How much should one spend on an e-ring?

[elepri]

I think the 2-month salary rule is kinda ridiculous. We spent about his 1-month gross salary on my ring, i told him what size I wanted and he thought it was reasonable. I figured, once we''re married, it''s our money and I wouldn''t want to spend more than that on the ring. Besides spending on the wedding, I''d want to consider other potential expenses in the near future, like paying off student loans, buying an apartment, traveling, etc. It''s really a matter of priorities too. Someone for whom a big rock is more important would certainly spend more money on it. I guess it''s a matter of how important it is to you and your girl.

 

[Kaleigh]

That 2 month salary rule is outdated. It''s what you are comfortable spending.

 

[sapphic]

Thanks, all.

I came up with a rough number of 10k for a ~1.5c diamond. I think when I first started I was thinking 3k, then it inched up to 5k...but after looking at the diamonds based on my girlfriend''s desire for size being the important factor (specifically the 1.5c number), I decided to up the budget to 10k. Of course, that means going down on certain things, which are clarity and color. Being a PS reader, I couldn''t possibly go down on cut. I then started looking at 12k diamonds and found that I could get a 2c SI2 J for that range....then 15k for a 2.25 J SI2 H&A...

But then I took a step back and decided that 15k is unreasonable for me, so ive decided to try to stay in that 10k range. I am still playing with the cut part...whether to go with a Super Ideal cut(H&A) or just an Ideal cut. Looks like it may be a difference of ~ ~1500.

All in all, it''s been quite educational, overwhelming at times, but a fun experience shopping for a diamond......good thing I won''t have to do it again....

 

[elephant]

Hi Sapphic,

My fiance was in the same boat you are/were. We were looking at a 1.5 carat and he did want to spend around 10K or under. We went to Whiteflash and he ended up with a 1.51 J VS1 Ideal with very slight flourescence. I really wouldn''t have it any other way. It''s fantastic. So, I wouldn''t worry too much about going lower in clarity and/or color. I think my cut was the most important part -- it definitely out sparkles most! You really can''t tell that it''s a J unless you put a much higher color next to it. And it came out under 10K, which made me feel better!

So, 1) I encourage you to check out whiteflash, especially Renee, she really helped my FI out a lot, b) don''t worry too much about sacriicing some quality for size, if that''s the most important factor to you two and c) always go for cut (I don''t know if super ideal is necessary, maybe someone else can chime in?), but I am extremely happy with my ideal cut. The majority of the people out there don''t have a clue about how to pick a great diamond! Good luck!