How much should I spend on an engagement ring?

Question

The ring my girl wants is $16,000. I think thats way too much what do you guys think. I want to get atleast a good quality diamond 1.5 carat

Answer 1

16 jeezles is a crazy amount of money. Offer to get her a 1500 ring and a Honda Civic instead. And 1.5 is a huge rock. You might be loaded, I don't know, but how will you feel when that diamond falls out in 2,5,10, years whenever. IT IS A RING! The meaning behind it is whats important. Don't go into debt at the beginning of a marriage. Spend what you can afford. That 2 month crap is marketing from De Beers who run the biggest diamond cartel in the world and control 90% of diamond in the world, and manipulate prices to take advantage of lovers looking to impress their mate.

Do what is right for you, not what is suggested by cartel who creates false shortages by withholding supply to keep prices inflated. Chances are your girl will be so overjoyed by the fact she is engaged to you the ring will be "just perfect" no matter what if you genuinely take your time to pick out something perfect from you to her. If she is put out with the ring you pick bc it isn't the $16,000 one you might want to reconsider things.

Answer 2

Wow wait a minute. Do not spend 16,000 when you can go somewhere else and get one for 12,000 or even 5,000. If she can not accept the Ring that you give her then she does not love you. Love is not about money it is about how much you care about each other. Love is something that you can have or not have depending on what they do for you. Look I have been in many relationships. If they can not accept you for the money that you spend then think about it she does not love you. Do not go into debt over her ok it is not worth it. She needs to accept you for who you are and what you buy. Tell her Money is not everything and so if you have a 1.5 carat then that is what you get but do not go spending a fortune on someone for an Engagement Ring when you are going to have a wedding and all that other stuff. you will need to buy Wedding Rings for you two as well so go rational on how much you spend on her.

Answer 3

Unless you're loaded, that is way toooooo much for a ring. I have a beautiful ring, with only 1 carat diamond, but there are many diamond chips surrounding it at I just had it appraised for 6 Thousand dollars. I don't know where you live but a trip to the diamond district seems to be in order. Also Robbin's brothers is a great choice. You don't want to go deep into debt for this. Don't you both want a home? Good luck.

Answer 4

It depends on what quality you want your diamond to be. Yes you could find something cheaper but the quality wont be as nice. A decent one carat is going to be around 6k. A decent two carat we are talking 2 carat, H color, VS2 is going to be about 36k. Shop around - look at Costco, Shane Co. In my own personal opinion these two places have good fair prices. If you really want her to have a 1.5 then you need to spend the cash - the bigger the diamond the more noticable the flaws - this is why they jump in price it is harder to find a larger size diamond. He looked for months and had something brought in from one of the establishments above I was expecting a 1.5 carat but got a two. Bottom line buy what you can afford.

Answer 5

First off, don't believe the stuff about it having to be one or two or three months' salary; that is just marketing hype.
So you have a high maintenance gal, eh? That is WAY too much for a ring. The average cost of an engagement ring is around 600 to 800! Maybe the two of you need to have a talk about the symbolism of the engagement ring, and what it is for. Don't go into debt over a ring; that is not wise.

Answer 6

As a rule of thumb, you should spend as much as you would for a lay-away item at a department store because that is what this actually is. $15k for a piece of metal and rock!? Wait dude, that is only the down payment for a lifetime of being in debt up to your ears! Is her kitty really that worth it? I don't mean to be sarcastic but I have been married for 20, my wife was OK without a ring, a wedding reception or any of the other 'traditional' trappings. I see other couple that went through the whole 'marriage' rigmarole and are suffering dearly. Keep an open mind and don't get suckered into all the romantic BS associated with marriage!

Answer 7

First - 16k is WAY out of line unless you are pulling down $150k/yr (hell, even then that's a lot)...second, your gf should not telling what to buy for her and how much to spend. Third the dumbas5 "rule" about 2 months salary was part of a marketing ploy by DeBeers put out about 25 years ago to get men to buy bigger diamonds....don't buy into it.
Check BlueNile.com and get a very simple setting to put the diamond it - my suggestions is a simple "tiffany" style band (very thin) with a 6 prong head to hold the diamond. After you get engaged and shop for a wedding set, your fiance can choose the set she wants and can discard the simple setting as you won't have that much invested in it. I suggest this so you can surprise her with the ring, but let her get the setting she wants without having to "shop" for the ring - shopping just sorta takes the surprise and thrill out of the whole process.

Answer 8

Usually they say a ring is 2-3 months salary.

For some men though thats 2500 and for others its 25000.

This is a big reason why I dont like when girls pick out their own rings, they put you poor boys in such a situation if you cant afford it and you go into hock trying to make these girls happy.

Pick out a ring that you think she will like, she has selected a certain style, you can go with that kind of setting, but with a stone you can afford. Most importantly, if she doesnt get this 16K ring, dont think that she will say no because of this, she wont. And if she does than thank goodness you found out now what kind of girl she is, you dont want to marry that anyway.

Good luck to you!

Answer 9

Well if your standards are set on a good quality 1.5 karat ring it is going to be expensive. Mine is about 1 karat diamond,14kt white gold ring and is worth about $9000. $16,000 is a little much I am sure you can find something just as beautiful for cheaper.

Answer 10

Technically you are supposed to spend 2 months salary I believe., but this day and time no one follows that rule. Perhaps you should sit down with her and discuss this. It may not be in your budget to spend that kind of money. You can get a 1.4 carat (good quality) for around $6000.00. She should at least be happy you want to get her a nice ring.