How many carats is the average engagement ring?

#286
aquahot said:
Sorry about digging the grave, but I was wondering if the carat weight people talked about here were total carat weight?

I saw a few TPFers talked about seeing most of the women in big city burb sporting 2.5 carat e-ring (when people say that, I assume the center stone is 2.5 ct)....
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When this thread was originally written, the OP stated that she meant the carat weight of the center stone only...

I personally feel like it's all about what your FH is comfortable with spending... It's also a mix of regional and cultural.

Personally, the ering was "my thing" - I would rather have a larger ering and spend less on a wedding dress. Therefore, I got a 2.4 ct center stone and spent only $1k on my dress. Conversely, I have friends that valued their weddings and dresses more. One friend is not really a "jewelry person," so she was perfectly happy with a 1-ish carat and wore a $12k dress in a $90k wedding! Another girl wanted "at least a 2.5 carat" solitaire, but RENTED her dress for about $60 and got married at the courthouse!

It's all about preferences and what you're comfortable spending on each aspect. Different strokes, ya know?! :P

As to the OP's original question... I think the true average size is about 0.4-1 carat - the quality, however, is all over the board!
 
#287
amina.pink said:
I'm from the UK and I'd say the average is 0.35ct to 0.55ct. When my brother was shopping last year for his fiance he chose a 0.75ct and the SA's commented it was waaay above average size and even in that high-end store, a very significant purchase. A lot of women I see around the particular area I live don't even wear engagement rings.

I was actually just shopping this past weekend for my engagement ring :love: and fell for a 1.12ct stone and all the SA's were commenting this was a very large stone and were urging me not to go any bigger. I felt like referring them to here so they can see some truly huge stones :lol:

As others have said, it's absolutely easy to get carried away seeing the amazing stones on this forum and others like it and letting it warp your sense of perspective.

ETA - I read yesterday that the average spend for an engagement ring in the UK is between £1500 to £1800. Off the top of my head, this is roughly $2300 to $2800. Gives you an idea of how rings differ in Britain!
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I know this is a very old thread (that another member resurrected), but I agree with this. When I was shopping for my engagement ring a few years ago,

I originally went to a high-end independent jeweler in the UK looking for a halo ring. All they had was a 0.5ct centre halo and when I asked about getting the same setting with a larger stone they said it would "look ridiculous" and that it was already "very expensive" - I can decide that for myself thank you very much!

I ended up buying online with the help of the ladies on a well known forum. I ended up with a 1.63ct center in a platinum halo setting, GIA certified and similar specs to the 0.5ct centre stone in the store, for only a 1/3 more than they were charging for the 0.5ct centre. So I also found that a lot of retail stores who sell GIA certified stones in the UK put a massive mark up on the complete rings that they sell.

Saying that, I do feel that my ring is small compared to those around me when I'm in NYC.
 
#288
I was raised to believe that 1ct is the "desired" or "perfect" size for an engagement ring, and every girl I knew wanted a 1ct stone. Of course, my mother's ring was somewhere around 1/2ct and my grandmother's was slightly less, but... *shrug*

I suppose it depends on where you come from, what the average salary is for that area, and how wealthy the population is. For my circle, 1ct is what every girl dreams of, but I grew up in a small farming town in NE PA about 2 hours outside of NYC! In the city (or in Miami where I currently live) engagement rings are MUCH larger than I'm accustomed to!
 
#289
My is 2.1 cushion cut center stone and it is slightly bigger than the average of my friends which are closer to the 1.5 carat range but then I have a few friends who have 2+ or 3+ so I guess it really depends on your friends and where you live. For me it's NYC so 2 carats is small potatoes.
 
#290
Mine is a 1.4 And is one of the biggest in my circle out here where I live in NJ. I think back when I got engaged ( some 12 yrs ago) 1ct perfect/ flawless was the norm/ average. I do think the new norm/ average for where I live is now loser to 1.5. I see younger women sporting larger stones but again not any of my friends.. We're older so 1ct was big back in the day!
 
#291
I have a 5ct antique cushion in a halo. I think the largest I have ever seen in RL is 3cts. Most ppl think my ring is fake though as I don't live in a large city. I would say average in my area is the 3/4 to 1ct marker.
 
#292
this is from the UK
http://www.jewellerymonthly.com/facts_engagement_rings/

19 crazy facts about engagement rings

The average cost for an Engagement Ring now stands at around £1,800 for 2012. Tradition states you should be spending around two months wages on that special item. But there are so many options to consider when buying a ring that the average figure really does get thrown out of the window. A beautiful looking ring can start as low as £300 and work its way up to a cool £1 million.

16) The average diamond carat weight used in engagement rings is estimated at 0.37 carats.
 
#293
I agree with lots of comments here about location and age. But I do think industry is a huge factor as well.

I live in Boston and got engaged in my early twenties. I have a 1.82 ct solitaire. Colleagues in my age are all looking at 1.5 to 2ct. Ladies in 30s or beyond mostly have 3ct. I don't think this is the norm in Boston but it might be the average for financial services.
 
#296
Beautiful ring, outtacontrol! I agree with the age thing. When I got engaged many years ago, I think 1 carat was the desired size, but it seems like every passing year ppl are getting sold on larger and larger sizes.
 
#297
I live in the UK and I would say the average size is 1 ct and under. I only know of a few people with 1 ct stones. Most peoples stones are 0.25ct to 0.33ct solitaires. I started out with a 0.33ct solitaire and over the years my Husband has added to the stones (around the times when I had our two Children) and my ring has now been reset in to a Trilogy. Not what I originally wanted, however I adore it.
 
#299
secw1977 said:
I live in the UK and I would say the average size is 1 ct and under. I only know of a few people with 1 ct stones. Most peoples stones are 0.25ct to 0.33ct solitaires. I started out with a 0.33ct solitaire and over the years my Husband has added to the stones (around the times when I had our two Children) and my ring has now been reset in to a Trilogy. Not what I originally wanted, however I adore it.
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I've seen these differences quoted often (between the US and UK), and am not surprised. Those in the US have been programmed to believe that bigger is better. The media has done well to promote consumerism. I'm glad that's not the case where you live.
 
#300
diamondangel said:
this is from the UK
http://www.jewellerymonthly.com/facts_engagement_rings/

19 crazy facts about engagement rings

The average cost for an Engagement Ring now stands at around £1,800 for 2012. Tradition states you should be spending around two months wages on that special item. But there are so many options to consider when buying a ring that the average figure really does get thrown out of the window. A beautiful looking ring can start as low as £300 and work its way up to a cool £1 million.

16) The average diamond carat weight used in engagement rings is estimated at 0.37 carats.
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The 2-3 months salary that should be spent on a diamond is NOT a tradition. It's a slogan entirely made up by De Beers, a diamond mining company --- also a cartel.
 
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