How much?

[carlito]

I know the standard is 2 months salary but what is the average amount spent on an engagement ring?

 

[MissAva]

It is not the average really.... but I think they said the average price is about 4k. HTH

 

[Jelly]

I googled this question and found this from December 2003:

$3,044 (Bride''s Millenium Report)
$2,982 (Bride''s Magazine)
$2,909 (Modern Bride, as cited in Weddings for Dummies)
$3,576 (Conde Nast Bridal Group)
$3,165 (Modern Bride Magazine)
$2,807 (National Bride Service)

The price of diamonds and platinum/gold have gone up since then, but there''s an idea of what people spend.

 

[Jelly]

Link

Here''s a poll of Pricescope members

 

[perry]

It''s been a while since I have seen the list for the true average in the US. But, I think it is arround $1000.

But, keep in mind that the average size of a diamond engagement ring is actually something like 1/4 carat in the US. A lot of people who get married just don''t have much resources - and buy what they can afford at a local discount style store or regional chain (in the hundreds of dollar range). Then other people who buy larger stones pulls the price up.

Only a few percent of the population can afford a 1 carat diamond.

The people who frequent this forum tend to be well above average in income and assets.

So, my advice is buy what you can reasonably afford and forget "how much". Focus on a well cut diamond. A well cut diamond that is 1/4 carat will out sparkle one twice or three times it size that is not cut well.

A nice 1/4 carat Whiteflash A Cut Above diamond is not that much.

Perry

 

[oneofus]

The "average" also depends on where you live.

Whatever number you gather, it''s really how much you want to and can spend.

 

[carlito]

Thank you, everyone, for your responses. Like I said (or maybe I didn''t) we are still early in the game and I am new to this. I am just trying to get a feel for what the norm is. We might be on the upper end of the norm but I am still not comfortable spending 20k on a ring so it''s encouraging to hear these responses.

My girl and I both like the idea of buying from Tiffany but, as I''ve learned from here, we can do better in terms of quality and price from other places. I am aware of the premium of shopping at Tiffany. It''s just a matter of deciding where the trade-off should exist. Do we make sacrifices in terms of what we/she wants for the experience of shopping at Tiffany or do we save the green and opt for a better overall purchase? It''s so hard with something this emotional.

I''ve never encountered anything like this so thanks again for your continued response and ideas.

carlito

 

[blueroses]

Date: 10/5/2005 10:15:34 PM
Author: carlito
Do we make sacrifices in terms of what we/she wants for the experience of shopping at Tiffany or do we save the green and opt for a better overall purchase? It''s so hard with something this emotional.

There''s no one right answer, but for ME, I would think that the experience of shopping at a brand-name store (like T&Co) is a one-time thing, while the ring is worn forever....

 

[appletini]

My budget is about two months salary after income taxes. If I had it my way it would be before taxes. Nonetheless I feel that its fairly susbstantial.

You can always upgrade later.

 

[Croí]

Carlito -
welcome to the forum ! good for you that you are out there looking for information - you''ll find the best of it on here, very nice and TRULY knowledgeable people here.

I am not certain what my ring cost but I told him up-front that I didn''t want him to spend a whole lot because we were going to be getting married at home in Ireland and THAT was more important to me than anything else and because you lose money when you exchange US dollars for euros these days, I knew the wedding was going to be more costly there than having it here.

I think it''s good to consider all of the facets of the engagement AND what comes after it. Discuss it with your gf. She may also have ''something'' which, to her, has first priority ... like if you want to buy a home after or if she wants her wedding in a specific location. Very few folks have the means (as Perry wisely pointed out) to do everything per ''the dream'' (i.e. the ''dream ring'', ''dream wedding'', ''dream honeymoon'', ''dream house'' etc.) and I think it''s worth looking at your goals and dreams and budget overall before forking out huge money on a diamond and finding out later that you are short for something else.

We had a wonderful wedding which I often fondly relive in my mind. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Even Mother Nature gave us perfect weather ... we were blessed for sure !

We didn''t have a honeymoon because going home was the only trip we could manage even though we had originally hoped to get to Italy or somewhere for a few days ... it just didn''t work out. I don''t mind - we can always take a late honeymoon ... it''s something to look forward to !

I ADORE my ring which is a simple half carat ( we went high on colour and lower on clarity - everyone has some aspect that is most important to them !

) in a white gold setting. My wonderful hubby had the setting made for me (so that the thickness matched our wedding bands exactly) with an engraving which holds a lot of meaning for me. I get a lot of comments on my ring and could not be happier with it. Also I am not the type of girl to wear a big stone, so it was perfect in all senses.

I agree with the others that it''s the ring you wear forever. We only went looking at rings once (and I was so overwhelmed that we had to leave !) but I knew what I wanted. I didn''t choose our jeweler, he did (though he found her through this site alright) and I only met with her regarding the setting - he picked the stone on his own (thus I don''t know exactly how much was spent). Some of the girls on here want a lot of input into their rings and others are here just waiting for their proposal ! It''s very personal and everyone is different so my suggestion is to talk to your gf and go out together and look at all sorts of rings (not just Tiffany, have you seen the new Movado rings ?! LOVELY! ) and talk about your other hopes and dreams and then decide where this ring comes on your scale of priority and then go from there !

We''ll all be here to cheer you both on !
BEST OF LUCK !
C

 

[Tacori E-ring]

welcome. I think you should spend whatever you are comfortable with. I asked for a certain ring and my FI spent twice the amout on my "dream ring" I asked for (PLT instead of WG and a much larger diamond) He really wanted to blow me away (which he did)

But it was important for him to pay cash and not be haunted by payments for my ring. I think she would love a $1,000 ring as much as a $10,000 ring because it is from you.

 

[researcher]

Honestly, I don't think it's about the money you spend at all--it's the money you SAVE! And buying from the PS vendors will save you tons!!! IMO your best bet is to find out what is most important to your g/f (size, color, clarity (cut is always most important)) and then consider your budget. If she REALLY wants a 1 ct stone, consider going down in color and/or clarity to match your budget. If she wants a white white stone (D-F), drop in clarity and/or carat size.

My poor hubby gave me a budget and we went from there--which was a bad idea on his part but very fortunate for me! He had priced out a stone at Tiffany's and said we could get that or another. After seeing what I could get for the same price at Costco/Sam's Club, I started researching diamonds. I then found PS and discovered that I could get the same/better quality of stone as Tiffany's through some online vendors for TONS less! So, I now have 4.5 cts of diamonds on my finger instead of the 1.5 ct I would be wearing!

 

[atroop711]

It is all up to you...we just got our diamond and I would never have been able to get what I did from an online vendor (whiteflash) if I would have gone to Tiffany''s. I live in NYC and that is a dream for many...it is the whole fantasy....but with out budget ($11500) we got an amazing stone 1.77 RB HSI2...cut was most important to me.....and with the money we saved with the stone we were able to get my dream diamond setting custom made all withing my budget.

Good Luck!

 

[carlito]

Update and more to follow....

Thank you all for the feedback and the nice welcome. I am slowly getting the feeling that I will be a regular visitor here.

As far as updates go, Annie and I did some window shopping. I mentioned earlier that we visited Tiffany. Since then we''ve stopped by a local jeweler who specializes in custom jewelry and one that is more of your basic retail setting maybe I should say experience instead.

Anyway, the custom jeweler was cool. He was very informative and not a seller. An additional plus is that he went to the same art school I went to and that Annie is attending now. He showed us his work which was solid. It was modern and really clean craftsmanship. The trouble there is that we so a small handful of rings that we like that it kind of made things harder. Not only are our options pretty much wide open in terms of what is available but even things like the design of the prongs is open for input. It''s definitely a case of why less can often be more. But I do appreciate the chance to make a ring that is made just for her, just a bit weary of the pressure involved!

The other place was just okay. We saw a few nice rings and I realized we both don''t really know what we want. Or, more accurately, I don''t know what she wants. I want her to be happy. She is not the kind of person to tell me. She doesn''t even want to pick a restaurant to eat at.

As I take her shopping, I''m trying to gauge what is really important to her. Is it carat weight, color, clarity, setting, etc? The trouble is, she has swooned at various rings/diamonds. So really, I am still failing at determining what''s most important to her. At first, I thought it was carat weight. Then, I thought it was overall quality (although she didn''t seem to be able to discern color differences between stones), and then there''s the whole Tiffany deal. So I haven''t been very successful in terms of finding out what she really wants.

Then, there are times when she''s indicated that she''d be happy with whatever when I start pressing her for what''s really important but I feel like she just doesn''t want to say just like where do you want to go to eat tonight?

So are you picking up what I''m laying down? I''m working with a quiet girl who doesn''t assert her opinion on things but I want to make her happy and I want to find/make her a ring that will remain meaningful for the rest of our lives.

I''m drowning in a sea of bewilderment here. Help!

carlito

 

[goldengirl]

Okay, based on what you''ve said, here is what I recommend:

#1, cut quality ALWAYS matters. From the color snobs to the size whores, EVERYBODY gets a well-cut stone first.

#2, If you don''t think she''s very color-sensitive, shoot for the G-H-I range. Still colorless, but leaves you with some financial wiggle room.

#3, Unless you (or she) likes the "idea" of a flawless diamond, I''d just get something "eye clean"... if you''re worried she''ll be insulted by an SI1/2, get VS2.

#4, That leaves your budget pretty well open for the carat size and/or the setting. I think this is a very good combination of factors which will give you the most bang for your buck and which should satisfy all but the pickiest diamond connoisseurs.

 

[decodelighted]

I''m working with a quiet girl who doesn''t assert her opinion on things but I want to make her happy and I want to find/make her a ring that will remain meaningful for the rest of our lives. I''m drowning in a sea of bewilderment here. Help!
carlito

oooh buddy ... this is just the BEGINNING! There is a lifetime of "figuring her out" if she''s unable or unwilling to express her wishes/desires etc. Possibly she''s just not that picky - or would rather see what you''d pick out for her, than look down at her hand and see some vision she picked for herself. But I think the planning & negotiations and pressure & stress that leads UP to a wedding/marriage is great practice for all that''s to come (of course I don''t really know - as I''m in the planning stage myself, but I''m old enough--38-- to have seen a lot of planning & then future relationships among my family & friends to know that it''s very typical of what''s to come)

My advice then? Pick something you can be proud to give her. Something in budget, not risky, sort of classic, that reminds you of her. Hope it help!