Engagement ring cost - Page 2

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Engagement ring cost (Page 2 of 3)

Posted: 3/27/2009 5:08:22 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
And remember.....there is no such thing as a "new" diamond. They are all old.

Well, there's the newly manufactured ones, which is probably what I'd buy anyway.

The "formula" is a crock perpetuated by the jewelry industry to get more suckers to go deeper into debt by manipulating their insecurities.

Posted: 3/27/2009 5:09:59 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

Quoted:
And remember.....there is no such thing as a "new" diamond. They are all old.

Well, there's the newly manufactured ones, which is probably what I'd buy anyway.

The "formula" is a crock perpetuated by the jewelry industry to get more suckers to go deeper into debt by manipulating their insecurities.

Actually its women that are to blame, They like to brag.

Posted: 3/27/2009 5:25:11 PM EDT

[#3]

Actually the pawn shop idea isn't a bad one. If you can find a nice diamond you can alway get a new ring for it. You can also check I do Now I Don't
http://www.idonowidont.com/
Back in 98 I spend 1240 for a I1 1.2 caret heart shaped on an E4 salary. 2 years later she lost the rock a few months before the wedding and we spent 2k on a new stone of higher quality (VS1).
If I was to do it now with a much more substantial salary I'd pony up for a 1ct Hearts on Fire. Those are just awesome but at least 5 grand. Remember also, quality is more important than size. A 1.5 caret with a visible inclusion is not as impressive as a 1 or even 1/2 that takes a 10x loop to see flaws.

Posted: 3/27/2009 5:27:14 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

Quoted:
And remember.....there is no such thing as a "new" diamond. They are all old.

Well, there's the newly manufactured ones, which is probably what I'd buy anyway.

The "formula" is a crock perpetuated by the jewelry industry to get more suckers to go deeper into debt by manipulating their insecurities.

Actually its women that are to blame, They like to brag.

There are just as many guys to blame.

If women brag, it is about the size. Guys will spent 3x as much for a perfect diamond when the flaws of the cheaper one are imperceptible to the naked eye.

Posted: 3/27/2009 5:28:13 PM EDT

[#5]

I spent $2k and I make about 35k/yr.

Posted: 3/27/2009 5:29:33 PM EDT

[#6]

Whatever you do, realize that the ring is the cheapest part of the whole thing. Pay the mother off up front, because carrying debt will suck when you're saving for a wedding and a house.

Posted: 3/27/2009 6:58:45 PM EDT

[#7]

whatever you do, don't buy at the mall! i used pricescope.com. do your homework and get something nice. you only do it once(ideally).

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:05:39 PM EDT

[#8]

My husband spent just under one of his paychecks on mine, and I told him that was still too much. I don't even wear it any more unless we're going "out" - and that's not often. Heck, most of the time I forget my wedding band.

We also spent less on the wedding than on my engagement ring (and that includes the wedding bands). Seven years later we couldn't be happier.

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:10:10 PM EDT

[#9]

2.5 months net pay. Buy quality, not size.

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:10:47 PM EDT

[#10]

Spend what you can afford, what makes sense to you. If she doesn't think you spent enough you aren't going to be together long anyway.

I was a PFC in the Army when I got engaged, I was making a car payment, insurance, and the other typical stuff. I ended up buying a ring for about $400 at a pawnshop on Bragg Blvd. I would have liked to have spent more, but $400 was all I could come up with, and I had some other small bills from stuff I had bought before I met her that I really wanted to pay off. We were engaged for about a year, and have been married for just over 14 years. My wedding band is a very simple gold band we bought at Sears for about $80, I still wear it every single day, and it works as good as ever.

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:17:05 PM EDT

[#11]

Here you go, if you spend more than this your a fool. GO USED!

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=91&t=672697

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:20:36 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w305/mcgeedigital/Web/image9.jpg

That looks surprisingly like my ring!

But the answer is no.

As far as the OP's question goes, I'd say it's different for everyone. While my hubby probably spent more than many men, he was also smart with his money beforehand and therefore able to pay cash, and I would NEVER have wanted him to go into debt. Actually, the ring and the proposal was a complete surprise, so I had no say it what he got/how much he spent. He done good though.

Just be smart about it.

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:21:33 PM EDT

[#13]

I paid $3,000 but paid low since the store was going out of business and liquidating and it's been appraised by two different people at around $5200.

Fuck the old tradition shit just buy what you can afford. If the chick bitches then she is showing her true colors, dump her ass and move on.

Posted: 3/27/2009 7:41:26 PM EDT

[#14]

If I ever get married again I will be buying a "used" diamond from an estate sale and then put it in a new setting. There really is nothing such as a used diamond because a diamond is a diamond. I see no reason to pay a premium for a "new" rock that looks just like an "old" rock. The diamond and ring with both be new to me and whoever I am with, that is all that should matter.

Posted: 3/27/2009 8:27:51 PM EDT

[#15]

Spent $400 on my wife's engagement ring, another $200-$300(don't remember exactly and too lazy to look it up). I was looking at rings in the $1800-$2500 range, decided she'd be the one wearing it so she should pick it out. Main stone is 1/4 carat, 3 small chips on either side of it for the wedding ring. TW is likely roughly 1/3-1/2 carat-not a big ring, but it's also not going to turn my wife into a target either(we live in a county where a carry permit is next to impossible).

Posted: 3/27/2009 8:55:25 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
use this formula

her bra size
X
how much you love her on a scale of 1-10 (1 least. 10 most)
X
how good she is in bed on a scale of 1- 10
X
number of meals she makes you a day
=
your number equals the number of $$ you should spend on her

That figure is astonishingly accurate. Did you just make that up?

Posted: 3/27/2009 10:35:54 PM EDT

[#17]

I bought her a quarter carat diamond in a nice ring setting from the local Weisfields.
I went back and upgraded the diamond on our first and fifth anniversaries, she now has a nice 1 carat diamond in the same setting (had to check, that was 14 years ago

).

I had better things to spend my money on when we were first married, furniture, a car for her, guns, motorcycles, food, rent.....

Posted: 3/27/2009 10:47:56 PM EDT

[#18]

Cost shouldn't matter, IMO it's the meaning more than anything.

ETA: If my wife would have been more concerned about the cost more than the meaning, she would have not been marriage material.

Last thing any man needs is a materialistic woman right out of the gate.

Posted: 3/27/2009 10:50:42 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
It depends on your financial situation and the girl you want to marry.

this. and if she wants a big ring, maybe she's not the right girl.

buy quality, pick a size/design that suits her hand, and know that marriage is much more than a piece of jewelry...

and please, please don't spend a ton of money on it. put it into something like a house or retirement fund or paying off debt or something...

good luck.

FTW, FTMFW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't spend more than a thousand dollars, if one is basing they love of someone for another by a ring it will not work. Spend the money of a fabulous honeymoon, if you are gonna spend it no matter what.

Posted: 3/27/2009 10:55:20 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
$275.00. I was 19 and paid for it at $20.00/week.

We've been married 31 years now, 3 fines sons and 2 beautiful granddaughthers. Everytime I try to get her to let me upgrade it, she suggests that why would I do something stupid like that.

Here's the rule, the amount of money spent on a wedding ring is inversely proporational to the length of the term of hte marriage. (studies have shown)

Shes a keeper, sounds like a fine lady!

Posted: 3/27/2009 11:08:45 PM EDT

[#21]

We talked about what really mattered, and she was really happy with the idea of a sparkling $1.50 CZ stone (in a platinum setting––where the real value and sentimentality lays IMHO).

I figured that if that was all it took to make her happy, I'd go ahead and buy her the real deal, and make both of us happy.

$8,500 cash. It was by far the most I have ever spent out of my bank account, but the way she and her friends oooh and aaaaah about it, I have no regrets.

Key thing: Get something that will make you both happy, but if what makes her happy requires you to go into debt, EJECT!

Somebody out there would be happy for the rest of her life with that $1.50 stone in some wire setting, as long as she knows you really love her.

Posted: 3/27/2009 11:42:01 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
Whatever it's gonna take for your fiancé not to feel embarrassed about the ring is the correct answer. Some women don't care about the size of the ring on their finger. Other women feel like the ring is a measurement of your love. If your woman is the latter, and you can't afford to meet her expectation, then you better dump her right now, or you're gonna be miserable.

If she is embarrassed by the size of the ring, then a little more thought is necessary here. You buy a nice ring for a reasonable price for you. If she is concerned by either the size or price on the small size, re-think. If she is concerned that you are going too big or too expensive, cut your cost and buy her a gun, you have probably got a keeper.

Or use a family heirloom stone, then size and cost don't matter.

Posted: 3/27/2009 11:55:46 PM EDT

[#23]

Made my wife's. She wore it on her right hand before we got married and switched hands at the ceremony.

Cost $1.25. No stone, but I hand-cast it in sterling silver I smelted, poured and finished.

I've offered to get her something shiny more than once and she looks at me weird.

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:14:46 AM EDT

[#24]

make sure to get the shirt before you leave the jewelry store, the one that says "Lick Me, I'm a Sucker!"

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:20:05 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
What is the norm?

2x your monthly salary?
3x Your monthly salary?
4x your monthly salary?

What say the hive?

Thanks in advance.

I was ordered to purchase a Harry Winston (SP)

.

Needless to say, we (errrrrr, I) are in the process of dismantling our relationship.

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:24:19 AM EDT

[#26]

Here's another complication: are we talking gross pay or take home?

'Cause two months gross is FOUR months take home.

I spent $6k on a ring from Blue Nile.

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Posted: 3/28/2009 12:32:18 AM EDT

[#27]

No matter how you break down the months, it's all a scam.

Chicks are way cool though.

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:34:23 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
No matter how you break down the months, it's all a scam.

Chicks are way cool though.

Damn right.

WTF does a girl need a freakin giant diamond on her hand anyways?

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:46:40 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
whatever you do, don't buy at the mall! i used pricescope.com. do your homework and get something nice. you only do it once(ideally).

+100, great info on there with plenty of women to help you. They also have a great search feature for finding diamonds. My life just recently lost her ring and we got a pretty good deal on a loose diamond using the search function, the diamond appraised for 4k more than we paid

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:47:02 AM EDT

[#30]

If I ever run into the guy who came up with the engagement ring salary guide, I am just going to kick his ass on "General Principle" terms.

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:54:11 AM EDT

[#31]

Maybe I was getting double scammed, but part of why I bought what I bought was the replacement deal. If her rock ever goes missing, they will replace it with an equivalent stone. I like that kind of insurance built into the original cost.

Posted: 3/28/2009 12:55:11 AM EDT

[#32]

I think you might have a problem with that, as he probably died 30 years ago.

Posted: 3/28/2009 1:34:54 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
I think you might have a problem with that, as he probably died 30 years ago.

no matter.

I'm working on a time machine right now. I have many people to visit. The guy/girl who invented engagement rings and the person who invented math.

Posted: 3/28/2009 1:50:05 AM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
Don't worry about the money. Buy her something that she'll like. If she doesn't like it, she won't wear it. My fiancee picked out her ring herself. All I did was help her figure out her ring size and pay for the ring.

If the woman is obsessed with the price, size, etc. of the ring, then it is a sign that she is probably too materialistic for you.

+1. I told my wife to give me EXTREMELY clear instructions on what she wanted - she found a picture of her "dream ring" and gave it to me. Of course, it was a Victorian-era antique (white gold with intricate filigree work), and none of the jewelry stores had anything REMOTELY similar to it.

I found a local jeweler who let me browse through phonebook-sized catalogs of wax castings until I found the setting, then we picked out the stones (one princess-cut diamond w/ a sapphire on each side). I didn't spend a fortune (about three weeks pay, IIRC), paid for it in cash, and she has a ring she loves that is unique. I don't think a week goes by that she doesn't tell me about someone complimenting her on it.

Posted: 3/28/2009 1:53:27 AM EDT

[#35]

I got engaged in California when I was making good money, I went 20% of my yearly salary at the time, but we had no bills except rent and food, so it was appropriate. Let me tell you she freaking loves that ring. If you can afford it you will not regret spend as much as you can.

Posted: 3/28/2009 2:52:19 AM EDT

[#36]

The cost of an engagement ring is actually more than you can possibly imagine or would be willing to believe... Right now...

Posted: 3/28/2009 3:17:52 AM EDT

[#37]

Paid about $1k for my wife's.

Diamonds and the hype surrounding them are the biggest ripoff on the planet.

Posted: 3/28/2009 5:07:05 AM EDT

[#38]

Any "X months' salary" guideline is worthless, a ploy by the jewelry companies to get you to pay more. Pay what you can afford. And do your homework before you go.

I spent less than $2k; the stone wasn't the biggest but very high quality. My friend spent $10k+ for a bigger rock; we make about the same amount of money. My wife's is still better looking

Posted: 3/28/2009 5:16:51 AM EDT

[#39]

To tell the truth I would not even bother getting one. Buy a nice wedding band set and take the money that you would have spend on the ring and invest it in starting your life together. It is pretty silly to go into debt or spend serious cash in this economy for something that will most likely end up in the sink or getting hocked at the pawnshop when she runs off with your best friend.

Posted: 3/28/2009 5:22:00 AM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
Don't worry about the money. Buy her something that she'll like. If she doesn't like it, she won't wear it. My fiancee picked out her ring herself. All I did was help her figure out her ring size and pay for the ring.

If the woman is obsessed with the price, size, etc. of the ring, then it is a sign that she is probably too materialistic for you.

Goldtop is doing this for me. Actually going to look at the ring today. I have a style in mind and found a few jewelers that seem reasonably priced. For what it's worth, I don't want to spend more than 2k for the bridal set. Stone size, extra bling, etc. aren't important to me. I just want something nice and classy.

––EllisonsOrange

Posted: 3/28/2009 5:30:50 AM EDT

[#41]

Geez I'm a cheap ass compared to yall. I gave my fiancee a .5 carat marquee cut solitare on a traditional gold band. She loves it

I think the final tag on it was about $1600

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Posted: 3/28/2009 5:43:52 AM EDT

[#42]

married out of college

my ring $80 white gold
her band $110 white gold

her engagement ring $750––-like a fortune when your 20 and completely independent

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:05:05 AM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:
It depends on your financial situation and the girl you want to marry.

Yeah - both of you should realize that snce you are getting married, it comes out of the same pocket anyway.

The guidlines are set up by folks selling diamonds, so take it with a grain of salt. A grain the size of a middling whale ought to do.

I bought my wife a set of 3/4 carat diamonds online for her 40th. I forget the place, but if you really need it, IM me and I will look for the receipt. They were very good and she wanted to trade for something else, they took what we bought back, applied the full price to what she wanted and were very easy to deal with. The markup on luxury items like diamonds has to be 200% or more.

I bought a diamond ring from a pawn shop. Pretty good deals - but not a place I'd get a wedding ring. OST, they do have some classic pieces from estates. Worth a look.

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:05:57 AM EDT

[#44]

I paid $450 for one that she found on a jeweler's website for $3500. Since we're both in our mid-30's, we've seen plenty of examples of how screwed other people got when they paid retail, and then tried to hock them when things went south.

BTW- while we were in one pawn shop looking for rings, I snagged a sweet deal on a 22mag rifle. she thought i was paying attention to what she was saying about rings, turned to ask my opinion, and started to blow me shit, until she realized what a good deal i had made

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:10:43 AM EDT

[#45]

De Beers owns many of you fools. Theirs has been the most successful marketing strategy in human history.

If you're happy and your wife is happy,fantastic,but the majority of marriages that last weren't started based upon the value of a ring.When it comes down to "not being embarassed by the ring" that also follows with "not being embarassed by the car/clothes/home...".

It sounds like pissing on somebody's parade to point the absurdity of it out and I won't question the sentiment behind giving a ring that you or your better half thinks is worth $ X dollars,but it's an amazingly huge fraud.Your bargain diamond isn't a bargain.

The hysterical part of this whole thing to me is the balance between " it has to be worth X much to show how much I love her,but I want to buy it as cheaply/used as I can".If you REALLY love her $12k worth,spend the $12k!

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:27:22 AM EDT

[#46]

Hey OP, if you ever read this far, here's some info:

I bought an engagement ring and proposed in February. Set an initial budget of up to $5k for it (about 2 month's take home pay after taxes/expenses). Realized that would place a serious crunch on finances, so I cut it back to $3k - just over a month's take home. Went looking locally, found nothing noteworthy in my price range, all the rings I liked were $7k or more (have problems locally of no one sells an eye clean stone

they just have bigger spotted stones). So I found what I really liked and wrote down all the stats (that 4C's stuff). Went through a site called Brilliance.com my fiance actually found since their home offices are headquartered out of the town her grandparents live in. They're certified by the BBB online, free overnight shipping, free 30 day 'no questions asked' returns, etc - a pretty good setup. Ended up with a ring that cost $7,500 locally for $2,500. Customer service was great, tutorials were great, all around a painless experience. My dedication to internet research paid massive dividends.

That's what worked for me. YMMV

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:30:02 AM EDT

[#47]

I paid $800 out the door for hers. She wanted the heart set from Zales. I'm lucky lol

Quoted:

Fuck, guess I was lucky and she was extatic about the cheap $100 from Wal-Mart. Showed it off every palce and loved it.

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:54:09 AM EDT

[#48]

I bought the ring that she really wanted and fortunately it was only about 1-1/2 month's salary.
But we did talk about it before hand and she knew that there was no way she was getting
a $10k ring...just wasn't going to happen. Fortunately the ring she loved was very reasonable.

Posted: 3/28/2009 6:55:02 AM EDT

[#49]

eBay

I spent $5K on two carats and had it appraised by a jeweler: $19K. She thinks the rock is too big but loves it. She worries that someone will try and mug her for it, but wants to always wear it so as not to get hit on all the time.

Rob

Posted: 3/28/2009 7:14:24 AM EDT

[#50]

My wife would have gone absolutely nucking futs if I'd spent 3x, 2x or even 1x my gross salary on an engagement ring.

I spent one day (yes one single day) of gross salary on my wife's engagement ring.

You have to understand that the 3x "rule" was invented by deBeers marketing in order to increase the demand for larger diamonds from the cartel. After many years of this tripe, women (through peer pressure) basically believe that they have to have a massive expensive rock on their finger to show their worth.

Just give a girl a big-ass diamond and you'll hear her friends gush about how wealthy "he" must be, and what a "keeper" he is. But give her a tiny little ring, or just suggest getting married with no costs involved save a few simple wedding bands, and "he" will be castigated as a cheap low life bastard.

Basically, the bigger the rock, the larger the displayed value of your whore.

I suppose it's easier than putting a price tag on a vagina.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Engagement ring cost (Page 2 of 3)

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