How To Secretly Determine Ring Size
Proposing is mostly about the surprise! Make sure you get the right size, be creative and always ask her best friends opinion! They usually know your significant others taste, better than themselves.
1.Go with the average ring size.
2.Try a larger size and resize it later.
3.Don’t rush, be subtle, work while she sleeps, and use her other jewelry as a baseline
4.Ask for help from others
5.Playfully ask her.
How Much Is Too Much To Spend On An Engagement Ring
In regards to spending too much, there are three ceilings you might want to keep in mind:
1. You Cant Afford It: Just because your love for your partner is unbounded doesnt mean your bank account is unlimited. Youll need to keep yourself in check here.
2. You Cant Replace It: As mentioned earlier, how much would you be willing to spend with or without insurance to replace a potentially lost ring?
3. You Would Risk Alienating people: Going too far high in price for an engagement ring might offend some people. Your partner might not even want to wear something they think is too much. Also, dont eat into your eventual wedding budget.
What’s The Average Cost
Brides’ American Wedding Study found that the average couples spent on an engagement ring in 2020 was $3,756, which is less than the $7,829 average couples spent in 2018. However, some to-be-weds spend a lot less and some spend a whole lot more.
According to Lanore, it all depends entirely on your fiancé-to-be’s financial situation. “Spend whatever you’re comfortable withthere’s no reason to go into debt,” she says. “It also depends on your partner’s preferences. If she wants something very minimal, it’s hard to spend a lot. But if she wants a big stone, it’s still very doable. There are ways to accomplish any look for any budget.”
When it comes to buying the ring itself, prices are going to vary widely due to a number of factors: The size and quality of the center stone, any details , and the type of metal chosennot to mention mark-ups that can come along with factors like a popular brand name.
Recommended Reading: What Information Should Be Included In A Wedding Invitation
Where Can I Buy Affordable Engagement Rings
If you donât have your own family heirloom, consider snagging someone elseâs. Ask your jeweler if they have a selection of estate jewelry. âEstateâ is a fancy way of saying second-hand. Itâs better to buy these from a reputable jeweler than an estate sale â unless youâre an expert, itâs impossible to assess a gem on your own.
Reputable auctions also often sell gorgeous second-hand jewelry that has been appraised by a professional.
Your Budget As A Whole
The first thing you should always consider is the budget you have for your wedding. Don’t forget that you’ll have to divvy your entire budget to every aspect of your wedding. With a lot of the wedding expenses going to the venue and catering services, you may have little left to cover for your wedding rings.
Some couples will want to spend more on ensuring their big day is as perfect as possible, whereas some will splurge more when it comes to the rings. More and more people are pouring an increasing amount of money into their wedding bands nowadays. This is often because they want to have something to show on their social media profiles. How much you should spend on your wedding rings depends on whether or not you are looking for a flashy or expensive ring. If your financial situation is favorable, you have plenty of options to choose from. At the end of the day, you’ll want to choose a ring you love because it will be on your ring finger for the rest of your life.
Don’t Miss: Where To Buy Wedding Guest Dresses
How To Save Money On An Engagement Ring
This section has some tips on how you can lower the cost of the ring even more:
Instead, focus on getting an excellent cut. The excellent cut will make the diamond more brilliant and hide flaws and tints, so you can go cheaper on color and clarity.
For more of these expert tips, see our full article on how to get a diamond for best value.
You could also consider a birthstone for a thoughtful, personalized ring that won’t break the bank:
Learn The Best Ways To Pay Off Credit Card Debt
Youll probably end up spending less on a wedding band than an engagement ring because bands often dont contain stones but not always. Metal composition will affect how your partners band stands up to wear and tear year in and year out, and different metals vary widely in price.
Some metals, like gold, are naturally softer and more vulnerable to scratches and dings. Stronger materials are often costlier but may be worth the added expense.
That said, the price of metals can fluctuate in 2021, platinum was cheaper than gold so be sure to check current trends. Above all, you should buy the ring you can afford without stretching yourself too thin.
If a wedding band contains diamonds or gemstones, you can expect it to cost quite a bit more.
Read Also: How Much Wedding Ring Cost
Matching With An Engagement Ring
Some brides prefer matching their wedding band with the engagement ring they have already received. Options are not limitless, but you can find the right model depending on the budget you have at your disposal.
You can always order a custom-designed ring to get a perfect match, but that will multiply the final price. Therefore, most brides choose a wedding band similar to the engagement ring style and color, without exact matching.
There are also various bridal sets available containing a matching engagement ring and a wedding band if you prefer that way. It will ensure the perfect fitting of two of the essential rings in every womans life.
Beauty On A Budget: Engagement Ring Tips
There are ways to maximize your ring even if youre working on a tight budget.
First, shop online. A brick-and-mortar jewelry store can mark up the price of a diamond by 50 percent or more, to cover their overhead. Because With Clarity is an online jeweler founded with close relationships to diamond sources, we pass those savings on to you.
Second: Consider purchasing a preset diamond engagement ring. Preset diamond rings offer a more affordable option that also saves time. With a preset ring, you are saving the time and cost of a jeweler having to set the ring themselves.
Third: Check out our expert advice on making your diamond dollar stretch further. For example, you could follow in Lady Gagas and Meghan Markles recent footsteps and add a trendy sapphire to your engagement ring go for a three-stone ring and explore either or both options in a halo engagement ring style, which makes any diamond seem bigger.
Fourth: Explore the option of purchasing a lab grown diamond versus a natural diamond. Lab grown diamonds are chemically identical to naturally occurring diamonds, the only difference being that they were created in a lab. This allows consumers to have a more affordable diamond option. Read more about lab created diamonds in our article: Mined Diamond Alternatives.
Fifth: There has been a recent spike in popularity in the use of moissanite in engagement rings. This beautiful stone offers a great alternative for those looking for a more affordable option.
Also Check: Where To Print My Wedding Photos
How Much To Spend On An Engagement Ring
Shannon Delany-Ron, CMO for online diamond retailer James Allen, encourages every person looking to purchase an engagement ring to develop a budget first. “This will guide all of your decisions going forward, and it’s important to have a handle on how much you’re looking to spend,” Delany-Ron says. “From there, we recommend thinking about priorities. Are you looking for a high-quality diamond? Are you willing to sacrifice a bit on quality in order to make it a larger diamond? Are you planning for a simple band which will be cheaper, or something with a lot of smaller diamonds that will take more of your budget?”
In keeping with this advice, here are some important factors you’ll want to consider as you determine how much to spend on an engagement ring:
Meteorite Ring With Real Gold Liner
Carefully handcrafted with authentic muonionalusta meteorite that quite literally are out of this world, our Meteorite Ring with Real Gold Liner guarantees distinction and individuality at its finest. It is available in yellow, rose, and white gold. Each ring produced is original and truly one of a kind, as the pattern it displays is nothing but organized chaos on the oldest known meteorite discovered. Meteorite Engagement Rings have several Pros and Cons and you will want to make sure to review those before purchasing one.
Carefully handcrafted with authentic muonionalusta meteorite that quite literally are out of this world, our Meteorite Ring with Real Gold Liner guarantees distinction and individuality at its finest. It is available in yellow, rose, and white gold. Each ring produced is original and truly one of a kind, as the pattern it displays is nothing but organized chaos on the oldest known meteorite discovered. Meteorite Engagement Rings have several Pros and Cons and you will want to make sure to review those before purchasing one.
To check out more of our available rings, feel free to go through our collection at our website here.
Read Also: What Type Of Dress To Wear To A Wedding
How Much Should An Engagement Ring Cost
To summarize, an engagement ring should be within a budget thats comfortable for you and your partner. Throw out the 3 months salary rule and choose a number that helps you to stay in line with your life and wedding planning goals. Think through the elements that are most important to you whether thats a higher quality diamond or a custom ring design and work from there to determine a budget.
How Much Does Tradition Say I Should Spend On An Engagement Ring
Traditionally, the expectation was that youd spend one-fourth of your annual salary on an engagement ring. Read: The three-month rule. So, if you were making $50,000 per year, youd spend $12,500 on an engagement ring. But lets be clear: The three-month rule was created to drum up diamond sales.And most couples dont follow it.
Don’t Miss: How To Make Cheap Wedding Invitations
How Much Should A Man Spend On A Wedding Ring
Reserving money for the wedding bands should be included in your budget. The average cost of a wedding band is much less than the average cost of an engagement ring. The average salary for males is roughly $500, while the average salary for women is closer to $1,000. Platinum, gold, silver, rose gold, and white gold are the most popular metals to use.
Benefits Of Preset Rings
Now that you have decided to pop the question, we can ensure that you find the perfect piece and have it to you quickly and fuss-free. With our preset rings, you can dazzle her in about 12 days if you need it urgently and cannot wait to customize the perfect ring with us. Its as easy as what you see is what you get and takes the stress out of decision-making. You can rest assured that you are buying a great piece that is super trendy.
Don’t Miss: How To Dress For A Court Wedding
What You Should Know About The Three
Youve probably heard the axiom that three months salary is the appropriate amount to spend on a diamond engagement ring. This amount is actually based on a highly successful marketing campaign by De Beers, a diamond company, to boost diamond sales and can be traced back to the 1930s.
Bonus Offer: Open a new Citi Priority Account by 1/9/23 and earn up to a $2,000 cash bonus after completing required activities.
The company also launched the iconic tag line A Diamond Is Forever, successfully tying engagement rings with diamonds and increasing profits for the company. Thankfully this outdated rule is not taken as literally as it once was as quality rings can be found in any budget range.
How Your Metal Choice Will Change The Price Of Your Wedding Rings
Platinum used to be the most costly precious metal option for rings, often costing around $180 more than gold equivalents due to its scarcity, shine, and unsurpassed durability. However, in 2020, the price of gold matched that of platinum for the first time. While platinum and 18-karat gold are the traditional metals for wedding bands, palladium is also an attractive and affordable option. Palladium’s price has skyrocketed this year, making it more expensive than platinum and gold.
The price of metals can go up or down, just like any other raw commodity, depending on supply and demand. But the cost of wedding bands has been relatively stable over the past few years, so you should expect to pay the same whether you shop three, six, or even twelve months before the big day.
The price of your wedding rings will remain the same no matter which metal you select, which isn’t often the case. White gold requires periodic replating because the white-toned rhodium eventually wears off, revealing the more buttery-yellow colour of the unplated white gold. Most jewellers will charge you to re-plate your jewellery, and the total cost will increase with time.
Read Also: What Do You Say When Officiating A Wedding
Is It Safe To Buy A Diamond Engagement Ring Online
Most people still choose to buy their rings in-store, at national retailers like Jaredâs and Kay Jewelers. But if you want a diamond, you can find cheaper diamond engagement rings online than in a brick-and-mortar store. Youâll also have a wider selection.
Sites like James Allen, Blue Nile, and Brilliant Earth have good reputations and allow you to customize your ring. Etsy also has a wide selection of customizable options, as well as antique and vintage rings.
That said, there are plenty of scams online â look out for suspicious dealers, especially on EBay and Craigslist. Your gem should come with a certification from the Gemological Institute of America, the American Gem Society, or the European Gemological Institute. Steer clear of any sellers that sell uncertified diamonds. They may offer lines like, âYouâre paying for a diamond, not a piece of paper.â The certificate is the only way you can be sure of the diamondâs value.
Most importantly, make sure your ring comes with a solid return policy.
Avoid Purchasing Your Rings With A Credit Card
If you take months to pay off the debt, high interest credit card charges mean youll actually spend a lot more for the ring than you originally budgeted. Even worse, in the long run, you may pay more for the ring than its worth.
Its best to save up and buy the ring outright. Here are some ways you can avoid charging it:
- Have a yard sale or sell your stuff online
- Pick up a part-time job
- Ask your jeweler about special sales and financing options
- Use a personal loan to cover the cost of your rings
Personal loans come with lower, fixed interest rates that make them cheaper than credit cards. You can take out a personal loan to cover just about anything. In fact, you can even use a personal loan to cover your wedding and to improve your home if you need more space after combining households.
There is no good reason you should feel obligated to spend two months salary.
Don’t Miss: How To Reserve Room Blocks For A Wedding
Rings That Complement Each Other
Many couples want their rings coordinate so they look like a pair when side by side. For instance, you might both choose rose gold for your rings. Or you might opt for rings that feature similar designs, like this Princess Cut channel set for women from Blue Nile, and this one for men also from Blue Nile.
Blue Nile even offers couple rings that are designed to match each other.
Some couples, though, dont care about coordinating with their spouses. They might have a white gold ring and a yellow gold ring that arent similar in design.
Talk with your spouse-to-be to determine if you want your rings to complement one another. This will help with choosing styles and determining the cost of your wedding rings.
How Much Should An Engagement Ring Cost In 2022
The average engagement ring cost can vary dramatically depending on the type of diamond and setting youd like.
As we mentioned above, the average engagement ring cost in the United States is about $6,350. However, this is skewed by people spending north of $50,000. Once these are removed from the equation, the average couple spends about $1,000 to $5,000 .
This average can also vary depending on where you live. In general, those who reside in more expensive cities like New York City or Los Angeles will likely spend more on a ring than those in less expensive cities.
To provide an example of how much prices can vary based on the type of diamond and setting you choose, you can find a stunning1 ct center stone ring like this from James Allen for $5,070 or a beautiful3 ct Diamond Ring like this one from James Allen for $25,995.
While it can be interesting to learn about the average amount spent on an engagement ring by others, remember to stick to your own situation and not get caught up in comparing yourself to others.
Theres no specific amount that a ring is supposed to cost. Everyone is different, meaning that your fiancé-to-bes tastes and expectations could be totally different from those of another person.
By shopping around with reputable vendors likeJames Allen and Blue Nile, you can get a sense of the prices for rings that meet your requirements. A brick and mortar store will always be more expensive than what you can find online.
Read Also: Where To Print Wedding Photos
