Engagement ring - How much to pay

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obviously the ring matters , otherwise men would propose with an onion ring.

I think for alot of women, an engagement ring isn't actually necessary to propose.

Fair enough, do your research. Maybe you could get one of her friends to ask her or something idk

Reply 21

Clip

Original post by Anonymous

what concern is it of yours, unless im proposing to your mother, mind your business.

im looking for people who can give info here from actual experience, not talk nonsense

Seriously?

You ask for advice on an engagement ring (because you patently haven't got a clue) and then when asked if you are going to propose, you reply "what concern is it of yours? Mind your own business"

You're looking for advice from someone with actual experience. I've bought two.

But never mind that - you don't need my help, you know everything there is to know about everything such as "Women sometimes like to know where there shoes and handbags came from"

Reply 22

Anonymous #1

Original post by Clip

You're looking for advice from someone with actual experience. I've bought two.

i only want to buy one

Reply 23

Clip

Original post by Anonymous

i only want to buy one

Why would I think you'd want to buy two?

Reply 24

AKWxxx

Original post by Anonymous

is there a consensus on this- percentage of salary?. and also does it have to be new , with receipt to show when it was bought? ie it could be used but still very valuable , genuine diamond etc.

do women need to see the receipt, know when it was dated, bought etc?

personally i would rather be given a 'hand me down/generations' type ring as i think it has more meaning/family value.i actually want my boyfriend to propose with arwen's necklace rather than a ring, but that's probably due to my unhealthy obsession with LOTR.

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Reply 25

joker12345

Re the 'new or old' stuff, I'd prefer new if you're talking general second hand rings, but if it was like a family heirloom then old because it's meaningful.

Reply 26

Manitude

I hear a month's salary is normal. Really though, pay what you think is appropriate. You have to remember that spending more doesn't mean she's any more or less likely to say yes. If she really wants to spend the rest of her life with you then the cost of the ring is not the deal maker.

Reply 27

SophiaLDN

Spend how much you can afford. There's no percentage of a salary and conditions on it, lets be honest. Just get her a nice one that's in your price range and don't go broke running after a ring.

No one would ask for receipts, that's strange. Unless she is concerned about ethical jewellery and wants to know if its ethical jewellery. Like blood diamond/conflict-free diamond/Canadian diamonds. Other than that, there's no reason whatsoever.

Reply 28

Zarek

Spending more than a few hundred pounds on this is CRAZY

Reply 29

squeakysquirrel

It used to be a months salary - but I think that is rather old fashioned.

My son got engaged to his fiancee this year. At the time he was working in a call centre - if he had done the months salary thing she would have got a curtain ring.

I had some jewellery that I had inherited - but it was broken - a stone was missing and the design was very old fashioned. I gave him this and he had it redesigned into a beautiful ring for her which cost him just over £100.

What I am saying is that you could look at doing this - many old rings are rather ugly but with a bit of thought they can be nice.

Reply 30

1219269

Depends on ring and your wage. Remember it's important to her but also don't go too nuts!

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Reply 31

MancStudent098

Original post by Alfissti

I thought it was only a disgusting Yank thing where they insist the engagement ring must be 3 months salary.

Probably won't surprise you that it was the diamond companies that came up with that 'formula'.

Original post by Anonymous

obviously the ring matters , otherwise men would propose with an onion ring.

all relationship things being equal, im seeing what the overall preferences are in terms of ring type, new or used, modern or antique, average cost, paperwork or no paperwork etc.

The ring doesn't matter for a lot of women. It's nice but what matters is what happens after (marriage).

You should spend what you can afford. If your gf loves you for you then it won't bother her what kind of ring she has.

My husband proposed without any ring. We both choose my one and it's not new or overly expensive.

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Reply 34

Lightwave

If you want to make the ring special, get one custom made on etsy.com, they often give you a fair price for the carats and amount of goal in it, plus it's unique in the world and can be custom made to be personal to her.

Reply 35

username369234

The salary thing is stupid.

Pay what you can afford, but don't get something too cheap.

I paid just over £1000, and it's valued at £1600. It's a very nice ring.

I paid £500 deposit, and then £75 a month for a few months (interest free) so it was perfectly affordable.

I went with Serendipity Diamonds - highly recommended and a superb service.

My two friends who have also got engaged spent between £1000 and £1500

Reply 36

username369234

Original post by SophiaLDN

She has the receipt because she can pay for this year's insurance on it :P

Reply 37

username369234

Just to add - OP - you know your partner. You should know if she would appreciate a new ring, if she would want something stupidly expensive, if she wants a diamond. If you don't know this sort of stuff, you need to do some digging and get to know her

Reply 38

College_Dropout

I would just bare in mind that 50% of marriages fail before you spend too much.

Reply 39

Helenia

Whether you buy new or second-hand, you should ideally get a receipt and proper certification/valuation for insurance purposes, if nothing else. Most girls won't actually want to see the receipt! Spend what you can afford without getting into debt. You'll be spending plenty more on the wedding if all goes to plan! Mine is valued at £2200 but I know my husband spend a fair bit less than that. Probably worked out at just under one month's salary for him at the time.

I'm a bit on-the-fence about second-hand rings. Family heirlooms yes, no problem, but a second-hand ring is only being sold in a shop because a)the couple split up, b)the woman died or c)they got so desperately poor they had to sell it, which all just makes me feel a bit sad. That's what would put me off, not because I think it's miserly or anything.

OP also mentioned the size of the diamond. Don't just automatically assume that bigger is better. I didn't want anything too big as I don't think it would look right on my hands, so my 0.46 carat (with pear-cut sapphires either side) is perfect for me. Plenty of women don't want a massive rock. The quality of the stone and the quality of the cut (not all brilliant-cuts are equally brilliant!) is also important for a pretty ring.