How much to spend on a wedding ring?

Question

I am curious as to how much a guy is to spend on a wedding ring. I once read that it was supposed to be something like 3months of wages worth. Help please?

Answer 1

you should spend what you can afford...its never ok to go in debt for a wedding ring.

Answer 2

You mean on the engagement ring?  I think that he should spend what he can afford.  As long as its something that you like, who cares how much it costs?  I have no idea how much mine costs and I really don't care to find out.  

Answer 3

DeBeers came up with the 2-3 months salary rule. He should spend what he can afford. My FI did not necessarily follow the 2 month rule.

My engagement ring and wedding ring together cost about$10,000.

Answer 4

The two to three month salary thing is b.s., in my opinion, but I believe it is intended for the engagement ring, not the wedding band...

In either case the guy gets what he can afford. If he has the time to save for a few months that's great, but if he can't then he should get something within his available budget, and pick it with the girl in mind.

Also, getting any other gemstone that's not a diamond, will give you something relatively big, beautiful and more unique.

Something like this:

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11629888/18...

When my hubby asked me what kind of ring I would like, I showed him one that was $350, cause I didn't want him to spend the $750 the ring I really liked cost.

My husband, wonderful as he is, picked this ring:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28759284@N0...

and told me: "I know it's not exactly what you expected, but as I was looking for rings this one reminded me of you; simple, elegant and beautiful. None of the other ones matched it's quality and you deserve the best."

The guy made me fall in love with the ring, and with him all over again!

I think the sentiment of the ring is worth more than the actually price paid. If the guy has the best intentions at heart, and spends time picking the best ring he can afford, the ring could a quarter, for all I care!

Now, if like some guys, he's not even bothering to consider the likes and dislikes of his "future bride", or, he is just getting the ring to "shut the girl up" (like one guy did for my friend, to soften her up after he cheated on her), then he could have spent thousands, and the ring would not be worth much to me.

Answer 5

I think the 3 month thing is usually said about Engagement rings, the wedding rings are usually sort of simple and classy, like white gold/yellow gold/platinum and just a simple band. Really elegant. You can get them engraved if you want. I think for the wedding ring, you and your fiancee can look at them together and you can get a feel for what she wants and also what you want for yours. The engagement ring is a whole other story.  

Answer 6

This is a question that we get asked all the time (we run a wedding decor business) and what you read is a fairly accurate response.

The bottom line really has to be what both parties are comfortable with.

If things are a little tight before the wedding go for a cheaper, but still good looking ring and make a vow that you will buy your new bride the ring of her dreams when you have the cash to spare.

In our experience most brides would prefer to have a great wedding day rather than blow everything on a ring and not be able to afford the day itself!

Answer 7

My ring was only $75 and it's beautiful, but then again, I'm not into big and gaudy.  It's tungsten, a metal that will last forever, won't scratch, and won't tarnish.  Good luck!

Answer 8

Only spend what you can afford.  Live within your budget. :)  My ring was actually on sale when we bought it and I tell people that all the time (when talking about engagement/wedding rings).  I like the fact that it was on sale and we were able to save over 800 dollars on it. :) Don't spend big because you think you "have" to.  

Answer 9

My wedding ring is around $200, and that includes a lifetime warrenty and annual cleanings.

However, that is the super super super sale price, marked down from $999 (I just went shopping on the right day with the right coupon and I got away with a steal!)

Most of the rings I tried on ranged from $500-$1,000. They were gold bands with tiny diamonds along the band, and 1-2 medium-sized diamons in the center. The solitairs were a bit more, around $1,000-$3,000 (before sale pricing and discounts)

I recommend JC Penney Jewler. All of my jewelry (graduation necklace, engagement ring, both wedding rings, etc) have come from there and they have been amazing when it comes to cleaning them, fixing them, etc and everything is always on sale (plus my MIL has an associates discount).

Don't listen to Debeer's 2-3 months salary rule. They are practically a diamond monopoly, OF COURSE they want you to spend that much money on their blood diamonds.

You can usually get cheaper wedding rings if you look for American diamonds or non-conflict diamonds, there are even some lab synthesized diamonds at some jewelers (*meaning they were made in a lab through a sped-up process of putting carbon under pressure)

Answer 10

I have done months, and MONTHS of research on engagement and wedding rings.  I have looked everywhere from Zales, to Tiffany & Co, to online.  As far as prices go, the general rule is 2 months salary.  Now there is no set thing as to whether it's net or gross income.  The most important thing is to try to stay within your budget, regardless of if it's 2 months salary, 2 weeks salary, or 6 months salary.  For a really good quality, affordable ring, I suggest going to http://www.bluenile.com/ They have a large selection, good quality, great reviews, and they checked out very well when I looked them up with the better business bureau.  They allow you to design your own rings.  I tried on several rings at 2 different Tiffany & Co locations, and at Zales, and I discovered that if you get a ring with a really good cut, perferably a "Signature Ideal" or an "Ideal" cut, that you can get a lower grade color and clarity, and the ring with the better cut will usually still look more sparkly and it will look bigger.  For the price though, I would go to blue nile, because they do not have the overhead costs of a traditional store, allowing them to give you a bigger discount.  They also have a 30 day return policy.  If you're not comfortable buying online though, Tiffany & Co had some beautiful rings at prices that are actually affordable-(you can get a .5 carat high color grade ring there for about $4500).  You can get one of the same quality from blue nile for about the same price, but it will be a .82 carat at blue nile.  But like I said, some people don't like to shop online, and if you're one of those people, at least stop in Tiffany & Co, try on some rings, learn about diamonds, and have a good time, even if you end up buying one somewhere else. Anyway, as per your original question, 2 months salary, or whatever he can afford.

Answer 11

he should shop around, find what he likes the best and then look for sales.

Hallmark rules annoy me

Answer 12

Please do not believe in this "3 months of wages" legends. Look at your finances and see what you can afford, and then be prepared to go a little extra to get a 'beautiful and perfect for her' ring. It is more important to strike a balance between getting her what she would love (usually you have to know some wizardry to find out what a woman really wants-they usually wont say it openly or clearly, jk..) and what you can 'get'.

Good Luck and best wishes!!

Answer 13

ignore the whole salary guideline-I think it's silly.

your man should go with what he can afford and something he'll know you will like. keep in mind that this is something that will be on your finger almost all the time for the rest of your life.

my ring was about 3k with my band costing about 200. here are the links for them

http://www.shaneco.com/catalog/productde...

http://www.jewelsforme.com/item-main.asp...

not your typical combo but I love butterflies and my engagment ring looks just like one. my band is my birthstone and they look so pretty together.

check out places like Kays, Jared, Heilzburg, or London Gold.

hope this helps!!