She uprgraded but not the tiffany upgrade thing. We just bought her a new ring and shes hanging onto the first one as a keepsake and might have the stone set in something else in the future. If she decides to upgrade again in the future we will use the upgrade program.
How many carats is the average engagement ring?
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Oh, I'm confused. I thought you wrote that both of her rings were from Tiffanys. Sorry. If the 1st one is a Tiffany and you might do Tiffany upgrade in the future, I'd leave the 1st one alone. Don't invest money setting it into something else if you're trading it up. Put the $ into the savings for the upgrade - JMO!
If I had to guess, I would say that the average e-ring in the U.S. is .75cts.
However, where I live (just outside Denver), most woman have anything between 1.5-2.5cts and these are usually high quality diamonds. I'm slightly above the norm here, and that's just fine with me.
However, where I live (just outside Denver), most woman have anything between 1.5-2.5cts and these are usually high quality diamonds. I'm slightly above the norm here, and that's just fine with me.
Both the rings are from tiffanys. But my wife wants to hang onto the original for memories and was thinking of setting the stone in something else. If she were to upgrade in the future we will upgrade the second one I dont think she ever wants to give up the original.
I don't want to get into the discussion as to whether 'most' two or three carat rings that one sees are cloudy or poor quality because I don't think this is very tactful. I'm sure no one means to be insulting, but if I had a larger ring which my fiance gave me, I would be proud of it even if someone else thought that it was cloudy. I wouldn't want to hear that. Besides, we don't know that this is true. The larger rings being mentioned may be very nice. There IS a circle of people in NYC that can afford nice, larger rings at younger ages (even in this bad economy). The bad thing is that people think it's everybody. and this is just not true. The average in Manhattan is not 2 carats or even close. The average in the US, last I heard is still .33 and in Manhattan it may be somewhat bigger, but not all that much. There are actually large parts of Manhattan in which you won't see diamond rings at all-- a lot of the 'blood diamond' 'green' crowd lives there.
It's important to remember also that many living in Manhattan are DINKS, that most people there do not have cars (no car payments, no insurance) and that many rent and do not own their living space (though rent is high).
It's nice to be here on Purse Blog and enjoy the fantasy but it's just not reality.
It's important to remember also that many living in Manhattan are DINKS, that most people there do not have cars (no car payments, no insurance) and that many rent and do not own their living space (though rent is high).
It's nice to be here on Purse Blog and enjoy the fantasy but it's just not reality.
"It's nice to be here on Purse Blog and enjoy the fantasy but it's just not reality."
I agree with you 1,000%. I love this site because it's fun to talk the finer things in life with people, but it is by no means an accurate representation of America as a whole.
I agree with you 1,000%. I love this site because it's fun to talk the finer things in life with people, but it is by no means an accurate representation of America as a whole.
Exactly. And there are women of all ages that are posting. Being in a different stage of life influences the "average" size of engagement rings in one's peer group. My MIL and her friends ALL have 3.5ct+ center stones BUT they are also in their 60s and married to doctors/attorneys that have been successful for 40 years. Their diamond budget is vastly different from someone that has been working post-college for five years.
^Yes, I have noticed around here for a long time that most of the bigger diamond rings are either upgrades (after the husband is over 40 and successful) or belong to second wives (married when the guy was over 40 and successful.)
A lot of people in this area still marry young (early 20's) and $10,000, $20,000 andup for a ring is just not feasible. Even the $5,000 or so needed to buy a 1 carat is not feasible for a lot of youngsters who haven't worked yet for long--or at least does not represent the best possible use for their $$$ at that point in their lives.
Reality bites.
A lot of people in this area still marry young (early 20's) and $10,000, $20,000 andup for a ring is just not feasible. Even the $5,000 or so needed to buy a 1 carat is not feasible for a lot of youngsters who haven't worked yet for long--or at least does not represent the best possible use for their $$$ at that point in their lives.
Reality bites.
Agree! 100%. Manhattan is a different animal from ANYWHERE in the country. First off, I grew up there...(live in an outer borough now) and I don't recall EVER seing big diamonds growing up. My parents where well to do, but we lived in the villiage, and no one had diamond sets. My mother wore simple gold bands stacked. There are areas like tribeca or the UES that might have more people wearing larger rings since to live there is more affluent, but all of manhattan is not affluent. Rents are huge for tiny spaces BUT few people own cars so that elimates car payments and insurance and a mortgage as well as homeowners insurance, property taxes, water bills...etc....so more people will have the cash or credit to afford different types of luxuries. Personally, I'd rather take a smaller diamond and keep my house and my car
And I looked it up....the average is .5 and vary from state to state. I think the perfect sized diamond fits your hand nicely. I wish my hands where smaller so my ring looked HUGE and then I wouldn't want a larger one!
You just described mine exactly!
Jealous! I think the specs that I want and that you have is really the "sweet spot" for most people..I'm having the darnest time finding something like it :/
The average engagement ring is 0.38 carats, but there is a dramatic fluctuation based on where you live.
My 26-year-old fiancé had gotten me a gorgeous certified high-quality 3/4 carat diamond round brilliant gold solitaire (it sparkles like crazy!).
That is below average for where we are (I’m at an Ivy League school, he’s in Orange County), but I would not trade it for anything. It’s perfect because it’s what HE picked out for me and it didn’t put us in the poor house. Could he have afforded a larger rock? Absolutely. Do I care? No. The size of the rock does not correlate with the quality of your marriage. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him, and there's no way I'm ever letting this thing leave my finger!
My 26-year-old fiancé had gotten me a gorgeous certified high-quality 3/4 carat diamond round brilliant gold solitaire (it sparkles like crazy!).
That is below average for where we are (I’m at an Ivy League school, he’s in Orange County), but I would not trade it for anything. It’s perfect because it’s what HE picked out for me and it didn’t put us in the poor house. Could he have afforded a larger rock? Absolutely. Do I care? No. The size of the rock does not correlate with the quality of your marriage. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him, and there's no way I'm ever letting this thing leave my finger!
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I'm with surfergirljen...I have a 1.55 ct, 3x Excellent, Hearts & Arrows round VS1. Just got it last month. I wanted the best quality I could afford because this is likely to be my only big diamond.
It's not my engagement ring though.
I bought it for myself.
Different parts of the country and different social classes also have different expectations about diamond size. Where I grew up, there was a lot of "old money" and lots of recognizable names. But there was never anything flashy, and most women wore wedding bands with no diamonds at all. Either they did not spend on that, or they saved wearing them for special occasions. Then again, I grew up in the (non-urban) Midwest where modesty is a requirement and flashy is not well-regarded in almost any aspect of life, so the dynamic in this part of the country is very different.
And upgrading is virtually unheard of here. There are a number of well-respected and wealthy families in town, and the women still wear their original wedding sets, often with a mere chip of a diamond. They often carry bags that cost more than their wedding sets (no logos, but I can identify the few I see). Again, it is just a different mind-set - neither better or worse, just different.
And upgrading is virtually unheard of here. There are a number of well-respected and wealthy families in town, and the women still wear their original wedding sets, often with a mere chip of a diamond. They often carry bags that cost more than their wedding sets (no logos, but I can identify the few I see). Again, it is just a different mind-set - neither better or worse, just different.