Did you not know that was a rule?!?!?!
I had no engagement ring for my first 26 year marriage. Not for lack of trying either---lol.
So I was beyond thrilled to be proposed to with an engagement ring in my 50's. DH says it is the best $$ he ever spent. Tickles him pink every time he sees me playing with it and making disco sparkles on a plane or admiring it in sunlight, candlelight, etc. He loves when other people admire it too.
Yes, I traded in my 2.05 D-VS2 for my 3.01 F-SI1 pear for my second marriage. However there is more to it than just size. My 2.21 F-SI1 CBI was more expensive than my pear and my 2.79 F-VS1 CBI was about 3 times the cost of my larger pear.
Well I am still on dh #1 but I am on my third ER (at least as I might have lost count ) and I would say from ER #1 to ER #2 we went up quite a bit in cost (MRB to MRB) but from ER #2 to ER #3 it wasn't so much an increase in price as much as a complete change in what I wanted in a diamond. MRB to OEC but the cost differential was more lateral though now the price of OECs have definitely outpaced MRBs and to get a similar stat OEC compared to MRB is quite a premium increase in cost unfortunately on the purchasing side of things at least.
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and I have no intention of getting married again.
However, I am not going to say never ever.
If and when I find the right person, I would probably opt for an Edwardian inspired cluster ring with a Ruby in the centre.
It will be very different to my 3-stone EC approximately 0.75cttw, and almost certain to be bigger.