I'm inclined to agree with your DH.We know someone who received her engagement ring and took it back. She wanted a larger stone. My DH said that would have been the end of her.
Yep. We went to a jewelry store to look for a ring for me. The saleswoman's attitude was so appalling that we walked out. We were very clear what we wanted - something simple & silver, but she continued to try & push us up to platinum, etc. The last straw was when I mentioned that I wouldn't wear it very often, just special occasions - saleswoman scoffed & said "Uh, are you actually going to let him get away with that?!"I really can't say how much most couples spend on rings. I suspect those "guidelines" were probably written by the jewelry stores.
I will just say this. Seeing as these rings are something a woman will wear on her hand for a very long time, I think they should be ones that she really loves. (And I'd say the same for the guys.)
I will just say this. Seeing as these rings are something a woman will wear on her hand for a very long time, I think they should be ones that she really loves. (And I'd say the same for the guys.)
While I think it's silly to set any type of price range on a ring based on x number of month's worth of salary...I also am not one of those people who would be thrilled to get a $100 ring or say "our love is enough...I don't need a ring."
When we were engaged, DH was probably making about 40K. My engagement ring was about $4,000--a very high quality (but not huge) center stone and small diamond set into the band. We both agreed that the engagement ring would be something I would likely wear every day of the rest of my life and it was important to both of us to have something of high quality.
I love my ring! Unless DH was broke when we were engaged...I would not have wanted a $100 ring or a CZ ring.
One thing I've noticed is girls "demanding" for a certain carat weight of the center stone...and the boyfriend not having a large budget so they get a 1 carat hunk of junk that is cloudy or poorly cut. What a waste of money.
It used to be that engagement rings were whatever your birthstone was.
I agree. DH took me to the store to get some ideas of what I liked then went to a jeweler and had my ring made. It's perfect & beautiful. I have no idea what he paid but he assured me it was less than the appraisal which he tried to keep from me but I inadvertently saw it on our insurance rider a few years later. If I had to guess it was in the 1.5-2 month's salary range.