Average engagement ring costs > $5,000

[rumborak]

Holy shit.

https://www.jckonline.com/2011/09/02/average-engagement-ring-costs-5200-says-survey-knot

Amazing how society can reel people into spending money on stuff.

[King Postwhore]

Yeah.  It is out of control.

[senecadawg2]

Yeah, it's pretty silly IMO

[Adami]

I spent 1800. It was emerald (what she wanted) and it was quite beautiful if I might say so myself.

[yorost]

Yeah, ours was short of $2000, largely even that high because we preferred platinum (with sapphires), and we thought that was a splurge.  We cut corners almost everywhere else with the wedding, but with her rings we dished out some money for higher quality metal since we figured they were the everyday tokens.  However, my ring was only $200, since I didn't want a precious metal.  Guess I'll lose my finger if they ever have to cut it off, though.

Ha, that average is apparently down $600 from 2008, too.

[DebraKadabra]

I've never understood the fascination some gals have with a rock the size of Gibraltar, or something that's so spendy your dude has to almost permanently pawn his nuts to pay it off.

For me, it's not the ring itself - it's the sentiment behind it.  I'm perfectly fine with an unembellished, plain sterling silver or white gold band.

[rumborak]

The thing I don't get is, I mean this ring will be worn for about a year and then is useless, right? I could understand spending a good chunk on a wedding ring that you're gonna wear for the rest of your life, but for a one-year item that has almost zero resale value it's ridiculous to drop 5k.

[yorost]

No, sometimes both are worn together, particularly for special events.  You can even buy matched sets right from the start, which can get melded together after the wedding.

[Sigz]

Well, that's pretty fucking ridiculous.

[yorost]

For me, it's not the ring itself - it's the sentiment behind it.  I'm perfectly fine with an unembellished, plain sterling silver or white gold band.

Seriously, avoid the silver, it's a real pain for an everyday ring from all I've heard.  The white gold is pretty high maintenance as I understand it, too.  I viewed the process as going for the 'least care' metal, which ended up being platinum(pricey) for her and titanium(cheap) for me.  They're both far more durable, and don't require as often of checkups.  For the diamond setting make sure you have platinum prongs instead of gold or silver.  Gold rings often come with platinum prongs because the gold just isn't strong enough to withstand the wear and tear from years of use, so it isn't hard to find that option.

[Gadough]

hahahaha

society

[DebraKadabra]

For me, it's not the ring itself - it's the sentiment behind it.  I'm perfectly fine with an unembellished, plain sterling silver or white gold band.

Seriously, avoid the silver, it's a real pain for an everyday ring from all I've heard.  The white gold is pretty high maintenance as I understand it, too.  I viewed the process as going for the 'least care' metal, which ended up being platinum(pricey) for her and titanium(cheap) for me.  They're both far more durable, and don't require as often of checkups.  For the diamond setting make sure you have platinum prongs instead of gold or silver.  Gold rings often come with platinum prongs because the gold just isn't strong enough to withstand the wear and tear from years of use, so it isn't hard to find that option.

Um... I'd said PLAIN band.  No stone.  I couldn't care less about ANY kind of a rock, be it a diamond or anything else.

I've also worn enough silver in my lifetime that I know how high maintenance it is.  Don't care.  I'm a silver gal, through and through.

[snapple]

Wow. I spent under $1,000 (knew the guy + coupons + cash speaks). It was valued at 2,500, which is insane anyway

[yorost]

Um... I'd said PLAIN band.  No stone.  I couldn't care less about ANY kind of a rock, be it a diamond or anything else.

I've also worn enough silver in my lifetime that I know how high maintenance it is.  Don't care.  I'm a silver gal, through and through.

I got it, but my advice stands for anyone getting a diamond setting.

Wow. I spent under $1,000 (knew the guy + coupons + cash speaks). It was valued at 2,500, which is insane anyway

I always wondered about this.  My wife's rings are both valued way above what we payed, as are some of our friend's who we've talked to.  Does anyone actually buy these things near their supposed value?

[DebraKadabra]

Duh, sorry.

And I do realize that I am an aberration.  I'm okay with that.

[Gadough]

I'm pretty sure most men would be ok with that as well.

[DebraKadabra]

 

[El Barto]

Gotta love a country where couples are expected to begin their marriages by incurring crippling debt. 

[DebraKadabra]

Gotta love a country where couples are expected to begin their marriages by incurring crippling debt.

I know, right?

[ThatcrazyKISSfan]

5200 is the going rate?!  My car's not worth half of that.  I could get her a nice engagement car.....my imaginary girlfriend....

[Phoenix87x]

The cost of the ring aint nothing compared to the cost of raising the eventually produced child from birth to age 18:

https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/06/14/cost-to-raise-a-child-around-300000-not-including-college/

[snapple]

Um... I'd said PLAIN band.  No stone.  I couldn't care less about ANY kind of a rock, be it a diamond or anything else.

I've also worn enough silver in my lifetime that I know how high maintenance it is.  Don't care.  I'm a silver gal, through and through.

I got it, but my advice stands for anyone getting a diamond setting.

Wow. I spent under $1,000 (knew the guy + coupons + cash speaks). It was valued at 2,500, which is insane anyway

I always wondered about this.  My wife's rings are both valued way above what we payed, as are some of our friend's who we've talked to.  Does anyone actually buy these things near their supposed value?

I know a few people who have purchased rings for full retail.

[black_biff_stadler]

5200 is the going rate?!  My car's not worth half of that.  I could get her a nice engagement car.....my imaginary girlfriend....

 

[lordxizor]

The thing I don't get is, I mean this ring will be worn for about a year and then is useless, right? I could understand spending a good chunk on a wedding ring that you're gonna wear for the rest of your life, but for a one-year item that has almost zero resale value it's ridiculous to drop 5k.

In America these days the engagement ring is usually the large ring that is worn forever. There is sometimes a small wedding band that is added and welded on once they're married. But it's not a ring in general that is only worn until the wedding, it's worn forever.

[yorost]

Gotta love a country where couples are expected to begin their marriages by incurring crippling debt.

I know, right?

Did anyone here actually go in debt for their rings and wedding?  I guess I'm not surprised that happens, but isn't it pretty normal to plan and budget for these things?  My wife and I decided to get married, then started setting aside money for things like the rings.  The actual proposal came probably 8 months after we decided to get married, more than enough time to save the money for it.  We didn't make much money at the time and it was not hard to do everything with the wedding within our means, which was even on top of all the high expenses for immigration.

[lordxizor]

I paid cash for my wife's engagement and wedding rings (about $5500 total) and we paid cash (including money given by parents) for the ceremony, reception and honeymoon. Granted, not everyone has that kind of cash laying around, but they should spend what they can afford.

[DebraKadabra]

Hmph - I bought my own engagement ring.  It's a silver band, Celtic knot style.

[yorost]

Does it matter who pays?   Once we decided to get married we started viewing our finances jointly.

[DebraKadabra]

It doesn't REALLY matter IMO.  Not so much with the joint finances though, but that's just me.

[Perpetual Change]

My mom gave me her engagement ring to give my girlfriend. It's very small, but it has meaning. And thankfully my fiance does not care about a big diamond.

It was funny, though, how the minute people found out we were engaged they became "gollums" obsessed over seeing the ring. Especially the woman

[orcus116]

Well, it is the only way to truly express how much you care about someone. Or something. Money.

[Perpetual Change]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6p60gHuyu8

[Cool Chris]

The thing I don't get is, I mean this ring will be worn for about a year and then is useless, right? I could understand spending a good chunk on a wedding ring that you're gonna wear for the rest of your life, but for a one-year item that has almost zero resale value it's ridiculous to drop 5k.

In America these days the engagement ring is usually the large ring that is worn forever. There is sometimes a small wedding band that is added and welded on once they're married. But it's not a ring in general that is only worn until the wedding, it's worn forever.

Are there places they are only worn until the wedding? I would have seriously dropped much less if that was the case with my wife. Now she wears both (we had the bands designed so they match) but they are not welded together. I don't recall the total but together they were less than $5,000.

My annoyance is when her friends share with her what their rings cost. They don't do it to show off their husbands' wealth, or maybe they do, but I think that is one of those things that doesn't need to be shared with everyone. She told me once what someone else paid (much more than me), not to make me feel bad, more out of astonishment. I told her not to do that again.

[RuRoRul]

The thing I don't get is, I mean this ring will be worn for about a year and then is useless, right? I could understand spending a good chunk on a wedding ring that you're gonna wear for the rest of your life, but for a one-year item that has almost zero resale value it's ridiculous to drop 5k.

I don't really know much about engagement ring customs, but I was never under the impression that engagement rings were only worn during the engagement then not after the wedding. I thought it was just the standard thing that people were given a ring like that for the engagement and just wore it indefinitely after that. At least, that's what I thought was the norm here in the UK and in the USA (judging from TV etc.) - I know there are a lot of different engagement / wedding ring customs throughout the world.

[Adami]

The engagement I chose for the next girl (whoever she is) is about 10,000 dollars but so worth it.


10 minutes after initially putting it on, it bonds with the skin, making it impossible to take off. It is then linked wirelessly to a remote control I will keep on me. Anytime my fiance/wife does something of which I do not approve, I push a button which makes her feel the pain of a super nova inside of her.


You guys can get it at www.makethecuntsuffer.com