How much would you be willing to spend on a engagement ring ?

I guess when we got married my ring may have cost a couple of months salary but we were 19 and we didn't make that much money so my ring did not cost a lot actually it was on sale! 12 years later I still have the same ring and I am still happy about it. I know some have told me that their engagement ring is fine for now but they will be able to upgrade it as time goes on. I just don't know what to say about that. I did upgrade my wedding band but it was because I got a plan band when we got married and my husband always wanted me to have an anniversary band (the one with diamonds in it) and we found one we liked and could afford a few years later. The ring is not the important thing and I didn't even want diamonds but my husband said I had to have one because he didn't want to look cheap. It is a society thing at this point. Almost like trying to prove that he loves your more cause your ring is bigger. Which is complete bull. My husband is now one his third ring. I took his first ring to get sized one time and I wore it and it cut into my finger the entire time. When I asked him about it he just said you get used to it. Well we bought him a new ring after that one that didn't hurt to wear. It has three small diamonds in it. He managed to rip one of the diamonds out of that. When I went to get it repaired they had the same ring so they just exchanged it. That was funny to see what the ring used to look like. He has now worn the new one down a bit but all diamonds still intact. It is not the ring but the love between you that matters. The ring is a never ending circle which is to symbolize your life together forever, not sure where the diamonds came in to it, but probably for some to show that they think a bigger ring means he loves her more. I would rather have money for other things. I also can't see spending 10,000 or more on a wedding we eloped because of family issues and also cost I didn't want to start our life together in debt. We were not going to ask anyone in the family to pay for our wedding as no one could have afforded it and if they could have afforded it I would have told them to let us use it as a down payment on a house as that would be more helpful then one fun day.

I know its just a ring! I know the vows mean a lot more! I know its standing by those vows and your partner that matter!! But... Just once, on that day, if it ends up to be the only jewelry i wear, i want the ring to be of platinum with small diamonds embedded in it! I know its going to be expensive but hey its my engagement ring!! Its the ring which i am going to wear for the rest of my life and yes i would want the man to be there for the rest of my life too but i also want him to get me that!! Hey he is getting married to me!! MARRIED!! Its big coz i don't know about others, for me its a once in a life time chance to be beautiful bride with all the hoopla around it!! And i want it!!

I think that jewelers only say that in order to make a big sale. It's a joyous occasion after all, and they are willing to take full advantage of it. Fortunately, my husband and I didn't fall for such a thing. But then again we didn't have a lot of money. LOL We told the jeweler this and he helped us find something that was in our price range. I have to say I have a beautiful engagement ring. The cut, clarity, and color is awesome. And it didn't cost thousands on dollars either. The diamond may not be huge (to some), it's a 1/4 carat in size, but it's perfect for me. Even more so as it came from my hubby, which is the most important thing. Happy mylotting!

Hi Sunshine, I agree that is too much money to spend on a sentimental item. I mean when factoring in the cost of the house, the wedding, and everything, the sum of money is already a huge amount. I do not know how the culture of an engagement ring comes into place. It definitely does not enter the early history. Never is it mention in the Bible. It is not an ancient Chinese culture either. I doubt it is an Indian culture with long history too. I mean for such a culture that is of unknown origin (most of us do not know the origin anyway), spending a few thousand is really too much money. I wonder since when engagement ring starts to symbolize love. It is not definitely a legal requirement. Two persons who are in love can just registered a marriage and be done with it, no need elaborate celebration or ceremony to cement the love.

I think it is an affordability issue here.Love is priceless but an engagement ring need not be too costly. So, the best judge of that will be the person buying it and for the other person to accept the ring as a token of his or her love. Remember its is not the worth of the ring that counts but what lies in the bosom of his or her heart.

I don't want to be cheap, but I also need to be cautious about my financial situation before I can get married. So, if a ring like that expensive for me now? I won't even consider marry yet. But if my financial situation improving significantly in the near future. I won't mind to buy something beautiful for my future bride - to - be.

It all depends on your financial condition and future plan some spend less in their wedding and more on engagement or visa versa

We were 18 when my husband proposed to me. I think the ring he bought me cost about one month's salary for him, but he was only working part-time at a minimum wage job back then. It's a simple ring, just a marquise cut diamond solitaire set in white gold, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm not able to wear it much these days (my fingers still haven't gone back to the size they were before I had our daughter) but I almost always wear my wedding band. It's just a plain white gold band. My husband's matches, and I think they suit us just fine. Something amusing I've noticed among my acquaintances is that a lot of the girls whose boyfriends have proposed with larger rocks have either split before the wedding or are getting divorced. The guy I know who popped the question with a 25-cent vending machine ring (it was a lot more romantic than it sounds, according to her) is still happily hitched four years later. A bigger, more expensive ring doesn't represent a larger commitment.