5 ms·

Out of curiosity, I started looking at what a three-months salary engagement ring would look like if I proposed to my wife today. Man am I lucky I got married

by zecho 14y ago

Out of curiosity, I started looking at what a three-months salary engagement ring would look like if I proposed to my wife today. Man am I lucky I got married right at the end of college and we purchased the engagement ring and wedding bands together to negotiate the price down, for far less money. I can't ever imagine my wife wearing rings like that. When we bought them, the sales lady told us we "can always upgrade the stone later" and we both laughed at the idea. We're still laughing, actually.

slavak 14y ago
Is the price of diamonds in the U.S. really that high? I spent quite a chunk of change on an engagement ring for my fiancée, but it was closer to a week's salary. I think if I'd spent three months salary on it the rock would be so big she wouldn't be able to lift her hand. I'm making good money, but we're not exactly talking Fortune-500 CEO levels here.
- chiph 14y ago
  For a senior developer in SF area, 3 months salary could get you a loose diamond in the 3-4 carat range off a site like bluenile.com. That's enormous for a ring. In fact, probably so large that disbelief becomes a problem: "That can't be real!"
  - Nursie 14y ago
    Wowsers. 1.5 carat solitaire rings look quite huge, 3 carats would be enormous. I'd be kinda tempted buying one that big for a woman because, you know, if we're going to go for a vulgar display of wealth, then let's make it really f*cking vulgar :) (I still have better things to do with the money...)
- faet 14y ago
  It depends where you go. Mall stores (Kay/Jareds/etc) are all owned by 1 company[0]. Which means you can "shop around" the mall and one may be a few hundred cheaper than the others. But, still all over priced. Stores outside that brand are generally near those stores and also over charge. Both, don't keep many diamonds onsite. They all ask for your budget, and ship in 2-3 stones for you to look at (in your budget). Then, you buy one. Illusion of choice. If you goto a diamond store (that houses tons onsite) and just go for eye appeal rather than rating. You can get a '15-20k$' mall diamond for a third or less. [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Jewelers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Jewelers

by zecho 14y ago

slavak 14y ago

Is the price of diamonds in the U.S. really that high? I spent quite a chunk of change on an engagement ring for my fiancée, but it was closer to a week's salary. I think if I'd spent three months salary on it the rock would be so big she wouldn't be able to lift her hand. I'm making good money, but we're not exactly talking Fortune-500 CEO levels here.

chiph 14y ago
For a senior developer in SF area, 3 months salary could get you a loose diamond in the 3-4 carat range off a site like bluenile.com. That's enormous for a ring. In fact, probably so large that disbelief becomes a problem: "That can't be real!"
- Nursie 14y ago
  Wowsers. 1.5 carat solitaire rings look quite huge, 3 carats would be enormous. I'd be kinda tempted buying one that big for a woman because, you know, if we're going to go for a vulgar display of wealth, then let's make it really f*cking vulgar :) (I still have better things to do with the money...)
faet 14y ago
It depends where you go. Mall stores (Kay/Jareds/etc) are all owned by 1 company[0]. Which means you can "shop around" the mall and one may be a few hundred cheaper than the others. But, still all over priced. Stores outside that brand are generally near those stores and also over charge. Both, don't keep many diamonds onsite. They all ask for your budget, and ship in 2-3 stones for you to look at (in your budget). Then, you buy one. Illusion of choice. If you goto a diamond store (that houses tons onsite) and just go for eye appeal rather than rating. You can get a '15-20k$' mall diamond for a third or less. [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Jewelers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Jewelers