Engagement Rings-how much did it set you back?

[landhoney]

$8K. Guess I'm the winner......I mean loser. Tiffany's is expensive, you're definitley paying for the name/style. She liked the style and I pulled the trigger, a recent investment in a chinese internet company and good timing(it doubled+) helped alot. At $8K it was near the bottom of the available rings in this style they showed me pricewise. the_bird is right though, bluenile.com is a great company a couple of my friends have used, you're getting a lot more rock for your money than at tiff's.

 

[Nurmey]

First, congratulations on finding a nice woman!

Next, have to asked her what she wants? I might be odd but wearing a big rock has no appeal for me whatsoever and I had absolutely no interest in a diamond even though it's my birthstone. We did find a lovely saphire ring that I could wear without getting in my way. We spent under $500 on it which made me very happy because I had a beautiful engagement ring without breaking the bank.

Now, if she has her heart set on a diamond ring, let her pick it out. Things like snagging her panty hose/clothing every day or darn near having her finger ripped off when it catches on things during activities could be very important to the her.

Just wanted to give you 2 cents from a female prospective. (Granted, it's only worth about 2 cents because I am not much of traditionist about anything including jewelry.)

 

[Ryan_PA]

Quick disclaimer, my wife never asks for anything, and deserves everything, and at the time we got engaged, I had a decent income and no real bills to speak of.

I went overboard on the ring, and obliterated the 2 months salary rule. Remember, the size of the rock and the price tag at the end do nothing to measure your commitment or level of love. Due to the luck of my situation I was able to buy the ring of her dreams, but it came at a cost of over $12K. It currently appraises for more than double, and is the nicest thing I have ever seen. It is too much for anyone, but the closest thing I could do to get her what I felt she deserved.

Some advise, take her shopping and tell her you are thinking about things, and take note of the settings that she spends the most time looking at, but do not be obvious. When you know the setting, pick a stone you are comfortable with to compliment it. Never pay the marked price, and if you can pay in cash... do it! Also, be sure you talk to her dad. It is old school, but gets you mad bonus points. I did it prior to actually buying the ring, but make sure you do it before asking her.

Also, my brother got the warantee or whatever in case he had to return it, that was a good move for him. I would say look into that if it is offered. You never know.

 

[eriktlupus]

also look at bidz.com just don't bid against me!

 

[kenche]

Well these pictures were taken last Saturday, on top of First Brother Mountain in British Columbia where my fiance and I were engaged.

The ring in the picture is a custom design that we commisioned a local jeweller to create. The diamond was purchased from Blue Nile. I was very happy with blue nile, and the diamond was about 40% cheaper than a similar rated diamond as quoted by the jeweller.

The total cost of the ring was 5k.

 

[pjj2ba]

Thankfully my wife is not a fan of Diamonds. We got engaged while we were both in grad school so money was tight. The ring was more to prove to her dad that we were engaged. I bought her a Sapphire ring from J.C Penney for about $80 (in 1988)

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Thanks for the tips and pics guys....this is seriously some good help.

We're going this weekend to look at rings/diamonds. And yes, she is set on a diamond.

We like the settings with side stones (yeah I said we, of all the ones i've seen I think they're the nicest) so that is pretty much covered.

I guess it really comes down to the diamond. Thanks Yuri for that site, I looked at a for a bit last night but didnt' have much time.

Seriously, I really do apprechiate all of the help

 

[subourbonite]

Got engaged fresh out of college and spent ~$2500 on a ring. Looks like that puts me in the low end of the spectrum based on some of the responses I've read, but hey, you buy what you can afford.

Do not ever let a jeweler pull the whole "the more you spend, the more you love her" crap. Spend what you can afford. There is no sense starting out your married life in debt just to purchase a sparkly rock.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Just out of pure curiosity I looked up cubic zurconium.....

HOLY CRAP what a difference! I could get her a 10 carat badass ring instead of the MAYBE .75 real diamond...

just food for thought

Oh, and congrads to everyone else who is recently engaged/married. And nice pics Kenche...looks like a lot of fun

 

[user 574]

C - below I think. An upgrade after 25 years. As for $, lets just say I wouldn't spend that much if it was year zero of the marriage. Platinum is friggen pricey

 

[TheJadedDog]

Here are a few of my thoughts on this topic as it was something I agonized over before I proposed to my wife:

1) avoid cubic z unless you have asked her about it and know she would be okay with it (they know dude, trust me they know)

2) all diamonds sold legally in this county come from the same place, DeBeers, so the only difference between the ones at Tiffany's and the ones at Zales are the settings and that Tiffany's does not carry the lower quality stones.

3) It's all about the setting, the right setting can make a 1c diamond look plenty big (I got my wife a .75 stone in a full bezel set and it looks as big as a 1.5c)

4) There is no need to break the bank, come up with a budget and then see what you can afford (just like buying a car or a house).

5) make sure you get the proper paperwork on the stone as that is the only way to get it insured.

6) if you can't see the imperfections, what bloody difference does it make if they are there, find the right trade off between price, size, and stone quality.

7) in 10 years you will have more money and can either get a whole new stone or a new ring that incorporates the stone you buy today but adds something more as a 10 year anniversary gift

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good Luck!

 

[talleymonster]

Two Words:

Cubic Zirconium =)

 

[Flyin' Lion]

6) if you can't see the imperfections, what bloody difference does it make if they are there, find the right trade off between price, size, and stone quality.

7) in 10 years you will have more money and can either get a whole new stone or a new ring that incorporates the stone you buy today but adds something more as a 10 year anniversary gift

I agree, in fact that is what we did. Buying a ring with small imperceptible imperfections allows you to get a bigger diamond.

Plus if you buy small you can always go bigger later.

I bought my wife's first ring for 2k (5/8 carat) and upgraded to a full carat after 5 years of marriage. The new ring is 5k but only cost us 3k due to the trade in of the old ring. For what its worth, my wife really liked her older, smaller ring better.

If she loves you, she'll like what you buy.

 

[brewt00l]

BUY AN ENGAGEMENT RING FROM A PAWN SHOP!!!!! It is the same gold, the same diamonds, and it costs 1/10th of what you pay in a jewelry store.

Course a lot of women just don't want a ring from a pawn. Here is what a friend of a friend just did:

He found a ring at a pawn that he really liked and knew his girlfriend would like too at a fantastically good price. He is planning on proposing to her in a year or so if things keep going good. He gave the ring to his mother with the deal that when he get's engaged, he is going to give his gf his "mom's" ring and not a pawn shop ring.

Btw, I give him points for a creative plan but deduct on ethical grounds.

 

[Yooper]

I picked out my own ring- and I'm glad I did. I LOVE my ring and it's what I wanted. We went together, of course, but he was clueless. I wanted something that I'd be able to wear all the time- snorkeling in the Bahamas, walleye fishing in Canada, walking through some "iffy" neighborhoods in bigger cities, showering, etc. It's not a very big diamond, but it's a beautiful ring. When we were looking, I knew I was picking out something that I was going to wear for at least 30-40 years (God willing!).

I had a cousin who was surprised with a ring and it's gorgeous- big rock in a custom made setting. But she takes it off for household chores, to go to the beach, to care for her kids, etc. I knew that I wanted an "everyday" type ring.

By the way, I also found it on sale for 30% off the regular price, and it was less than 2K total.

 

[Jim Karr]

I bought my fiance a 27-point heart shaped diamond with a matching wedding band that fit right up next to the engagement ring.

This was 1982.....I spent $750 and my wife of almost 24 years now loved it, because of some of the same reasons Yooper mentioned.

She never takes it off, and it's not so monstrously large that she's afraid to wear it in public.

She just LOVED the fact that it is heart-shaped.

 

[Brewnurse]

Just had my first year anniversary two weeks ago, I can still remember all the expenses and steps you are going to go thru. For the ring, I spent a little over 10K. I happened to get her the exact ring she wanted, without knowing what she wanted. But that was only a drop in the bucket compared to the wedding!

Either way, enjoy! This is what life is supposed to be like!

 

[Ol' Grog]

Find an Asian area in the city, or like a little Vietnam. They have excellent quality stones and great prices. You can bargan with them too.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Find an Asian area in the city, or like a little Vietnam. They have excellent quality stones and great prices. You can bargan with them too.

Haha, thats how I got her first ring...in NYC. I made the mistake of trying to get a $5 ring for $3....she still ribbs me about that everyonce in a while but just jokingly.

Plus in South Texas there aren't many asian areas!

Thanks again for all the tips, we're going this weekend to go look at rings to get her size and what looks good on her and all of that.

I think your idea of an "everyday ring" is a good idea Yooper, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Proofman]

When I proposed I had 100 bucks to my name (I was a poor grad student). Thankfully, my wife is not a flashy gal. She does not like huge diamonds. I proposed to her without a ring. The benefit was she got to choose her ring. She searched quite a bit and got something simple (I forget size stone). I gave her a price that I could afford. She took it and ran. I didn’t have the money at the time. I was expecting relatively large check ($1600 HAHAHAHA). She was shopping with one of her friends and her friend asked how much she could spend. When my wife told her she said, “we might as well go to Wal-mart.” That bitch! She got a ring and I had money left over. The funny thing was she found the ring before I had the check, so she had to buy it herself HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Then I paid her. I was poor. The first year we dated she paid for most everything. Thank goodness my wife is very practical. If I bought her a 8-10K ring now she would thank me wear it for a day or two then it would go into a safety deposit box.

Every woman’s different

 

[Fingers]

I bought her a teeny little diamond for about $200. She likes opals so she asked me to return it and buy one at the local jeweler's for $98. That may sound cheap, but along with the ring she gets every paycheque I've ever earned or ever will earn.

What a rediculous notion to start off married life by incurring crippling debt over a ring. I got educated after we were married and she got her diamonds when we could afford it.

 

[JustDave]

What a rediculous notion to start off married life by incurring crippling debt over a ring.

I agree completely! I saved up the money and waited until I could afford it free and clear.

The way I see it, I spent a decent amount of money on it, but it's something she's going to wear every day for the rest of her life. So if it makes her happy and she likes seeing it on her finger every day, then it's worth it for me.

 

[kenche]

What a rediculous notion to start off married life by incurring crippling debt over a ring.

I have to agree about this. If you can't afford to buy the ring with cash, well then it is too expensive. No one should feel pressure to spend a certain amount on a ring just because someone else does. We all are in different financial situations.

I chose to spend 5k becuase I had the cash, and it seemed an appropriate amount considering I had just bought a 4k mountain bike months earlier. My fiance thought it was way too much, but I figured the symbol of my commitment to my fiance should at least be more substantial than my commitment to my personal pursuits. When put in this perspective she agreed.

 

[SixFoFalcon]

Just under $6K. A friend "in the business" said they could have saved me at least $800 on the rock, but of course when it was time to buy, said friend was no where to be found. All told, it was still a pretty good deal. It's insured for a heck of a lot more than that.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Five hundred bucks. I was so poor at the time I had to borrow the money even though it was such a small amount. Been marriend almost 16 years and still going strong. I know lots of people that spent 5-10k or more on the damned ring and got divorced in less than five years.
It's not the ring that's improtant, it's the one wearing it.