How much did you spend on your engagement ring?

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#91
I hold too much sentimental value on my e-ring to be even thinking of an upgrade. My husband proposed to me after 4 years of being together and probably spent more than 3 months of his salary on it - having just started his job as a medical intern then! He never asked me what I wanted, he said it's what he wanted for me and I looove it! Like you I was worried about the cost (having seen the insurance quote) but I trusted him that he knew what he was doing. :)
 
#92
Astaroth said:
The "tradition" was for 2 months salary to be spent, though this was created in the 1940s by DeBeers.
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This was a marketing strategy coordinated by the company and its ad agency to encourage people to spend more on diamonds, nothing more. It was marketed as "tradition" and has no merit other than a strategy to make people dig deeper into their wallets. (I believe it was 3 months salary, not 2 months.)

20+ years in advertising veteran here, and we learned all about this "brilliant" strategy in college.
 
#93
lorihmatthews said:
This was a marketing strategy coordinated by the company and its ad agency to encourage people to spend more on diamonds, nothing more. It was marketed as "tradition" and has no merit other than a strategy to make people dig deeper into their wallets. (I believe it was 3 months salary, not 2 months.)

20+ years in advertising veteran here, and we learned all about this "brilliant" strategy in college.
Click to expand...

The so-called "tradition" started as one month's salary. Sometime in the '80s DeBeers bumped it up to two months. Then feeling lucky they eventually pushed it up to three months. Yeah, it's a total scam. If you search ebay for DeBeers magazine ads you can see the progression.
 
#94
lorihmatthews said:
This was a marketing strategy coordinated by the company and its ad agency to encourage people to spend more on diamonds, nothing more. It was marketed as "tradition" and has no merit other than a strategy to make people dig deeper into their wallets. (I believe it was 3 months salary, not 2 months.)

20+ years in advertising veteran here, and we learned all about this "brilliant" strategy in college.
Click to expand...

BigPurseSue said:
The so-called "tradition" started as one month's salary. Sometime in the '80s DeBeers bumped it up to two months. Then feeling lucky they eventually pushed it up to three months. Yeah, it's a total scam. If you search ebay for DeBeers magazine ads you can see the progression.
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This! It's totally marketing!
 
#95
It's such a shame when you consider that the majority of young couples in their 20s or early 30s
will have debt and no savings, and will finance the ring and be burdened by debt. It's a scam and a foolish amount of pressure. I know a lot of young folks who are repurposing family rings, or having goldsmiths on Etsy make them something unique but affordable. The idea of someone who takes home 3k a month--which would be 50k a year, a modest young person's job--spending 9k on a ring is appalling. But DeBeers has never exactly been a model of ethical behavior. :(
 
#96
I'm so glad I came across this. My boyfriend and I are in a similar situation with a decent amount in savings but young and starting out, and my "dream" ring is a decent sized solitaire, but I decided I don't want us to spend so much right now, so I will be getting a nice sized diamond band for my "engagement ring" that I will use as my wedding band with a more traditional engagement ring someday (or not, maybe I won't want one!). I feel validated that we're making a smart decision. It's hard when you're bombarded with messages about what one "should" have as an engagement ring.
 
#97
LucilleBall said:
I'm so glad I came across this. My boyfriend and I are in a similar situation with a decent amount in savings but young and starting out, and my "dream" ring is a decent sized solitaire, but I decided I don't want us to spend so much right now, so I will be getting a nice sized diamond band for my "engagement ring" that I will use as my wedding band with a more traditional engagement ring someday (or not, maybe I won't want one!). I feel validated that we're making a smart decision. It's hard when you're bombarded with messages about what one "should" have as an engagement ring.
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Thank you for sharing that~
 
#98
LucilleBall said:
I'm so glad I came across this. My boyfriend and I are in a similar situation with a decent amount in savings but young and starting out, and my "dream" ring is a decent sized solitaire, but I decided I don't want us to spend so much right now, so I will be getting a nice sized diamond band for my "engagement ring" that I will use as my wedding band with a more traditional engagement ring someday (or not, maybe I won't want one!). I feel validated that we're making a smart decision. It's hard when you're bombarded with messages about what one "should" have as an engagement ring.
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A chic diamond eternity band is TDF and I would wholeheartedly recommend :yes: :tup:

DF and I were looking at rings for a little while and we probably would have gone the diamond band route because we just could not find anything we really liked (neither of us really had any idea of what we wanted, we just kept finding things we didn't like!)

However, just when we had both decided we were not interested in going any further, my lovely mother gave us a stunning 1.5ct solitaire from her own collection as a gift, that we had set very simply in a WG, 4-claw setting with a very thin, tapered band.

If she hadn't intervened, I would have gone with something like the T&Co channel band that Ame has :drool:
 
#100
I'm glad I was in my late 30's when I got married and was very sure of my style and what I wanted-a diamond and platinum eternity band. After looking EVERYWHERE I found the perfect one at Blue Nile-the garland eternity band. I wear it with 2 very thin diamond bands. I get so many compliments on it, even from men. I was engaged in my 20's with a more elaborate ring with a 2 carat center stone. The ring cost considerably more but never really felt like me.
 
#102
cakegirl said:
I'm glad I was in my late 30's when I got married and was very sure of my style and what I wanted-a diamond and platinum eternity band. After looking EVERYWHERE I found the perfect one at Blue Nile-the garland eternity band. I wear it with 2 very thin diamond bands. I get so many compliments on it, even from men. I was engaged in my 20's with a more elaborate ring with a 2 carat center stone. The ring cost considerably more but never really felt like me.
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I'd love to see a picture..
 
#103
Bitten said:
A chic diamond eternity band is TDF and I would wholeheartedly recommend :yes: :tup:

DF and I were looking at rings for a little while and we probably would have gone the diamond band route because we just could not find anything we really liked (neither of us really had any idea of what we wanted, we just kept finding things we didn't like!)

However, just when we had both decided we were not interested in going any further, my lovely mother gave us a stunning 1.5ct solitaire from her own collection as a gift, that we had set very simply in a WG, 4-claw setting with a very thin, tapered band.

If she hadn't intervened, I would have gone with something like the T&Co channel band that Ame has :drool:
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Wow I wouldn't mind that kind of gift either! Unfortunately I know neither of us have family members with that kind of jewelry. What a great gift!
 
#105
ginger123 said:
Diamond eternity + simple platinum band are so tasteful and high-end-looking! And if you have an active job, you can still wear them every day without the worries of a solitaire.
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If you go that route please make sure that the diamond band setting fits to the plain band. Either channel setting or "high" enough that the prongs are not ruined by the band.
:smile1:
 
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