Survey: 2 months salary? More? Less?

[Dancing Fire]

FYI... ..center stone only.

U.S. avg E-ring is J SI2 .71 ct

P.S. avg E-ring is H VS2 1.18 ct

No.Ca. avg is 2.61 ct

So.Ca. avg is 2.73 ct

NYC avg is 2.87 ct

midwest avg E-ring is .48 ct

the avg E-ring in Texas and Florida is 1.86 ct

Are these real? If so, are they based on PS members or did you find this somewhere else? I just have a hard time believing that the AVERAGE where I live is 2.73ct. I know there are obviously some wealthy people that have large rings, but not enough to make the entire average of the whole area that large!

would i lie?...

 

[Niel]

I always heard 3 months. I was less than 3 months but more than 2 months.

I just went with what I could afford. Would have been WAY less than 2 months probably BUT we were saving a lot of money because we were unaware how much having a baby really cost. I was told it was astronomical so I pinched every penny for 9 months waiting for the bill . Then it came and turned out my insurance paid about 90% of it, so I was able to apply all that money that was specifically for the doctors toward my ring

basically shouldnt go more than you can afford for SURE. And I agree its important to know the cultural norm. I am from Michigan. probably average <.5 ct, so it whats "expected" is around that size. Not necessarily how much you spentr

 

[Dreamer_D]

FYI... ..center stone only.

U.S. avg E-ring is J SI2 .71 ct

P.S. avg E-ring is H VS2 1.18 ct

No.Ca. avg is 2.61 ct

So.Ca. avg is 2.73 ct

NYC avg is 2.87 ct

midwest avg E-ring is .48 ct

the avg E-ring in Texas and Florida is 1.86 ct

Are these real? If so, are they based on PS members or did you find this somewhere else? I just have a hard time believing that the AVERAGE where I live is 2.73ct. I know there are obviously some wealthy people that have large rings, but not enough to make the entire average of the whole area that large!

would i lie?...

DF makes these things up. Just nod and smile.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think you should get what she loves and wants, then. Go try stuff on.

 

[Gypsy]

Those guidelines are put forward by the diamond industry, and therefore irrelevant.

Someone making 100,000 with two kids and alimony to pay will have less budget than, a single guy with no debt, and then there are students just starting out.

You buy what you can AFFORD.

There are MANY MANY vendors with great upgrade policies, and you can buy a smaller stone and if budget permits and its a priority down the line you can upgrade to a larger stone. Or not.

Don't listen to the diamond industry. They don't know your finances. You do. Make a responsible decision and you will be much happier for it.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

I would agree with everyone here - it's a mix of how much you can afford, how much you're comfortable with spending, what she wants, and her job/personality/style/tastes. I honestly have no idea exactly how much my SO makes, but I know he spent more than the 2-3 month "rule" that many men go by. But he also had a lot saved up, knew this would be the one BIG purchase he would make on me, and knew this would be something I would be wearing forever.

Yes, diamonds are expensive. Yes, they are seriously inflated. And no, we can't avoid the spike in prices. HOWEVER, PS is a GREAT place to lay out ideas for what you want and what you're looking for and get feedback on getting the best out of your budget. We are all about quality, not quantity. A well-cut 1 carat diamond is going to look better than a 1.5 carat diamond that was blindly picked out at a mall store. A lot of vendors offer PS discounts, and also have upgrade policies, so even if you can't reach the ideal size you want, at least in the future you have the option of upgrading to get closer to that ideal size without losing out on what you currently have. Nobody here is going to convince you to spend more than you're comfortable with spending, and I promise they can help you find something gorgeous within your budget.

 

[texaskj]

X months salary is nothing more than a marketing ploy by DeBeers as previous posters said. For a long time it was one month, then two and now three? What a bunch of baloney. Get what you can afford. Do not go into debt or do payments. You can always upgrade later.
And don't forget the added expense of insurance, if you feel you need it.
If SO and I get married in the future, I'm leaning fairly heavy towards a Cartier Trinity. Timeless, pretty and I'm sick of sending money to insurance companies.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Agreed with Gypsy. Just buy what you can afford and want to spend.

 

[Alexiszoe]

Agreed with Gypsy. Just buy what you can afford and want to spend.

I agree with this, but with an added caveat - expectations on both sides matter. For example, a guy might be making $200k a year but doesn't want to spend more than $2k for the ring because to him it's just not practical etc, while his lady love might feel otherwise about the ring. Similarly someone might be making little but is willing to spend a lot when his girlfriend might have been happy with a small diamond. Talk to your girlfriend before hand to get her input on what she wants/likes, see if expectations match and if not, come to a compromise before moving forward.

 

[madelise]

Those guidelines are put forward by the diamond industry, and therefore irrelevant.

Someone making 100,000 with two kids and alimony to pay will have less budget than, a single guy with no debt, and then there are students just starting out.

You buy what you can AFFORD.

There are MANY MANY vendors with great upgrade policies, and you can buy a smaller stone and if budget permits and its a priority down the line you can upgrade to a larger stone. Or not.

Don't listen to the diamond industry. They don't know your finances. You do. Make a responsible decision and you will be much happier for it.