The DOR Guide

How Much Should I Spend?

After years of trial and error, you’ve finally found yourself caught up in a bubble of love with “the one”. However, your search for the perfect match doesn’t end just yet… there is still one more crucial detail to consider. The ring - and how much you should spend on it.

With so many different rules and expectations at stake, it is only natural to feel overwhelmed and confused when deciding how much to spend on the ring for your significant other. There are a few so-called rules regarding how much to spend on an engagement ring, all hail the three month salary tradition. 

In the 1930s, a successful marketing campaign forged a connection between the diamond and the engagement ring. The beginning of this marketing campaign suggested that one month’s worth of salary was the suitable amount to spend on an engagement ring. By the 1980s, this humble suggestion had risen to two month’s worth. 

This relationship between an engagement ring and a diamond was further strengthened thanks to Frances Gerety in 1947 with his famous line, “A Diamond is Forever”. Here, he proposed (excuse the pun) that an actual romantic bond with a human being isn’t forever without a diamond.

Consequently, this marketing campaign became one of the most influential campaigns to date, pressuring many of us to feel the only option is to fork out a massive chunk of our salary for the ‘perfect’ ring. 

To resist this pressure, there are a few important elements to consider. Let us give you a rundown. 

1. Your partner’s expectations

Everyone is different, and for all you know your partner may not expect something so glitzy and extravagant and most importantly, not something worth three month’s of your salary. When considering engagement options, put a halt on comparing your situation to others’. Keep it personal and start by basing your decision off the expectations of your partner. 

2. Everyone has different priorities

Extending on the previous point, keeping your decision personal will help you to realise that sometimes you and your partner’s priorities may differ from another couple’s – and that is absolutely fine. Rather than spending a huge amount of expenditure on an engagement ring, the two of you may prefer to put your savings towards travels, children, or a home. Keeping your decision genuine to the taste, preferences and priorities of your partner will help you ease into your decision. Question whether your partner would appreciate a simplistic band with a modest price, or something more diamond detailed and therefore, costlier. 

3. Forget the rules!

Forget all the rules and regulations surrounding the supposedly ideal engagement ring price and be true to you and your partner’s relationship – we guarantee it will generate more happiness this way. 

We hope this short guide on the myths of engagement ring expenditure gave you some insight into the importance of a reality check when making your decision. We understand the stress the engagement ring process can bring at times, so it is our duty to guide you along this exciting journey as smoothly as possible. After all, a happy wife means a happy life (sorry, we couldn’t resist!). 

Eilish Emery.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Hi! I'm Eilish - if you can pronounce my name correctly on the first go you're in the good books! You'll find me soaking up the sun with a Pinot Gris in hand, or cosied up with a cup of tea and a good read. I'm a romantic at heart, so writing about all things engagement/wedding fulfils my inner cupid!