How much should or would you expect a guy to spend on an Engagement Ring?

stupidusername

Just a thought, how do any of ye know a ring you buy is worth what you're paying for it? Some one in my family deals in jewelry and she warned me about getting a ring cleaned and valued, as many jewelers replace the stones with fakes. and in reality, how would any of ye know the difference?

mojopolo

For me I have a ring that I love because of the meaning behind it. Yes - its a bit unusual but nothing too showy. Until i got engaged I had no idea about quality of the diamond - so does it really matter? I still dont know if I have a quality diamond because i've never asked the question.

My expectations were that my future husband would be sensible and not blow a fortune on a ring, but that he would to give a little thought to it. I'd rather the money was spent on creating lifetime memories (holidays of a lifetime, celebrations with friend etc). He got it pretty spot on.

The eternity ring is a different matter - wait until you can afford it and spend a complete fortune on the biggest diamonds ever

Novella

snuggles285 wrote: »

Its true, it is how much engagement rings cost these days. Chances are a cheap engagement ring under 1,000 euro is a fake and likely to have fake diamonds! Now of course there are rings out there for general wear that don't cost much but they will wear down and getting settings changed in the likes is harder to achieve. Best to invest in a good quality ring less likely to have problems with it later in life for the lady in question. Like getting a decent ring it won't mark on her ring finger and leave a stain or something or the material won't cause an allergic reaction or something or won't cause a rash. Get what I mean lads?? Its a good investment to get a decent ring that will last the rest of her life!:cool:

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

What's important to invest in is the relationship itself, and that need not be financially. Seriously, a ring is a good investment? Seriously?

Sofiztikated

snuggles285 wrote: »

The dress would cost aprox 1000 to 5000 euro maybe half that depending on the dress, designer and shop or if the bride gets it second hand. The wedding its self could cost anything up to 5000 euro maybe less if you are lucky more likely it be more than that. So I'd expect the engagement ring be close to those prices but I'd expect an engagement ring to cost €1000 to €5000 at least. It is a matter of taste of the lady and I don't think you can put a price tag on a nice ring, that suits her and that shows her style/personality and most importantly shows her commitment, a promise to you!

Trust me, the average wedding comes to more than €5k. We have weddings on most weekends, usually 2 or 3, about 90 a year. Every one of them drops a lot more than €5k. Average spend in our place on a wedding is about €11.5k on meals, accommodation, and drinks. Average numbers about 195 pax.

Add in the dress, the suits, all the rings, the cars, the band, the DJ, etc etc, it really adds up.

I/We are organising our wedding at the moment, and we're not having a flash wedding, but all told, it's going to cost about €16k.

Her engagement ring cost £695, bought up north. We happened to be looking at them for the craic, saw one that she really liked, and we bought it. I didn't propose for another month.

And expect the ring to cost at least that? Expect? GTFO. Expect a slap in the chops!

xoxyx

Such messing.

The engagement ring is a big gesture. Look at what it symbolises. Different strokes for different folks, but is it so terrible for a person to go overboard in buying the physical symbol that represents the day they asked their partner to spend the rest of their life with them? A little romance please??

(I'm going to get blasted, but I stand by what I say!)

Novella

xoxyx wrote: »

Such messing.

The engagement ring is a big gesture. Look at what it symbolises. Different strokes for different folks, but is it so terrible for a person to go overboard in buying the physical symbol that represents the day they asked their partner to spend the rest of their life with them? A little romance please??

(I'm going to get blasted, but I stand by what I say!)

Romance is not money.

FreudianSlippers

Novella wrote: »

Romance is not money.

Money is sexy.

af_thefragile

xoxyx wrote: »

Such messing.

The engagement ring is a big gesture. Look at what it symbolises. Different strokes for different folks, but is it so terrible for a person to go overboard in buying the physical symbol that represents the day they asked their partner to spend the rest of their life with them? A little romance please??

(I'm going to get blasted, but I stand by what I say!)

But does the symbol really needs to be worth a certain value in money?

Sure if one's willing to buy an expensive ring as a gesture of love and commitment, sort of like saying "everything I do, I do it for you", "you are worth far more than any rock or stone on this planet" sorta cheesy crap, then its fine.

But if its like "OMG, I can't like accept a ring which is less than a couple of bazillion qutons because I'm so worth it!!!" then its a little sad...

Sofiztikated

Novella wrote: »

Romance is not money.

OisinT wrote: »

Money is sexy.

Sex =/= Romance.

Can't believe I said that.

I like spending money, I really do, but herself wouldn't wear a ring that cost €5k. She would be terrified of losing/damaging it!

starlit

I can materialistic myself not denying that but its the done deal these days. If that is the case ye don't know women at all when it comes to rings or am I just hanging out with the cliquéd ones?

A ring shows commitment and love the price of the ring shouldn't matter if you are commited to that person for life and love each other. Love doesn't have a price tag. A ring is probably the most expensive thing you ever buy her though and it is worth it to take quality into consideration. Something simple ya and not too extravagant but a small stone or diamond wouldn't matter or whether its carates is big or small. Its the carates, stone/diamond(s) will determine the price of the ring!! Its just a cheap ring with saphire with it might look cheap but then again you can just tell by the diamonds whether its cheap looking/common looking or not.

Darlughda

OisinT wrote: »

Money is sexy.

Very much depends on who is flashing it.:cool:

xoxyx

Novella wrote: »

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

What's important to invest in is the relationship itself, and that need not be financially. Seriously, a ring is a good investment? Seriously?

A ring that you are going to wear every day which carries such amazing memories is a good investment.

Novella wrote: »

Romance is not money.

No it is not. But saving for the perfect gift that your partner will cherish forever has something to do with love.

hondasam

OisinT wrote: »

Money is sexy.

money will buy all the sex you want :pac:

starlit

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Sex =/= Romance.

Can't believe I said that.

I like spending money, I really do, but herself wouldn't wear a ring that cost €5k. She would be terrified of losing/damaging it!

Not always, is that not a man's way of thinking, sure its not the other way around: romance then sex - thats a woman's thinking?

FreudianSlippers

All you need is love.




And shelter, food, drink...

sallystar

Over the last 7 years, 3 of my colleagues at work got e-rings costing over 9k. They found it necessary to share this information, along with where they bought it, when they first got engaged:eek:. They were all trying to outdo each other. These 3 marriages are now over so the rings are just collecting dust in the drawer. My 'lil bit of bling cost 2k and the comments from them were like 'ahhh, its so cute' or 'it's so dainty'. Not that I give a sh*t though. 6 years on I still LOVE IT! Twas one of the v rare occasions that my OH did something spontaneous and romantic so that means more to me than anything:pac:.

cassid

for me the romance is getting down on one knee and asking to get married, the proposal is just as important, get that right and you will be flying. Pick somewhere that you knew means alot to your partner. For me the ring was not that important. Have to say shopping for an engagement ring was probably the most boring thing I have ever done, after 4 shops I was loosing the will to live ( am the female) thankfully by the 5th shop I saw something I liked:D and it did not cost too much.

pow wow

sashafierce wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I know a guy who is about to propose to one of those girls! She picked out the ring (about 9k) and told him that if he were to propose that's the ring he should do it with. He's whipped.

As for myself, my first engagement ring was garish and hideous (he was overseas most of the time so had nowt else to spend his cash on). Should there be a second time round I'm not too interested in how much the ring costs - it's the thought that counts.

starlit

I think paying for a ring that is more than 5k is a bit much though paying more than that for anything else for the wedding maybe.

Terri26

OisinT wrote: »

I'd say between €5,000-10,000 if you can afford it and you already own a house.

Otherwise, go cheap but quality. You can always upgrade the diamond later. Put the money into a nice band and setting.

Hellooooooooooo Oisín, how are you doin'!!!!!!

xoxyx

af_thefragile wrote: »

But does the symbol really needs to be worth a certain value in money?

Sure if one's willing to buy an expensive ring as a gesture of love and commitment, sort of like saying "everything I do, I do it for you", "you are worth far more than any rock or stone on this planet" sorta cheesy crap, then its fine.

But if its like "OMG, I can't like accept a ring which is less than a couple of bazillion qutons because I'm so worth it!!!" then its a little sad...

^^^ exactly. The symbol doesn't need to be worth anything financially. However, if I can afford it I would get my OH the most ideal thing he ever wants for our engagement. If he can manage to get the ring I want, he will.

If he bought the ring, I would get pay for the flights to our honeymoon. We are on similar levels of income and we spend a lot of our surplus income on each other.

Monty Burnz

snuggles285 wrote: »

I can materialistic myself not denying that but its the done deal these days. If that is the case ye don't know women at all when it comes to rings or am I just hanging out with the cliquéd ones?

You are hanging around with the cast of Fade Street.

snuggles285 wrote: »

A ring shows commitment and love

No it doesn't. It shows a ring. Behaviour shows commitment and love.

snuggles285 wrote: »

the price of the ring shouldn't matter if you are commited to that person for life and love each other.

Why not? Should the price of the honeymoon matter? The price of the wedding? The price of a new tennis racquet? Does this rule only apply to the engagment ring?

snuggles285 wrote: »

Love doesn't have a price tag.

A cliché, but true. So why do you want an expensive ring?

snuggles285 wrote: »

A ring is probably the most expensive thing you ever buy her though

Children are expensive. Houses are expensive. Cars are expensive. Nursing homes are expensive. A ring will not be the most expensive thing unless you are looking at the million euro bracket.

snuggles285 wrote: »

and it is worth it to take quality into consideration.

Quality presumably means what the jeweller charges you? What do you know about the craftsmanship involved? I know nothing. More expensive does not mean better quality.

snuggles285 wrote: »

Something simple ya and not too extravagant but a small stone or diamond wouldn't matter or whether its carates is big or small. Its the carates, stone/diamond(s) will determine the price of the ring!!

Yes, that and where you buy it. The jeweller's markup is about 100% (i.e. he will charge you twice what he bought it for)

snuggles285 wrote: »

Its just a cheap ring with saphire with it might look cheap but then again you can just tell by the diamonds whether its cheap looking/common looking or not.

Firstly, it will look cheap if it looks cheap. I've seen watches that cost hundreds of thousands that look cheap because they are smeared with diamonds (link).
Secondly - even if it doesn't look like an expensive ring, how shallow are you? How shallow are your friends and family? Will they think less of you if they think your ring cost less than €5000?

c_man

xoxyx wrote: »

A ring that you are going to wear every day which carries such amazing memories is a good investment.

So a key-chain USB stick with the wedding photos stored would do the job?

Nice one.

Triangla

How about this, you set a budget.
She picks the ring based on this and if she goes over budget has to pay the difference herself.
I think this is the fairest way.

Gyalist

This thread is depressing on so many levels. Though I guess some of the posters in this thread will eventually grow up and face reality.

BTW, is it the done thing in Ireland for the woman to return the engagement ring if the relationship breaks up?

PrincessLola

Gyalist wrote: »

This thread is depressing on so many levels. Though I guess some of the posters in this thread will eventually grow up and face reality.

BTW, is it the done thing in Ireland for the woman to return the engagement ring if the relationship breaks up?

I wear the rings my ex-husbands bought me on a string around my neck.

Monty Burnz

Gyalist wrote: »

This thread is depressing on so many levels. Though I guess some of the posters in this thread will eventually grow up and face reality.

The Celtic Tiger sense of entitlement is still alive and well. Remember that anyone under 30 remembers nothing but good times up until around 1999 and crazy bubble times from 99 to 2008.

Red Hand

PrincessLola wrote: »

I wear the rings my ex-husbands bought me on a string around my neck.

Instead of their ears?:eek:

PrincessLola

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Instead of their ears?:eek:

No, but I keep their penises in my bedroom drawer.

OPENROAD

xoxyx wrote: »

Such messing.

The engagement ring is a big gesture. Look at what it symbolises. Different strokes for different folks, but is it so terrible for a person to go overboard in buying the physical symbol that represents the day they asked their partner to spend the rest of their life with them? A little romance please??

(I'm going to get blasted, but I stand by what I say!)

Financially even if really they can't afford it or the money could be put to better use?

Loopie

Oh I'd expect nothing less that 15k - 20k, cos y'know, I'm worth it, like....

Truthfully, I'd probably be so thrilled someone wanted to be legally bound to me for life, the cost of the ring wouldn't come in to it. I'm sure I could see plenty of 10K rings that would be lovely, I'm also sure I'd see plenty of 1-2K rings that would be just as lovely...who gives a fook? That said, I certainly wouldn't telling anyone the cost of it regardless (why do people feel the need to do this?). It'd be between me, him and our bank account!!

As long as it looks pretty, I'd be happy out!

Red Hand

PrincessLola wrote: »

No, but I keep their penises in my bedroom drawer.

Well...erm...good?:pac:

("Bedroom drawer" isn't a euphenism, no?)

Captain_Generic

I read some article on Cracked that pretty much laid out how an aggressive "Diamonds Are Forever" De Beers marketing campaign pretty much invented the diamond engagement ring at the start of the century. They don't feature in any historical references before then.
But i'm lazy and have no intention of finding the article...

xoxyx

c_man wrote: »

So a key-chain USB stick with the wedding photos stored would do the job?

Nice one.

If your lady is happy to wear a USB stick on a chain then it is none of my business to interfere..

OPENROAD wrote: »

Financially even if really they can't afford it or the money could be put to better use?

No - only if you can afford it. Up to you really.

stovelid

I'm not sure really.

Later on, it's always handy to point accusingly at an ostentatiously expensive ring during the lean blow-job years.

mdebets

Buy a ring for €10, create a fake invoice on your PC with an unpronounceable name of a French designer and a price of €10,000. Print off the invoice and let her accidentally find it.
If she complains that the ring looks too cheap, just tell her that that's the new trend this designer is setting, that every Girl who is in anyway important in Europe is wearing one and that she is one of the very few girls in Ireland who already has one of them in Ireland.

Red Hand

I would forge the ring myself and buy a diamond to stick on it. Do I get extra points for this?

Jesus Wept

The rule of thumb is suck my balls.

xoxyx wrote: »

These are girls who are getting engaged to their boyfriends but picking out the ring first. With their boyfriends. The guys know this already!

It's never too late. :eek:

xoxyx wrote: »

Such messing.

The engagement ring is a big gesture. Look at what it symbolises. Different strokes for different folks, but is it so terrible for a person to go overboard in buying the physical symbol that represents the day they asked their partner to spend the rest of their life with them? A little romance please??

(I'm going to get blasted, but I stand by what I say!)

It is vagina measuring, that is all.
Who has the biggest vagina.

Captain_Generic

mdebets wrote: »

Buy a ring for €10, create a fake invoice on your PC with an unpronounceable name of a French designer and a price of €10,000. Print off the invoice and let her accidentally find it.
If she complains that the ring looks too cheap, just tell her that that's the new trend this designer is setting, that every Girl who is in anyway important in Europe is wearing one and that she is one of the very few girls in Ireland who already has one of them in Ireland.

Or just give her a pat on the back and a slap with your vaseline hand

Red Hand

The-Rigger wrote: »

It is vagina measuring, that is all.
Who has the biggest vagina.

Sausage down O Connell Street is an insult though?:pac:

Jesus Wept

It's clearly bragging.

exaisle

The-Rigger wrote: »

It is vagina measuring, that is all.
Who has the biggest vagina.

You might want to re-think that.

Big does not always mean better...think...rope...O'Connell Street!
Curiously, the same applies to jewellry. A good but small diamond will often be far more valuable than several larger but imperfect larger diamonds.... What you're usually paying for in an engagement ring is the stone.

Novella

snuggles285 wrote: »

A ring shows commitment and love the price of the ring shouldn't matter if you are commited to that person for life and love each other.

But you're the one who wants an expensive ring, no? So obviously price does mean something to you, since you're arguing towards flashing the cash.

I don't think a ring does show love. I think that's such a load of rubbish. It's a ring, it's a nice gesture, but anyone can save money and go buy one. Love is way more than that.

Love doesn't have a price tag. A ring is probably the most expensive thing you ever buy her though and it is worth it to take quality into consideration. Something simple ya and not too extravagant but a small stone or diamond wouldn't matter or whether its carates is big or small. Its the carates, stone/diamond(s) will determine the price of the ring!! Its just a cheap ring with saphire with it might look cheap but then again you can just tell by the diamonds whether its cheap looking/common looking or not.

Love doesn't have a price tag because it isn't about money! I would never want to be bought a ring that would be the most expensive thing my boyfriend/future husband would ever buy. I don't care about quality, diamonds, whether other people might think it looks 'common'... There are much more important things in life. What I would be concerned about is the quality of the relationship, not carats.

xoxyx wrote: »

A ring that you are going to wear every day which carries such amazing memories is a good investment.

A more expensive ring isn't gonna 'carry' memories better than a cheaper one. A person with a less expensive ring isn't gonna have less wonderful memories.

Captain_Generic

The argument reminds me of this poignant comparison between roses and a potato:

http://www.bash.org/?151227

Jesus Wept

exaisle wrote: »

You might want to re-think that.

Big does not always mean better...think...rope...O'Connell Street!
Curiously, the same applies to jewellry. A good but small diamond will often be far more valuable than several larger but imperfect larger diamonds.... What you're usually paying for in an engagement ring is the stone.

That just sounds like bitterness talk from someone with a small vagina.

Dudess

snuggles285 wrote: »

its the done deal these days.

Sigh...

Jeez, all the talk of gold-digging women used to annoy me as it is not applicable to the females I know, but wow... this thread is one hell of a grim eye-opener...

Lol at the "the more expensive the ring, the higher a level of commitment" sentiments too.

Monty Burnz

Captain_Generic wrote: »

The argument reminds me of this poignant comparison between roses and a potato:

http://www.bash.org/?151227

Lucky bag ring and a bouquet of potatoes it is then.

listermint

The-Rigger wrote: »

That just sounds like bitterness talk from someone with a small vagina.

I would like to subscribe to your vagina sized bragging newsletter.





i think your on to something here.

humbert

I really can't help regarding guys or girls who think a very shiny expensive ring is important as monkeys.

The intelligent argument for a ring of any sort is that it's symbolic of commitment, love and partnership. These things I like.

The monkey reasoning is that it's pretty and shiny and demonstrates that he's a good provider. That's without even considering the blood drenched history the stone probably has.

Jesus Wept