer no buyer is paying $59 K for a used diamond that was once $25 K

Diamonds are a terrible investor

You’d have to be an idiot to buy a natural stone nowadays maybe at a used shop severely discounted

[Anonymous]

I spent about 5k on the engagement ring. It has held up well over the years.

Op - as a 7 figure earner (now many years later) I can tell you that spending big on an engagement ring is meaningless. If she loves you, she’ll love a cheap ring.

[Anonymous]

Costco is known for selling high quality eng. rings for better than jewelry store prices

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d buy a lab diamond, which are chemically, physically, and optically identical to natural diamonds. They said, lab diamonds are going to undermine the prestige historically associated with having a “big rock,” because when the masses buy a 2 - 3 ct high quality stone for $1,200 - $2,000, there is no longer anything special or unique about having one. The result will be that affluent buyers will begin to move away from diamonds to rarer and more unique gemstones.

I think this is right. With lab diamond prices, mined diamond prices seem ridiculous. Especially now that big diamonds don’t even signal you paid a lot anymore. Everyone is getting a 2-3 carat ring just because they can

[Anonymous]

"The result will be that affluent buyers will begin to move away from diamonds to rarer and more unique gemstones."

Or...these gem consortiums will do what they usually do: Hoard a not-so-rare gem and proclaim that it has become rare and sell it to the suckers. Just like a lot of the art in galleries that get some obscene price tag, so it appeals to some daughter of an oligarch w/ no taste and lots of money.

[Anonymous]

Bigger is always better, no matter what the stone. I like thicker bands too--more gold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to propose to my lovely gf soon and I’m not sure how much to spend on a ring. Is 2-3 months salary still the normal?

Ridiculous notion. Was that ever the normal? And if so for who? My engagement ring cost less than a months income and it is stunning. This pricing sounds like something the diamond industry came up w. Buy something you and you finance like and can afford.

My income is approx $17k a month. 17x2 or $35k for a ring is cray cray!

[Anonymous]

Maybe it was normal for a different era of a large middle class without the income extremes you see these days. Yeah there are some real size queens out there but I see no reason to go larger than 1.5 ct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to propose to my lovely gf soon and I’m not sure how much to spend on a ring. Is 2-3 months salary still the normal?

If things are good between you two, don’t get engaged. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Don’t enter the prison system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Gross salary, not net.

That is stupid advice. When I got engaged my DH's gross monthly salary was $13,000. 2-3 months salary would be a ring between $26,000-$39,000. Who wants a ring that expensive?!?

Also DH's gross salary is now $38,000 - I would NEVER tell him to get a ring that was 2-3 months salary!

My $25k ring is now worth $50k so there’s that!

No it isn’t, I promise you.

[Anonymous]

OP, if my soon-to-be fiancé was making that much money, and got me a $3K ring, I'd be embarrassed to tell anyone I was engaged.

When you get engaged, EVERYONE will want to see your ring. if it's tiny, everyone will tell you it's beautiful and think how tiny it is. If she's going to wear it every day and you can afford it, spend about $15K. It's an investment in her not the ring. I still wear my 1.5 ct and still get compliments 25 years later.

[Anonymous]

^ Get a 1.5 ct. lab-created diamond. If it's too big, everyone will think it's fake anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Gross salary, not net.

That is stupid advice. When I got engaged my DH's gross monthly salary was $13,000. 2-3 months salary would be a ring between $26,000-$39,000. Who wants a ring that expensive?!?

Also DH's gross salary is now $38,000 - I would NEVER tell him to get a ring that was 2-3 months salary!

Plenty of people have rings with this much. Mine was $25k 20 years ago. Agree about lab created though. Why not do thst op? Just as beautiful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I make a little under 20k month gross and that seems like a lot for a ring. I will spend it if necessary but I prefer to stick to under 30k and ideally $15-25k. Below is what I’m looking into buying.

Shape - round or cushion cut
Carat - 1.5-2 carats
Band - Solitaire, pave, and halo

She wants a very simple plain thin wedding ring.

I think 15 to 20k is enough. I have a 1.5 carat diamond and wish it were 2 carats, fwiw. I know a bit about diamond buying, and suggest that out of the 4cs you prioritize cut, and then carat. Clarity and color matter less. (Clarity just needs to be "eye clean" -- no sense in paying for a flawless diamond when a VSI 2 looks the same to your eyes, and although some people can be sensitive to color, most can't tell the difference between a very white D color diamond and a G or even H unless the stones are right next to each other; and if you are going to set it in yellow gold, then you can even get away with a J or maybe K. And I'll throw in that some people actually like the "warmer" diamonds -- YMMV. The warmer colored diamond thing does become tricky with a halo though -- some would say the halo stones ("melee") shouldn't be significantly whiter than the center stone, and most jewelers use H melee.)

I recommend that you head over to the Rocky Talky forum at Pricescope. It's a little like DCUM, but if it were all about diamonds, lol. The folks there know an incredible amount and love to help people find the perfect diamond. Lurk around in there, and then post for help if that is what you decide to do. They are all about finding the perfect diamond online, and will steer you away from paying more for a lesser diamond in a brick and mortar store -- so if you are super against looking online, it might not interest you. But I say check it out. They seriously geek out over diamonds there, you will be amazed.

Get a cushion cut 2ct lab created diamond.

[Anonymous]

I own a Yacht.