Engagement rings.....How much to spend??

Flex500 · 01-19-2006, 09:42 AM

so I was wondering how much do you guys think is good to spend on the ring. Don't get me wrong I don't believe in being a cheap ass but at the same time I think these guys making 30k a year out there spending 10k and more on engagement rings are fu*king crazy and out of their minds.

I think for a guy around 20-25 years old 2k to 4k is a good range to spend. I thought about this because recently a girl I worked with got an 18,000 dollar ring. It is huge and ugly, it looks fake it is so big. Anyway I was talking to her boyfriend who is 25, a teacher, making 29,000 bucks a year. He is also a big pussy. He is paying for this thing for the next 9 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes 9 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway we are seeing this more and more, these crazy ass girls demanding 10k rings. If my girlfriend told me she demanded a 10k ring I would say "take a hike honey". I'm no tough guy by any means. In fact I like to think I am a nice sweet guy. But these guys that give in to girls demanding outrageous rings are pathetic.

Furthermore my girlfriend would kill me if I did that. She would say "hey dumbass you should have spent 3 grand then spent the other 7 on a house, furniture, etc."

so what do you guys think is appropriate for a guy in his low to mid twenties making "normal" salary (like anywhere between 25k and 45k a year) to spend on an engagement ring??

I say 2 to 4 grand

01-19-2006, 09:44 AM

It is supposed to be based on your salary. You spend what you make in 3 months.

NAP_s_king · 01-19-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mOXley crue

It is supposed to be based on your salary. You spend what you make in 3 months.

Yeah, that's the bull**** diamond stores like to have you believe. If your woman is hung up on the size/cost of the ring, then there are other things you should consider before you get married. Anyways, imo, $1500 bucks should get you a nice ring...and don't forget, IT'S WHAT THE RING STANDS FOR THAT IS IMPORTANT!!! I find it very dumb for a family to start off with a $10,000 debt for some stupid ring...maybe furniture is more important?

ThinkBig80 · 01-19-2006, 09:57 AM

i just did this whole thing last year. it was alot of fun. the store i went to had a year of free financing which helped. all girls want something they can be proud of and i think it can be done in the $2,000-$4,000 range for sure. i picked out the band by itself (900) and then told them how much i wanted to spend total and they brought out diamonds of varying sizes and color grades until i found something in my price range that looked the best on the band. btw i made around 40K at the time. good luck!

musclebound83 · 01-19-2006, 10:01 AM

I got hooked up w/a dealer from my old boss and he is getting me the ring and band for 6k...it appraises for like 12k
2-6k sounds about right to me

mrtwister007 · 01-19-2006, 10:01 AM

The ring I bought my wife was ~$1200 (1992). I took what I had to the jeweler and said "what can I get for this." If I had of had less, I would have spent less.

I don't think you should have to suffer financially to buy a ring. Guys that spend so much they can't eat or pay their bills are just crazy. You can always buy a bigger one when your financial situation improves.

Haywood Jablome · 01-19-2006, 10:09 AM

If you're planning on buying a house and have other big expenses like that coming up - dont go nuts.
I agree $2-4k for someone in there early-mid 20's is pretty good.

Flex500 · 01-19-2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mOXley crue

It is supposed to be based on your salary. You spend what you make in 3 months.

whoa whoa whoa 3 months?!??! I have heard spending one month of your salary maybe 2, but I have never heard 3 months

Flex500 · 01-19-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NAP's_king

Yeah, that's the bull**** diamond stores like to have you believe. If your woman is hung up on the size/cost of the ring, then there are other things you should consider before you get married. Anyways, imo, $1500 bucks should get you a nice ring...and don't forget, IT'S WHAT THE RING STANDS FOR THAT IS IMPORTANT!!! I find it very dumb for a family to start off with a $10,000 debt for some stupid ring...maybe furniture is more important?

exactly, I distinctly remember when jewelry stores would say "spend a months salary" then it was "spend two months salary" now 3 months salary. That is 1/4 of your total year salary and complete bs.

nothing wrong with saving up to by someone a nice ring. But you shouldn't be sacrificing your life and other important things for it.

by the way my co-worker who got the 18,000 dollar ring had to move into the basement of her fiance' parents house because they are so broke.

Steinkalt · 01-19-2006, 10:24 AM

I bought my wife a 1/4 carrat for about $600 she loved it. Actually she picked it out. lol I would have spent $5000 if she had wonted it but she thought it was stupid to blow that much money starting out in a relationship where the money could be put to better use.

Haywood Jablome · 01-19-2006, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flex500

by the way my co-worker who got the 18,000 dollar ring had to move into the basement of her fiance' parents house because they are so broke.

someone should give that guy a punch in the face. That's going to be a one way marriage.

RedSoxfan1978 · 01-19-2006, 10:40 AM

I wouldnt spend anymore than you have to. Get something nice if you want to marry the woman, but for gods sake dont go nuts.

I know many people who have done that. Buy a $5K ring for a broad on a $20K a year income. They should be shot. Twice.

Anyway. If a woman wants to marry you, she wont care if you spent $300 on a ring or $3000 on a ring.

Heres an idea a friend of mine gave me. He said to get a her a cubic zirconia.

If she has it "appraised" get rid of her.

She isnt worth keeping. Saved him twice already.

Good luck bro.

Battz · 01-19-2006, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haywood Jablome

If you're planning on buying a house and have other big expenses like that coming up - dont go nuts.
I agree $2-4k for someone in there early-mid 20's is pretty good.

I started a thread earlier today about this. I've been with my girl 6 yrs now and i plan on spending about 3K and I make about 56k per year. We also plan on buying a house and start a family in the next few years...as well as pay for the wedding ourselves, her family nor mine is wealthy. If your chick is not realistic about those things and only cares about showing a rock of to her friends and co-workers, dump her right now....your life will be a living hell. I know too many chicks that think it's one big competition.

RedSoxfan1978 · 01-19-2006, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steinkalt

I bought my wife a 1/4 carrat for about $600 she loved it. Actually she picked it out. lol I would have spent $5000 if she had wonted it but she thought it was stupid to blow that much money starting out in a relationship where the money could be put to better use.

Same here. My woman doesnt care what the ring cost etc. Good woman you got there.

Same with people spending $20K++ on a wedding and they are renting an apartment 3 years later. They dont have a down payment on a house etc. Well your wedding would have paid for a house.

bc_2005 · 01-19-2006, 10:50 AM

fck all that nonsense. I'd say 300-1000 tops unless u are rich

Flex500 · 01-19-2006, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haywood Jablome

someone should give that guy a punch in the face. That's going to be a one way marriage.

i doubt they will ever get married and he will end up paying off the ring the next 10 years. She is one of those people who everyday at work has a new plan for herself. you know one day it is "i'm going to med school" or "I'm gonna be a nurse" or "I wanna be an accountant". Meanwhile she barely graduated high school and is now like 23 and makes 8 bucks an hour.

hey I got no problem with how much money people make, mind you I don't make a ton but if your making 8 bucks an hour, your fiance is makine 29k a year and you can't afford to not live with his parents then you have no business wearing a 18k ring

I_m sore · 01-19-2006, 11:05 AM

the one my girlfriend wants is 1500, so i'm ok with that, i'll probably pay cash with what i have saved up in the bank. Three stone- princess cut, past, present future, white gold diamond engagement ring. she says it all the time.

Flex500 · 01-19-2006, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSoxfan1978

I wouldnt spend anymore than you have to. Get something nice if you want to marry the woman, but for gods sake dont go nuts.

I know many people who have done that. Buy a $5K ring for a broad on a $20K a year income. They should be shot. Twice.

Anyway. If a woman wants to marry you, she wont care if you spent $300 on a ring or $3000 on a ring.

Heres an idea a friend of mine gave me. He said to get a her a cubic zirconia.

If she has it "appraised" get rid of her.

She isnt worth keeping. Saved him twice already.

Good luck bro.

hahaha thats hilarious, but yeah I totally agree with what your saying. I will probably spend in the 2k to 2.5k area. My g/f knows that's how much I plan on spending and she even thinks that is too much.

I just wanted to see what you guys thought because it just seems like soooooo many girls these days demand these $10,000 rings and have boyfriends who are only pulling in 10 bucks an hour.

Flex500 · 01-19-2006, 11:12 AM

any guys out there willing to admitt they were forced to blow a huge load on a fat ring????????????? love to hear from any of you out there.

i feel extremely lucky to have a girlfriend that would much rather me save my money for a new house or condo or furniture rather than the ring.

Narsis · 01-19-2006, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bc_2005

fck all that nonsense. I'd say 300-1000 tops unless u are rich

hahaha...I said the same thing, ended up spending a little over $8,000.

mike_d · 01-19-2006, 11:21 AM

Once I get out of school I'll probably be making around $38-45k CDN, and to be honest the most I would spend on a ring is 3k. About 1/15 of my salary, lol. Rings are fukking retarded, and I dont want to be with someone who thinks money blown on a ring is important. If you start with a ring, it will later be a fancy car they want, stupid gadgets for the kitchen, endless money on clothes/shoes, fukk that. A well grounded girl will realize a nice looking ring is all thats needed, no reason to go nuts and spend 10k just so she can brag to her girls on how whipped you are.

gurli · 01-19-2006, 09:10 PM

Any rational girl who doesn't expect to be "kept" in a certain manner would say that it depends completly on the guys income and resources or the couple's income. If a guy is a millionare and he buys you a 2k ring thats pretty crappy, but if your in the middle class range, your working hard for not that much and your girlfriend demands a three carat ring than thats a good indicator of things to come.
My brothers was doing his medical residency when he proposed to his wife and he wasn't making that much money at all. She wanted a nice ring though and was a nurse and making much more so he gave her what he was going to spend, and she added to that to get the ring she wanted.
When he finished and was making way more than her he bought her a bigger one as an anniversary gift.

AJbuilder · 01-19-2006, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gurli

If a guy is a millionare and he buys you a 2k ring thats pretty crappy, b.

A good woman will not find that crappy at all. If the millionaire respected her fiance then I am sure he must have his reasons for spending that little in comparison to his income. An engagement ring is a big deal if a wedding is in the near future but it should only be one of the many important factors of the whole relationship imo. Call me cheap but the fiance should still be happy nonetheless.

Now if the guy is just a cheap greedy bastard and his fiance is in disgust over this ring issue then perhaps maybe they shouldn't get married.

the next arnold · 01-19-2006, 09:25 PM

$600 max

marriage is a toal sham to rip people off

Shiden11 · 01-19-2006, 09:38 PM

Spending a lot of money on the ring isn't just for the girl. I'm sure a lot of it is the guy wanting to make himself look good. For the original poster, I would say spend however much you can afford without paying on it for years. I spent under $1500. We were planning to move to another state and wanted to buy a house at the time. So we made the move and now have our own house, I think the house makes my wife much happier than an $18k ring would have. Spend what you can afford and treat her right, that should be good enough for her. If not, find someone better.

Flex500 · 01-20-2006, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiden11

Spending a lot of money on the ring isn't just for the girl. I'm sure a lot of it is the guy wanting to make himself look good. For the original poster, I would say spend however much you can afford without paying on it for years. I spent under $1500. We were planning to move to another state and wanted to buy a house at the time. So we made the move and now have our own house, I think the house makes my wife much happier than an $18k ring would have. Spend what you can afford and treat her right, that should be good enough for her. If not, find someone better.

oh yeah I agree, I will not buy a ring I can't pay cash for right then and there

rhapscallion · 01-20-2006, 07:26 AM

Girls really like it when you make stuff for them; it's special. I'll make my girl her ring. How much does a bottle of white glue, some glitter, and a fuzzy pipe cleaner cost?

Hartski · 01-20-2006, 08:07 AM

I guess I'm old fashioned and a bit of a Hopeless Romantic, but I do want to make the ring. I'd take jewler's classes and read all I could about it.

Also, I hate diamonds. I'd rather put a Saphirre, Ruby, or Emerald in it.

Of course, this is all a moot subject, as it's unlikely I'll ever find someone.

FreeBirdbulker · 01-20-2006, 08:52 AM

a .25 cent ring outta the machine at wal-mart

FreeBirdbulker · 01-20-2006, 08:55 AM

Ive been noticing lately that the girls pick out their rings. WTF!?!?!? a guy is supposed to suprise her by asking her to marry him. Guys are f*cking up these days tellin the girls they want to marry them before they actually ask them. I like the way my dad did it. He told me when him and my mom were dating shed ask him, "do you want to marry me" and hed tell her "well I guess youll be the first to know when I do wont ya?"

DONT LET THE GIRL PICK OUT THE RING. SUPRISE HER BY ACTUALLY ASKING HER