How much was your e-ring in term of the guys’ month’s salary:

[chris-uk04]

So here’s the poll everyone was looking for. This is the total cost, including stone, setting, appraisal, shipping, tax, etc… as compared to the bloke’s gross monthly salary at the time of the engagement.

 

[fire&ice]

We were between 1/2 to 1 mos. on both ring purchases. In looking at it w/ a calculator, this makes so much more sense to me. On both occassions this was cash on hand & not borrowed.

Two months seemed rather excessive. Especially if one doesn't have the disposable money already saved.

 

[PlatinumDiamond]

I placed my vote.

I felt this was a SAFE poll to vote on!

 

[hoorray]

We were less that 1/2 month for both of my rings, and just over 1/2 if you include his ring in the equation. Paid cash. It seemed like a lot at the time. We didn't make that many big purchases back then.

 

[glitterata]

We didn't spend a penny (except on the wedding bands), since I wear an heirloom. However, weirdly, the appraised value does come out to just about two months' worth of my husband's current salary.

Ever since I was given the ring, I've been wondering how much of his yearly salary it cost Grandpa back in 1929. He bought it shortly before the stock market crashed, but he came from a poor immigrant family and was just starting out in his career. I can't imagine how he could have afforded a 1.4 ct F VS1 in a platinum setting with pave and sidestones. Did diamonds cost less then? Was he making more money than I imagine? (He was the money-maker in the family--his family and Grandma's--and they helped their siblings out quite a bit, including raising sons of two of their sisters who died in childbirth.)

How I wish they were alive and I could ask them! Of course, I wouldn't have the ring then--but it would be SO worth it to have them back.

 

[chris-uk04]

Ahh I should have included an option for heirlooms and/or didn't get one. And you can edit polls

!!

 

[Nicrez]

WOW Glitterata! Your heirloom sounds fantastic! I hope to make my stone an heirloom, but it's a fancy shaped stone, and I wonder what the future generation would think about it...?

 

[glitterata]

Future generations will love it, if it survives long enough. You just have to get it safely through the period between when it's in fashion and when it's the taste of just one generation ago.

There's a psychological hump there. Think about how we view the rings of the 70s and 80s today, compared to how we view the rings of the 20s and 30s.

One friend told me that her grandmother had had a ring like mine, but her mother reset the stone when she inherited it. My friend said, "We thought those fancy platinum setting were so out-of-date, so old-ladyish. But now I wish we still had it."

You have a beautiful stone. It's beautiful in itself, and someday, it'll be a charming reminder of you and your husband and of an earlier era.

 

[mike04456]

My center stone was an heirloom, the setting was new. I voted 3.5+ based on the appraised value; for the setting alone, it was around 1.5.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Mine was less than half my then boyfriend's salary monthly. Now if I upgrade it would still be less than one months' income because my husband and I have so many additional obligations and expenses now that we're married with kids.

Michelle

 

[glitterata]

I wish we could have this as a graph showing percentage of salary against salary.

Are the people spending the higher percentage the ones who earn less, and the ones spending the lower percentage the ones who earn more, since if you earn less you need to spend a bigger percentage of that to hit a mark like, say, a carat, while if you earn a whole lot, you wind up with some ridiculous number in the tens of thousands? Or is it the ohter way around, since if you earn less you need every penny, and if you earn more you have more discretionary income?

 

[joeq]

I spent about six months salary.




Of course as a student my TA salary is pretty negligible. Once we graduate it should be less than 1 month of our combined salaries.

 

[pauls girl]

My e-ring was about a month and a half's salary for my fiancee. My fiancee is a saver by nature, so he paid cash for the ring & setting. He hates debt of any kind, so financing was not something he was willing to even consider. I am really glad he is this way, because I tend to be a spender. We equalize each other!

 

[Mara]

I'm the spender as well and Greggo is the saver.

Equalizing is important...two spenders can equal life on the streets in very expensive clothes!




Ours was 1.22 months of gross.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 2/12/2004 4:20:14 PM Mara wrote:


I'm the spender as well and Greggo is the saver.

Equalizing is important...two spenders can equal life on the streets in very expensive clothes!


Ours was 1.22 months of gross.

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Hah...I hope Greg isn't walking around w/ a member's only jacket.

My hubby only spends money on himself when I "make" him. I suppose that is how he justifies it. That said, he has always been generous to me.

And yeah, as a couple you have to be on the same page w/ many core things. But, ying yang qualites shared between you can make thing work better.

 

[Mara]

HELL NO! He would have never made it past the front door with a MO jacket. Though, he did have some odd dressing habits when we met...very East Coast stuffy with button down shirts for dates...he's much more California trendy relaxed now thanks to moi who buys all his clothes. Though he draws the line at some 'metrosexual' items of clothing and has made me return a few items he deems 'too fruity'.

 

[Nicrez]

I'm lucky. Mine came already well dressed. Maybe that's what lured me in...

But training him in diamond purchasing and pampering, that's going to prove tricky...hmmm...

 

[Mara]

HA our first date he looked really cute and I thought...wow finally one I don't have to dress. Bait and switch!! Second date he was all buttoned down and stuffy for a night out in Palo Alto which is like younger trendy town...

...but at that point he had already hooked me in.

 

[jcard71]

"very East Coast stuffy with button down shirts"

Why you slamming the east coast???????

THE PATRIOTS...The superbowl champs are from the east coast!!!!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 2/12/2004 4:47:59 PM Mara wrote:


HELL NO! He would have never made it past the front door with a MO jacket. Though, he did have some odd dressing habits when we met...very East Coast stuffy with button down shirts for dates...he's much more California trendy relaxed now thanks to moi who buys all his clothes. Though he draws the line at some 'metrosexual' items of clothing and has made me return a few items he deems 'too fruity'.

----------------

Mara, after 20 years I gave up. If he goes out with me, then I may say something. And, he's an EC preppy. Lots of 100% cotton button downs in the traditional blue, white & pinstripe - kahki's, jeans - & in the winter cotton turtlenecks under the shirts or sweaters. I like the look - but sometimes he doesn't know when to say goodbye to something (don't get me going on his sweater fondly called "Charlie" (as in Browne). As I said, he is "tragically" hip. And, quite frankly, I didn't know it was a members only jacket until last year. With all the down stuffing it looks more like a pillsbury dough boy coat. Not that that's a good thing. To make matters even worse - it was a hand-me-down from my brother. Really, these things take on a life of their own. BTW, it's downstairs on the banister. I wear it to walk the dogs.

I have to say though

. I don't think I could make it with a guy that primped.

 

[Mara]

Obviously I'm not 'slamming' the East Coast...but there IS a marked difference in terms of regional fashion habits..

...just like I'm sure NYC thinks WC is too relaxed.

 

[mike04456]

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On 2/12/2004 5:10:15 PM fire&ice wrote:











Mara, after 20 years I gave up. If he goes out with me, then I may say something. And, he's an EC preppy. Lots of 100% cotton button downs in the traditional blue, white & pinstripe - kahki's, jeans - & in the winter cotton turtlenecks under the shirts or sweaters.

----------------

Just a thought--did your husband go to prep school? Once they get you in the habit of wearing those button-down shirts, it's very hard to get out of.

Twenty years later, I still don't feel comfortable with a point collar and will wear them only under duress. I've at least forsaken the blue & white stripes, though.

 

[jcard71]

MY GF and I went to Cali last May. We flew into San Fran and drove
down the Pacific coast Highway...We loved it! Monterey was the best.

We also spent some time in LA, but we didn't like it...

I did notice that everyone had the shirts untucked thing going.
I tried doing that at work when I came back, but everyone looked at me like I was slob...I would joke and tell them, "This is my west coast look..."

They didn't buy it...

 

[fire&ice]

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On 2/12/2004 5:17:31 PM LawGem wrote:

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On 2/12/2004 5:10:15 PM fire&ice wrote:






Mara, after 20 years I gave up. If he goes out with me, then I may say something. And, he's an EC preppy. Lots of 100% cotton button downs in the traditional blue, white & pinstripe - kahki's, jeans - & in the winter cotton turtlenecks under the shirts or sweaters.

----------------

Just a thought--did your husband go to prep school? Once they get you in the habit of wearing those button-down shirts, it's very hard to get out of.

Twenty years later, I still don't feel comfortable with a point collar and will wear them only under duress. I've at least forsaken the blue & white stripes, though.

----------------

Yep, quite ingrained in him. But, I'm lucky he went to design school & didn't expect all women to wear Lily Pulitzer sun dresses.

Actually, I thought of you the other day at the Costco. They received a whole new shipments of the Polo buttondowns. You are in luck. They have the blue & white. You can't completely go over to the dark side.

 

[hoorray]

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On 2/12/2004 5:23:37 PM jcard71 wrote:

MY GF and I went to Cali last May. We flew into San Fran and drove
down the Pacific coast Highway...We loved it! Monterey was the best.

We also spent some time in LA, but we didn't like it...

I did notice that everyone had the shirts untucked thing going.
I tried doing that at work when I came back, but everyone looked at me like I was slob...I would joke and tell them, 'This is my west coast look...'

They didn't buy it...

----------------

I'm waiting for this "shirt untucked thing" to die a quiet death. I'm afraid it will take a while tho because once you get sucked in, it is soooooo comfortable, albiet ugly.

 

[Nicrez]

Starting on a quarrelsome Friday

, I have to ask, What's "the style" out there in sunny CA, because being an NYer all my life, I have to admit I am damned proud to dress like one!

 

[ringbling17]

I finally decided to use a calculator to figure it out.
I came up with 3.016 months if I went with my husband's salary alone.

With our combined salary, since we both work full time and all our money goes into a joint account and that is what we used to pay for the ring, I got 1.712 months.

 

[Mara]

Well I love the way NYers dress...If I moved to the EC...the only place fashionable enough to suit me would be NYC .

East Coast in terms of like Boston and Philly etc seems to be very traditional or preppy, definitely shirts tucked in. Has taken me 3 years to get Greg to untuck his shirts and even sometimes I catch him with them tucked in. He wears suits to work so he is EC dressed up (trust him to come to CA and find the ONLY company in the Bayarea where you have to wear a suit!); but for his casual wear I dress him now thank goodness. I have three metrosexual guy friends so I just check out what they are wearing, and then get something similar for Greg usually...that way I don't have to stay on top of my fashion AND his.

Have to say..CA fashion can be quite sloppy. The last 2 years we have been very into Juicy Couture sweats and I have about 4 sets of them. They are finally falling out of fashion and man am I bitter. I love wearing sweats all the time...feels like I don't have to actually get dressed and go out since my sweats are so expensive. Damn, oh well, guess I have to put on jeans again. Blue Cult or AG are my absolute favorite jeans. Untucked shirts for the guys...not shirts with TAILS but straight lined items, alot of times they fit pretty snugly and have stretch in them. He has this chocolate brown ribbed stretchy shirt that is quite sexy when on.

I'm not a huge fashion hound but my best friend is. She just looks so amazing, no matter what she wears. Everyone stares at her. Could be that she is blonde, gorgeous with a diamond nose ring...hee hee. But she can take any sort of clothing outfit and make it look good.




Oh and very long, very thick scarves are very in right now too. Last year was skinny scarves. I've got tons of scarves. Forgo a thick jacket here and just wear a thin jacket and a huge scarf. hee hee.

 

[codex57]

Mine turned out to be 4 months gross salary. That''s a lot, but not as bad as it sounds cuz we''re living solely off of her salary which allowed me to save all of mine.

 

[cinnabar]

Less than a month''s.

My DH''s salary is pretty high, but I didn''t want a fancy schmancy ring, just a plain 1ct solitaire in yellow gold.

I''m either deeply unfashionable, or a trend-setter