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Is there a guideline on the amount you should spend on a engagement ring?

In the next 8-12 months, I hope to ask my girlfriend to marry me. I want to get an idea as to how much I should generally spend on the ring. I have heard 3 months salary is the norm. Is that correct? Is that gross or net? Should I put most of the money down and finance the rest or vice versa?

Public Comments

  1. The cheaper you go the better! It looks bad when you spind too much on a ring when you have the rest of your lives to spend too much on eachother!
  2. get what you can afford, she will marry you for you and not the ring, You can upgrade with each anniversary if you wish,,,,,,many yearsof happiness to you.
  3. most say that 3 months salary is what you should spend, but i dont think that is realistic now days. i mean, who can give up 3 months pay. take a couple/few thousand and go buy a nice ring. nothing too big, just a nice good size diamond. more than 1/2ct and not more than 1ct
  4. Spend a reasonable amount on the engagement ring, three months salary usually applies to the actuall wedding ring set. I dont know your situation but $200 to $1500 is reasonable.
  5. The 3 months salary 'rule' was created by jewelers to get you to spend more. Spend what you can afford based on quality of the ring also meaning( clarity, cut etc, not size) It depends how much money you have to spend and how fast you want it paid off.
  6. An engagement ring is for life and usually its a diamond and a solitaire - a very simple one. There is a guideline and yours is about right, but still it shouldn't be about the value - more about the sentiment and the thought. How you propose is almost just as important...it's a memory you make that will never be forgotten. Girls are sentimental fools, but we love all that. Its a story that will often be retold and shared with your children. The ring itself becomes a family heirloom with a wonderful story attached to it. I know men generally can't understand what the big deal is about these things but it is important to women. Try and put some thought into what she likes and spin some romance on it. The Ring itself should be simple, tasteful and elegant and something that was just slightly more than you could afford. Hope this helps.
  7. Its up to you, price shouldn't be an issue unless its something you each agree on. Obviously you want to make it look good, but it should not matter. She will be overwhelmed and excited to care about the quality of the ring.
  8. Three months salary is technically the "norm" but that very rarely happens...and for good reason - no one could afford that and still pay the bills! It would take a long time to save that up. Since you have time, I would shop around. Go to various jewelers and see what they have. Do your homework before you purchase. By not rushing out to buy the first thing you see, you may run across some really amazing rings at fair prices. As far as financing, a lot of people choose that option. If you go that route, I would decide up front what your budget is - decide what you can afford and don't go over that. And pay as much down as you can. You don't want to overextend yourself, and she will appreciate not starting your life together in 10K worth of debt for a diamond. I hope this helps, and good luck!
  9. DON'T PICK OUT THE RING! She has to wear it the rest of her life, and even though you think you know what she would want.... you might find something she likes ok, but there may be a specific ring she was always hoping for. You should just buy one of those twenty dollar rings at WalMart as a prop to propose and then let her pick her real wedding ring. As far as how much to spend- don't go into debt! Start saving now. Buy what you can afford. Before you take her to pick her ring, make an appointment with the salesperson and have him/her pull out the rings within your price range for her to chose from and I'm sure she can find something she loves. And 3 months salary-gross or net- sounds like PLENTY! (actually too much). But it sounds like you are a really sweet guy that you care so much about your girl's ring!!! :)
  10. my husband just bought something really simple 1/4 ct ring that cost him like 400 bux at the time girls dont care about what the ring looks like and she doesnt have to wear it the rest of her life for our 4th anniversay (this dec) my husband is gettin me a whole new wedding ring and band he gave me a catalog and told me to pick which one i wanted so its not like thats the one she's wearing the rest of her life
  11. Well it is up to you on how much to spend. We dont know what you can afford. I would only buy what you can afford and pay cash only. You will end up paying more if charged in fees. I can tell you that for sure and might even endup paying 1 1/2 what the ring cost you. I am about to get engaged and I told him to buy me what ever he could. The price dont matter it could be a small ring. It is from the heart so size dont matter.
  12. my ring cost au$125 its not the cost of the ring that matters, it what it means
  13. The guideline is YOUR personal finances. Don't go with the myth of it being a certain number of months' salary, that's simply not true. Only buy something which you can save to afford - don't buy on credit! You still need to buy a wedding band, you two need to pay for the wedding, and still have money to start your marriage together! You can get lovely diamonds and gold for several hundreds of dollars and up!
  14. I think don't spend over $2,200 on the engagement ring because you can always jazz it up with her wedding band. My fiance paid in full cash, its just the best way to ge because then you don't have to worry about it. Just save for a few months.
  15. Spend only what you can afford, and DO NOT FINANCE - you don't want to start your new life together with any more debt than you have to. So: 8-12 months, average it out to be 10 -- how much can you save each month & still be able to cover your financial obligations (rent, utilities, food, gas, etc.) -- that's how much you should spend. But you can start looking at rings as soon as you decide on your budget.
  16. I would suggest finding the nicest ring you can save up for, if you have 8-12 months start putting some cash in a savings account every month. If you put $100/month you will have between $800-$1200, You can get a nice ring for that price range: $195 for the setting: http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/6-Prong-tiffany-style_993.htm G SI1, ideal cut, 1/3 ct round $589, total ring $784: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-540809.htm D VS1,1/3 ct princess $555, total ring $750 http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-541469.htm G VS1, .46ct, princess $788, total ring $983 http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-541475.htm F SI1, .56ct Ascher $888, total ring $1083 http://www.whiteflash.com/asscher/Asscher-cut-diamond-268408.htm H VS2, .46ct oval, $945, total ring $1140 http://www.whiteflash.com/oval/Oval-cut-diamond-363046.htm 1.42tw wedding set .40ct round center $899 http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Engagement_Rings/product/e-108/14K_Gold_Diamond_Ring_1_42_ct_.htm 1.00tw engagement ring ½ ct center $1099: http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Engagement_Rings/product/d-101/14K_Gold_Diamond_Ring_1_00_ct_.htm Now say you can put aside $200 a month, you will be looking at anywhere between $1600-$2400 to spend Using the same classic solitaire setting for $195 as above: G SI1, .64ct oval $1467 total ring $1662: http://www.whiteflash.com/oval/Oval-cut-diamond-248289.htm E SI1, .76ct pear, $1920 total ring $2115 http://www.whiteflash.com/pear/Pear-cut-diamond-620187.htm G VS2, .67 round $1992 total ring $2187 http://www.whiteflash.com/round/Round-cut-diamond-578322.htm 1.75ctw engagement ring 3/4ct center $1900 http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Engagement_Rings/product/k-77/14K_Gold_Diamond_Ring_1_75_ct_.htm Now you may have a better job and be able to put more away each month. My intention was to show you that even if you can’t save up a lot of money, you can get a lot of ring for your money. I’ll even throw in a couple of examples of rings for the restricted cash flow. You probably don’t need any help if you’re loaded. Try not to finance it if you can, most girls are just happy to be marrying you. $350: http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Engagement_Rings/product/ac-8/1_2_Carat_Diamond_Engagement_Ring.htm $245: http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Solitaire_Rings/product/v-43/14k_Gold_Pear_Diamond_Solitaire_Ring_25_Carat.htm $400: http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Solitaire_Rings/product/v-31/Round_Cut_Diamond_Solitaire_Ring_40_Carat.htm $500: http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Wedding_Sets/product/ad-13/Women_s_Diamond_Engagement_Ring_85_ct_tw_.htm $550: http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/14k-White-Gold-1-2ct-TDW-Diamond-Wedding-Ring-Set/2655162/product.html
  17. Well, my honey and I have been talking about this a lot lately. He is trying to insist on spending 3 months salary on my ring, but I do not want something that costs that much. We can do so many other things with that money. Just do what you can afford. She's marrying you, not the ring. Do try to get her input though or get one of her friends to help you pick it out. She is the one who will have to show it off from now on. We found this website called www.worldjewels.com and they sell rings wholesale so you get a lot more for your money. You might want to check into that. Good luck! :)
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