Rings together a little over $30k. I thought that was a lot for his income of about $200k but income isn't the full picture though-does he own a home? good mortgage rate? ahead of retirement? have investments? no student loans/cc/car payment/etc?

DH makes about $135K and we spent about $1800 total on my engagement ring and two wedding bands. I still sometimes think we spent too much - it's crazy to walk around with all of that money on my finger.

So, I'd say, if you're asking this question, it sounds like your fiance's values and your values are vastly different. DH and I are on the same page that we want to make more meaningful investments than shiny rocks. Are you sure this is the guy you want to marry? Are you sure you are the woman he wants to marry?

My husband spent too much for his income and debt at the time. He spent about $3500 for the engagement ring and another $500 for the wedding band. We were young(ish) and dumb and I should've put my foot down and insisted on something he didn't have to put on his credit card. Fortunately, we aggressively paid off his debt and our incomes have doubled since then.

11 years and counting of a happy marriage.

Why so many questions about this lately? I thought flashy expensive rings went out with the recession.

DH spent about $1200 on a ring I adore. It was a lot of money for us back then, and I thought it was too much to spend. Now we make much more than we did, and I still can't imagine people who spend thousands of money on rings. Obviously as long as people have the money they can choose to spend it how they want, but it's stupid to feel like a guy needs to spend a certain amount.

If we had the option of having a family stone, I would happily accept that, but not every family has a diamond waiting to be offered for the son!

I would have been pissed off to get an expensive ring-it would have meant he didn't know me or my values at all. There is no single answer to this question.

(I got a family ring, with a teeny, tiny diamond. And once we got married I switched to just wearing my wedding band anyway, so it's even better that he didn't spend a penny on it.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know when I was younger I wanted some huge stone because that said LOVE to me. I got that and the man attached to it was liar and cheater. These days a band and a strong and happy marriage is a much more attractive and would put a sparkle in my eye. So to sum up, I don't care how much he earns because I don't care about an engagement ring anymore, I care about the marriage.

You know, there are nice guys that also come with nice rings. It's not either or.

Way to miss the point. The ring doesn't matter at all. It's the marriage that matters.

Your ring didn't matter to you because your marriage was shitty. I think it's adorable when little old ladies wear their engagement rings after happy marriages that have lasted decades. It's even more touching when their husbands have passed and they can still have something that reminds them of being young and in love.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know when I was younger I wanted some huge stone because that said LOVE to me. I got that and the man attached to it was liar and cheater. These days a band and a strong and happy marriage is a much more attractive and would put a sparkle in my eye. So to sum up, I don't care how much he earns because I don't care about an engagement ring anymore, I care about the marriage.

You know, there are nice guys that also come with nice rings. It's not either or.

Way to miss the point. The ring doesn't matter at all. It's the marriage that matters.

Anonymous wrote:You know when I was younger I wanted some huge stone because that said LOVE to me. I got that and the man attached to it was liar and cheater. These days a band and a strong and happy marriage is a much more attractive and would put a sparkle in my eye. So to sum up, I don't care how much he earns because I don't care about an engagement ring anymore, I care about the marriage.

You know, there are nice guys that also come with nice rings. It's not either or.

You know when I was younger I wanted some huge stone because that said LOVE to me. I got that and the man attached to it was liar and cheater. These days a band and a strong and happy marriage is a much more attractive and would put a sparkle in my eye. So to sum up, I don't care how much he earns because I don't care about an engagement ring anymore, I care about the marriage.

I knew my wife would want a big ring that I couldn't afford, so I asked her with a simple pearl ring. We went together to pick out something she wanted with our combined income.

This is all made up crap. I don't expect him to pay any particular amount. And his salary shouldn't be the determining factor of anything other than the maximum.

Anonymous wrote:My hubby and I choose to wear no rings. We need no man-made tchotchkes to remind us and others our love is true and everlasting.

So neither of you worry about getting hit on, outstanding. Most people look for rings in any social or public setting before flirting.

If you need to put a price on what your love is worth, you might want to reevaluate it.