What would you spend on an engagement ring?

ani*fan

alixandrea wrote: »

And don't forget, it doesn't just have to be the woman who wears an engagement ring...

Alixandrea

And don't forget, it's not only a man and woman who can get married any more...

Bouncybubbles

Mine was £2400 reduced from £3400 however we had to get it on credit as we were young and stupid. Many lessons have since been learnt and I have seen many beautiful rings for well under £400.

Grace1927

My first engagement ring in 1982 cost £14, it was silver with sapphires.

I inherited my second engagement ring from my mother, I gave it to my now husband about a year before he proposed and said that if and when he decided to ask me that he didn't need to buy another ring.

My parents bought the ring together, second hand for £27 (I still have the original receipt) from a jewellers in Salisbury in 1949. My dad proposed in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral and they had been married for 51 years when mum died.

As a child I always loved the ring and wearing it gives me so much pleasure. I always get lots of comments about how beautiful it is. It's platinum, square (very art deco) with triangular cut sapphires and small diamonds all around the edge. Needless to say it has increased in value somewhat in 68 years but it means so much more than that to me.

My only problem now is which of my three daughters do I leave it to?!?!?

NBLondon

I spent about a week's wages 20 years ago. It wasn't originally intending to be an engagement ring but something we both liked that became one. No diamond - a garnet (the correct birthstone). Clogau Welsh gold Tree of Life design. I was going to just link, but it's not in their range any more.

TimeToDoIt

I bought my own engagement ring. It's a single 1.9 carat diamond on platinum and I love it.

cyantist

alixandrea wrote: »

And don't forget, it doesn't just have to be the woman who wears an engagement ring...

Alixandrea

My husband's engagement ring cost more than mine did. I think mine was ~£150 (15 years ago), but as DH was a student at the time that was quite a lot for him to spend.

troubleonline

divadee wrote: »

I have seen my dream engagement ring. It costs £20. Other half did say he would be embarrassed to propose with a £20 ring!!! I told him not to be silly and I would be scared to wear anything horrendously expensive for fear of losing or damaging it! At least with £20 he could buy 2 so I wouldn't have such fear.

Good logic! I often buy 2 of something if cheap and I love it.

We have been married 10 years and my husband is on his 4th wedding ring! First one was white gold and cost £90. It was a bit too big (I told him that in that shop but I think as it was the first time he had worn a ring he didn't want the feeling of it being tight). It kept falling off and eventually fell down a drain.

We replaced with a cheap titanium ring that cost about £35 but it got horribly scratched very quickly so when we were on holiday in Thailand we picked up a 'silver' ring at a market. On exchange rate it cost about 80p but it looked decent and lasted the longest of all - about 7 years :T. He loved to tell people that I got him a wedding ring for 80p. Then it fell of when gardening earlier this year and we couldn't find it. I think I (and him) was most upset at him losing that one as it almost ended up being the one with the most sentimental value!

We ended up replacing with a silver ring for about £30 as the original £90 white gold ring now retails for almost twice that. Needless to say none of thought that was a good idea.

We are going back to Thailand in January so maybe we should stock up on cheap rings for him whilst there!

scrabbly

Cost really shouldn't come into the equation ! Does she like it is all that matters. I went with my fiance to chose a ring and couldn't bear the thought of spending potential house deposit money on just a ring.
Luckily, I spotted a second hand one which I loved - didn't cost a fortune and we saved the VAT. RESULT !!!

LilElvis

scrabbly wrote: »

Cost really shouldn't come into the equation ! Does she like it is all that matters. I went with my fiance to chose a ring and couldn't bear the thought of spending potential house deposit money on just a ring.
Luckily, I spotted a second hand one which I loved - didn't cost a fortune and we saved the VAT. RESULT !!!

Of course cost comes into the equation. I would have loved a 4ct solitaire. Any idea how much they cost? Yes, a potential house deposit. I settled for one that only cost the price of a new car

DigForVictory

We went ring shopping in the jewellery quarter of Manchester - a lot of High street names as well as individuals all clustered together so competitive & the ring I saw that I wanted turned out to be a "dress ring". He spent the next few days telling almost anyone who'd listen "we're engaged, she's wearing The Ring, it didn't cost as much as I thought it would"!
Since the stones are held with claws, I wear it a bit less now than then and we've had to replace a couple of the stones (the cost of a cut stone loose is a *tiny* fraction of a ring!) but it's much loved.

When pregnant, I had to take my wedding ring off (well, midwife told me to & I was obedient) & hated the bare hand. Husband whisked me to Argos where we bought a "maternity ring" several sizes bigger and of lower gold purity. Hormones soothed, we spent more on the diamond tipped engraving bit I wrote the baby's initials & date of birth into it with (afterwards). It became a ritual & so our sons each have a wedding ring ready for them.

I must look through inherited stuff to see if I can set aside "family rings" for them, as the idea of being able to redirect a months saving (subject to the daughter-in-law-to-be's agreement!) in favour of a deposit or a honeymoon has serious appeal.