engagement rings? What should i really spend? and what size carrot? I make 30,000 a year does that matter?

Answer 1

Spend as much as you're comfortable with. BTW, the size of a diamond is measured in "carats". Carrot is a vegetable.

Answer 2

Ignore anyone who tells you two or three months' salary. That is based on an advertising slogan from DeBeers designed to sell more and bigger diamonds. Etiquette scorns to care about the pricetag of a lady's jewelry.

How much to spend is determined by one thing only: what you have available to spend. It doesn't matter whether that's fifty dollars or fifteen thousand. Pick your price range and look within it.

And always try to keep your lady's taste in mind. Who knows? She may prefer a stone other than a diamond or honestly like smaller stones...and there are a few women who really don't want a ring at all, or want something very unusual. For instance, I chose my engagement ring. My guy would have gotten me a diamond if I'd wanted it. I didn't. I wouldn't settle for anything but the sterling silver frog prince ring that I'd fallen in love with. It saved him a bundle and makes me smile every single day.

My advice is to familiarize yourself with what your lady would like, whether by obvious means or sneaky, and see how close you can get to the ring of her dreams on your budget.

And while you're hunting, don't be afraid to try unusual sources. If you're not superstitious about it, try a pawn shop or an estate sale. You won't get the selection, but you might find something gorgeous selling for a fraction of what it's worth.

Whatever you ultimately choose, remember that the engagement ring is a symbol of your love, and should reflect it not in the monetary value or size, but in the thought and love that went into choosing it.

Answer 3

Forget that two to three months' salary "custom": it's not a custom. It's a marketing ploy invented by the DeBeers Diamond company as a way to get you to part with more of your money. The ring is important as a symbol. Purchasing it should not put you in the poor house. Also, you do not have to buy a diamond. Other gemstones are lovely and do not cost nearly the price of a diamond.

Personally, if my fiance had spent three months' worth of salary on an engagement ring, I would be upset and wonder what kind of sense he had. That would be more than the budget for our entire wedding!

Spend only what you can afford, and have a happy marriage!

Answer 4

The rule would be 2 months salary--so $5,000 would be a rough estimate. But what carot and all that...what really matters is the girl.

If she loves platinum, thats going to be more expensive and therefore the diamond would be smaller. If she works with her hands a lot, she might want a cushion cut or cathedral setting so that its less likely to get damaged.

Look at her other rings--does she tend to like Bigger the Better or does she have small hands and like smaller rings? It really depends on the girl. My sister doesn't care about the 4 Cs--the only one that matters is SIZE. To another of my rings, she never wears jewelry and really wants 1/10 or 1/5 of a carat max.

I always think the girl should have a say in picking out her own ring--even if she doesn't know which one you bought or when you want to propose--at least you'll feel confident you got her a ring she will want to wear every day.

Answer 5

Spend only what you can afford comfortably. You aren't making that much money, so probably don't have a lot of savings. It's not the cost of the ring which is important to a mature woman, it's the symbolism of the ring as a commitment to marry.
You can get pretty decent diamonds and gold for several hundreds of dollars - lots of women have rings in the 500 range and they are totally beautiful.

Answer 6

I heard 'spend a months salary'... However, my husband got me a ring we could afford, and then upgraded a few Christmas' later. (He's military, and don't make much.) I loved my original ring (albiet, small). And I love the new ring. You know your budget, so, when you buy the ring stick to what you can afford. Maybe get a setting with which she can upgrade the diamond later. :-) Hope it helps.

Answer 7

Take her ring shopping with you, if you think she expects you to pop the question anyway. Then, you can see what she likes and find a similar ring in a price you can afford. Steer her away from the really expensive ones! :)

Note: If she's big on surprises, this might be a bad idea.

Answer 8

my fiance makes just slightly more than you, i have a feeling he spent about $3K on my ring. i didnt have a clue he was going to do it, so i didnt have any say in the design. but he picked out something that he really liked and its beyond beautiful.

my mom once told me not to accept anything under a carot, i honestly thought that would be way too big for my finger. my man got me something just slightly over a carot and its perfect. just get something that you feel is her style. i'm totally not a jewerly person so he just got something really simple and clean.

good luck!!!

Answer 9

Price has nothing to do with it. We wanted to get engaged the next week so we got a cheap one off ebay. The wedding is next year in Thailand and then, like someone else said, I will either get one made out there to match me band, or I will get one when the wedding is not priority. I think the younger the girl the more money she will expect you to spend. I paid for mine- I earn more.

Answer 10

You don't have to spend that much if your budget it tight. My fiance gave me his great-grandmother's ring- we needed to get a new band for it, but that was it. total cost- $350. And the diamond is a half carat- I have small hands, so I dont' want anything large anyways.... and not only that, the diamond is almost 100 yrs old, and it is super shiny and sparkly! I love it! I feel you have to get something you know she'll like, but you don't have to go overboard- and you don't have to spend a month or two month's salary either. You do whatever you can afford and you know she'll like! :) Good luck!