How Much Are You Spending?

[vivosogno]

Hi Ladies,
There have been numerous threads on this topic but thought I would start a new one. I have tried to post one like this before and people took it the wrong way. I am not trying to offend anyone with this question -- please don''t take it the wrong way! I''m merely curious! Some ladies on here have large rings and some are more modest -- I love them all!!! This is all in fun!

1) How much is/did your fiance spend on your engagement ring?

2) What does your fiance do for a living? ( I always wonder this for the women with LARGE carat rings! -- lucky, lucky!)

3) What size is your ring (post a pic)!

I will start:

1) Our budget is 15K
2) He is in advertising sales
3) We are looking at a 1.85 carat round brilliant cut

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Date: 8/16/2006 9:58:38 AM
Author:vivosogno
Hi Ladies,
There have been numerous threads on this topic but thought I would start a new one. I have tried to post one like this before and people took it the wrong way. I am not trying to offend anyone with this question -- please don''t take it the wrong way! I''m merely curious! Some ladies on here have large rings and some are more modest -- I love them all!!! This is all in fun!

1) How much is/did your fiance spend on your engagement ring?

2) What does your fiance do for a living? ( I always wonder this for the women with LARGE carat rings! -- lucky, lucky!)

3) What size is your ring (post a pic)!

I will start:

1) Our budget is 15K
2) He is in advertising sales
3) We are looking at a 1.85 carat round brilliant cut

This has been posted boefore somewhere.....I think, but I dont have a ring....however i can give you my dream ring idea.....
1. I would like him to spend at least 2,000-4,000
2. He works for Andersen Windows, he makes them...well mulls them...
3. My ring that I really want is an emerald cute .52 vs1 with 1/4 sapphires on eachside with .28 melee diamonds in the band.

Of course I am not engaged and this is all a dream but this would be nice............

 

[Angela1977]

1. I think it was about $5K
2. He''s a logistics consultant (same as me...we''re partners!)
3. It''s a .75 Asscher cut, E color, excellent cut, etc. with a platinum x-prong setting...and he had it brushed (satin finish) instead of shiny.

We could''ve gone more for it, but I wanted to get a fairly expensive wedding band (asscher cut eternity band) and I didn''t want him to throw down a bunch of cash when my dream ring was exactly as I described....he didn''t need to spend more.
(Though he did get me a pair of diamond studs when he ordered the ring. I knew it was coming in and he got me a little present when it arrived since I couldn''t have the ring yet...

)

 

[ephemery1]

Interesting thread... I personally don''t find these questions offensive at all when they''re phrased respectfully. I think the info can be helpful for people setting budgets for their own rings, or anyone just interested in e-ring trends these days. And of course if somebody did prefer not to share those details, they don''t have to! I also think it''s interesting to know location... since it seems like the e-ring standards in places like NYC and Texas are different from say, those in the UK.

1) Our budget was around $8k.
2) He is an environmental consultant for a large firm, I''m a graduate student. We live in Philadelphia.
3) The ring is an oval diamond, 1.51 ct, with .26tcw RBs on the side (pic in my avatar).

 

[ephemery1]

Vivo, I see you posted the same question in Show Me The Ring.... just to let you know, it is usually protocol here not to repeat questions in more than one place. Keeps things from getting too confusing and cluttering up the forum, and helps you to get all the answers to your question in one place!

 

[bee*]

Hey vivosogno,
Our budget for next year is 12000 euro which depending on the exchange rate is about $15000.
D is an architect.
The two of us dont really like big stones, so I think a carat is the max size that we will get. He adores the Tiffany Lucida ring and so do I so I think that we will probably get a lucida. We have looked around at some rings at home (dublin,ireland) and any lucida-type rings we werent that keen on. Cant wait to get it on my finger!!

 

[firebirdgold]

1) about $2200. I can''t remember precisely
2) er... high-level researcher in computer science and theoretical math in new mexico
3) An antique .6 Old European Cut (I si1) in platinum with channel set diamonds on the shoulders from antiqueengagementrings.com

 

[anchor31]

1) He spent about $2500CAD and I spent about $600CAD, which would amount to about $2700USD.

2) My FI is an industrial designer, started working only 1½ years ago. I'm a college student.

3) My ring is a .50ct RB excellent cut G-SI1 with two .13ct marquise sides G-VS2 in 14k WG (gold/palladium alloy and rhodium plated, no nickel).

Edited to add that my ring is considered HUGE, very high quality and very expensive by local standards, especially for a couple in their mid and early twenties.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

1. After seeing the commercials on TV stating you can get a diamond solitaire for $800, we thought a budget of $1200 would get us something NICE. I like smaller diamonds, and 1/2 carat was my goal. He ended up spending a bit more than that, because of gold prices rising, but he was under $1500, so I don''t feel completely horrible for spending too, too much. But then, sometimes I do. Small budget around here, but somehow, it just seems like a lot to spend on something so little. But, ooh how it sparkles!

2. Paul''s a middle school science and social studies teacher.

3. It''s a round brilliant .541 J SI 1, but it''s eye clean. And it''s sparkly and beautiful and it''s better than I ever thought it would be, in reality. I just adore it! It''s perfect for me. The setting is a Roseco cathedral, 2.5 mm, and it''s white gold. The diamond sits in a tulip, and I just think it''s awesome!

 

[Small]

Well my original e-ring (about 7 years ago) was with a trade in and he paid around 4k for a .8 D color SI2 marquise with .50 tw baguette sides in a platinum band. He's a general manager of a factory and could have afforded much more BUT we bought a house right before we got engaged so our focus was much more about spending money on our house.

I still have that diamond reset in another band and wear it most days as a RHR.

My new ring is a .92 round ideal cut diamond G color SI2 clarity. Our budget was around 4k for a new ring and I wanted a round 1ct ideal cut. That was what I could find for the budget and I couldn't be happier. It is set in a platinum cathedral solatiare and I wear a channel set eternity band with it. That was also new. With two kids I couldn't justify spending much more than 4k on a new ring...especially since there was nothing wrong with my old one

 

[Larissa]

1. We spent less than $1,500. I''m not sure of the exact price.

2. He works for the family business as well as attending university full-time.

3. .47 center, .24ctw on the sides, 14KWG.

I used to live in Atlanta, GA where rings are HUGE and now live in London, England. Area of the world definately makes a difference as far as what size stone (if any) people chose.

 

[ljmorgan]

1. $8,000 was our budget, and we came in a tiny bit under budget, I think around $7400

2. Fiance is an electrical engineer

3. My ring -- a 1.10 carat AGS 000, G color, SI1 clarity. It''s set in an eternity band, shared prong setting with 4 pointers that has a tcw of .92. I can''t wait to get the wedding band so I''ll have nearly 3 carats of diamonds on one finger

 

[aquarius_ser]

1. We never really set a budget. We just kind of looked around, I figured out what I wanted vs. what we could afford, 13K-14K

2. He is a lineman for an energy company, I am in Information Technology support.

3. 1.5 ct F VS2 Princess I would have liked a 2 Ct but Color & Clarity were really important to me so I "settled" for a 1.5

 

[monarch64]

I don''t find these questions offensive at all. I''m always curious about this subject as well!

1. 3 years ago...he spent $6300 on the e-ring, $2000 on the WB.
2. He is in sales, specifically he sells liquid propellants (the chemicals that make an aerosol "spray.")
3. My e-ring is a 1.5 RB, J, SI1. My WB has 1.38 cts of princess-cuts in it, can''t remember the stats.

 

[partgypsy]

(10 years ago)
$600 for an emerald and diamond ring
husband was/is a bartender and artist. Alot of money for us!

10 years later saving up our pennies and now have a beautiful anniversary ring
$2300 (5 stone ring, center stone ideal cut .47 carat, H vs2 total carat weight .81), custom setting
Still (to me) alot of money!

But budget determined by amount of money in checking could spend without really missing, because they are luxuries, not essentials.

 

[basil]

I''m not engaged yet.

1. I''m not sure how much he is spending. I think it will end up being significantly more than our original budget. He told me what he ordered and I was floored! I haven''t even looked up comparable prices cause I know I''d feel guilty that he spent that much.

2. He is a physician (I am too). We are both still in training, though, so we don''t make much money right now.

3. He told me my diamond will be a 1.57 carat H/SI2 (eyeclean) ideal cut round

 

[Dandi]

1. I always thought a ring budget of about $2500 was pretty reasonable, but my DFH knocked my socks off and ended up spending over $4000 (not sure how much exactly!) on a ring that far exceeded my wildest dreams!! Bless him

2. DFH is an industrial electrician and instrumentation mechanic (dual trade) with a worldwide petroleum company, and he also has his own domestic electrical business

3. 1.55tcw, 18ct yellow gold 3-stone RB with 18ct WG claws, all G, SI2 from memory. I was aiming for a 3-stone 1.00ctw initially My ring is not huge by the general standards of the area I live in, but for someone my age (early 20''s when engaged) it''s colossal!!

 

[bobacha]

His initial budget was around $4-$5k But we ended up spending $3600 and we got an excellent quality stone ( G VS2 0.8 ct ) in White Gold from James Allen. He''s happy than we''re underbudget and I''m also very happy with the ring.

He''s a Software Engineer / Project manager in Texas. I have the same profession but in Indiana currently.

I''ve posted pictures in my thread here in LIW.

 

[sleeping beauty]

Hey ladies,

1-We are thinking between 5000-6000 USD. i''m still debating on whether i want a RB or an Oval.

2- He is an electrical engineer.

3- we are thinking about a 3 stone ring center diamond between .80- 1 ct. (see pic.. hope it posted)

 

[tdiddy]

1) Not engaged yet, but the budget is 12K

2) Applications developer

3) We have the stone (1.64 princess) - just waiting for him to purchase the setting (hopefully the Tacori I am obsessed with) and give it to me

Such torture to wait (it''s been 7 years and now that I am so close, I just can''t stop thinking about it!)

 

[cellososweet]

1.) The budget was $8000. I think he came in right under.
2.) He''s a student and works at a credit union doing financial consulting. I work in clinical research (we''re both early 20''s).
3.) Platinum Tacori w/ halo in platinum, .5 tcw, 1ct center (the ring was the expensive part. but it was the only things that really complimented my long fingers).









Gotta love the cat fur that''s always on the ring. Haha. I love my kitties, what can i say

 

[sk8rjen]

1. our original budget was about $3000 -- based on what we were looking at at local b&m''s. We ended up spending "only" $4300 (the "only" is b/c we ended up getting something MUCH bigger than originally planned, but I found some AMAZING deals and then just made it happen -- like buying the eternity band the diamond is set on at a wholesaler for less than half the price I could find it anywhere else and having the head custom built onto it) I still practically choke just thinking about the amount we spent, b/c a year ago I was looking at a $1000 3-stone ring at kohl''s (seriously, don''t laugh!) PS actually taught me alot, but was the cause of us spending much more than I EVER thought we would.

2. He works at Target as an electronics specialist (read: doesn''t make much) and I''m a figure-skating coach. Neither of us make a lot of $$, but he had some savings coming into the relationship...(which is now gone)

3. I have a 1.05 pear (faces up big)-- I, SI2-- with a quarter-carat halo on full eternity band. Will try to attach a pic.

jen

 

[Gypsy]

Budget was 5K-- originally. He spent more, but I don''t know how much more-- I suspect about 1k more.

He was a student at the time, worked part time.

1.09 F VS1 asscher in a 14K trellis setting.

Upgrading setting fairly soon though... as I had asked for him to spend the $$ on the diamond, and to get the cheapest secure setting he could. So he did.

 

[kcoursolle]

we are in our mid-20''s
fi is an engineer
I am a PhD student

budget was 3k, but what I wanted was about 4k...
so we compromised, he paid 3100 for the diamond
and I paid 1000 for the setting and appraisals

it''s a .74 F VVS2 radiant signature series from JA

I will be upgrading in the next 1-3 years to a 1.25-1.5 and we will be sharing money by then, but I''ll be the one setting money aside.

 

[robbie3982]

1) $2295 pre-tax. I think it ended up being about $2400 after taxes. Our budget was actually only $2000, but I just fell in love with the stone.
2) Computer Software Engineer
3) .93 K SI2 (eye clean) rb set in a 4-prong stuller tiffany replica. I'm quite happy with the size of my stone. We started out looking at .5-.75 because FI thought anything bigger was just too much for my finger (size 5). I'm glad I convinced him otherwise

.

ETA: We're in our early 20's

 

[chickflick]

My now-DH gave me a budget and told me to get whatever I wanted since I have to wear it every day for the rest of our lives and he was very intimidated by ring shopping.

Original budget was $5K then he told me I could go up a bit more so I spent $5,600 on the ering. Afterward he said he expected me to spend
$6k. Once we got the ering we knew we had to have the matching wedding band so that was another $1K.

I have a 1.09 I SI2 center diamond from JA in the Danhov E2 bezel set halo setting, 18k white gold. The ering has .65 carats of pave diamonds and the wedding ring has .45 carats.

I''m 38 and DH and 31. He''s an assistant store manager with Lowe''s and I''m an HR consultant for a large consulting firm. We used half of his yearly bonus to buy the ring and the other half to pay for the wedding and honeymoon (we were married three weeks ago on the Carnival Conquest followed by a seven day honeymoon cruise to the Western Caribbean).

 

[fairytales and romance]

Date: 8/16/2006 9:58:38 AM
Author:vivosogno

1) How much is/did your fiance spend on your engagement ring?

2) What does your fiance do for a living? ( I always wonder this for the women with LARGE carat rings! -- lucky, lucky!)

3) What size is your ring (post a pic)!

My first post on PS!

I am a Lady in Waiting... I've been with my boyfriend since we were 19. We are both almost 26. The first of our friends got engaged/married four years ago, which is when I first started to notice/appreciate diamonds. Until two weeks ago, I had ridiculous notions of how much should be spent on diamonds. I thought that a platinum setting for approximately a 1 carat (of excellent quality) diamond would cost him around $15,000.

So two weeks ago, he told me that he had already gone to see a few jewelers about a specific ring that I liked! He asked me to accompany him to see a diamond wholesaler who was referred by one of his relatives who sells watches in the diamond district. He wasn't afraid to tell me that his budget was $7,000. After seeing what our options were within that budget, I thought to myself, "I was crazy when I thought $15,000 was appropriate for us!!!" I'm so glad that my boyfriend didn't follow my cost guidelines. The diamond that we put a deposit on (long story to accompany this...maybe I have to start my own thread?) was sent to the GIA labs for certification. (It's supposed to take 30 days?!) I'm so nervous/excited. Even though I'm happy with what we picked out, I WISH I found PS before we started shopping for diamonds and rings. I'll explain later why I'm nervous.

Anyway, to get back to the topic at hand:
1. $7300 for the diamond and the mounting (14K white gold antique style setting with pave diamonds) + around $170 for GIA cert = Total $7470 (much much much less than what he makes in 2 months -- that 2 month's salary myth is terrible!!!)
2. Business Technology Manager (or something like that) for an investment partnership firm. We are both 4 years out of college.
3. 1.51 carat princess, G color, SI1, 73% depth, 66% table. I'm nervous because I'm waiting for the GIA certificate to verify these numbers, and I'm also not 100% sure that the depth and table percentags are good for a princess cut. Nevertheless, I am mostly excited because the size is perfect for my tiny hands and I also love the way a square cut looks on my hand (I had to try settings for both round and square in order to see that the square looks so much better).
Here's a picture of a mounting that is similar to the one I'm getting:

 

[alyson423]

1) How much is/did your fiance spend on your engagement ring?
--I''m not sure, but approx $10K
2) What does your fiance do for a living?
--college prof
3) What size is your ring (post a pic)!
--1.7 ctw (1.5 center RB with .2 tapered baguettes). I will get around to posting pics someday!

 

[flutterby]

1) How much is/did your fiance spend on your engagement ring?
--right around 10k...that includes the ering and wedding band, had them both custom made together
2) What does your fiance do for a living?
--commercial real estate analyst
3) What size is your ring (post a pic)!
Platinum Ering
Burmese Ruby 2.33cts
9.08x7.33x3.94
28 brilliant cut diamonds=.44cts (2 points?)
44 full cut diamonds=.44cts (1 point?)
All diamonds are set in pave with small prongs (VS1, Color F)
Platinum Band
64 full cut diamonds .66cts

 

[BlackDiamond21]

Date: 8/16/2006 9:58:38 AM
Author:vivosogno
Hi Ladies,
There have been numerous threads on this topic but thought I would start a new one. I have tried to post one like this before and people took it the wrong way. I am not trying to offend anyone with this question -- please don''t take it the wrong way! I''m merely curious! Some ladies on here have large rings and some are more modest -- I love them all!!! This is all in fun!

1) How much is/did your fiance spend on your engagement ring?

2) What does your fiance do for a living? ( I always wonder this for the women with LARGE carat rings! -- lucky, lucky!)

3) What size is your ring (post a pic)!

I will start:

1) Our budget is 15K
2) He is in advertising sales
3) We are looking at a 1.85 carat round brilliant cut

Thanks for asking. I was wondering myself what others are thinking for budget and size... Sometimes I feel like we are the only ones going for what we are going for... you know???

1) We set a budget for $15k
2) He does Information Technology for a pharm company
3) We decided for my hand nothing over 1.5 or else it looks overwhelming. I hope we get specs as close to if not better than what my P-ring is now becuase it is a FIREBALL!!!

(Spec info: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/oy.47165/ )

4) In case you all wanted to know... My E-ring will have a name, ''Precious'' as in Lord of the Rings... LOL!