I think that is an Americanism, to some extent. Clearly diamond rings are a big thing in other countries, but I'm not aware of other places that have such rules

I think that is an Americanism, to some extent. Clearly diamond rings are a big thing in other countries, but I'm not aware of other places that have such rules around them like numbers of months of salary, or such an obsession with having a huge shiny diamond on your finger. Or maybe it's generational. Either way, none of my friends or family in the UK seem to have gone in for this stuff. That's not to say that there have been no diamond rings, just no stupidly gaudy rocks. Perhaps it's down to changing traditions - the "big day" is no longer the start of life for a couple, they've usually been living together for some time, may even have kids already. And perhaps it's down to changing gender roles, now that most couples have two earners, the 'signal' you talk about may be out of place. It certainly seems old fashioned. Either way, I don't think diamonds are important as once they were. If I marry my current partner in a traditional ceremony, any diamonds involved will be synthetic, because science is amazing and De Beers are manipulative exploiters.