Rings and how much to Spend (please Help)

martinlamp

Hi guys

Yes I think the day has come to ask that one and only question. Looking to do it in a week’s time, just wondering if the same traditional methods still apply on buying a ring? I.e. a month’s wages to spend on a ring. Not sure But I have saved 2000 is that enough to spent in these hard times(thats my month wages). I am by no means flush with cash but have saved it up for this moment. Do you think she would expect a higher priced ring these days? I know herr well and I don’t think she would, all she wants to do is get engaged but I don’t want to disappoint her

I’d appreciated any help
Thanks
Martin (going out 8 years time to make a change)

boobar

Best of luck to you MartinLamp,

My advice would be to make the proposal special and then afterwards, you could talk about what type of ring she would like. I think most couples irrespective of the times, will talk about what is a resonable amount to spend. You seem like a considerate guy, you won't disappoint her.

Boobar

martinlamp

Thanks boobar

much appreciate you kind words

Thanks Martin

kamituco

i've heard one - two months wages.

u should look online coz they would be cheaper. this will last a lifetime for her so think of it as 2k over X number of yrs. every1s financial situation is different but yea 2k seems fine in this economic climate. if u do decide to buy in store u should ask for a discount... im sure theyre not selling much jewlry these days so if ur spendin 2k then look for one thats 2.5k and offer em 2, theres a high mark-up on an expensive ring like that so im sure they'd be willin to have a smaller percentage of a big profit of an expensive ring rather than selling one hundred 20 euro rings. ull never know unless u try.

boobar

You're welcome Martin,

Best of luck with the proposal and for the future.

Boobar

namurt

That to me sounds like a very decent amount. Only you can really know what she'd be happy with.

There was a thread here recently about getting a ring for 20,000, that to me seems beyond ridiculous (no offence if the person on that thread is looking at this). I went with the other extreme and told him if he was ever buying me an engagement ring if he spent over 1,000 I'd bring it back and get something cheaper. He did propose, and he listened to me, and the ring I have is absolutely perfect.

So basically what I'm saying is everyone will feel differently about it. Best of luck with the proposal.

Zamp

€2K is plenty. And definitely look for discount. I got around 13% discount with little effort so make sure you ask for it. Good luck.

tinkerbell

If €2k is what you can afford, then that's what you should pay. And I'm sure you could find a gorgeous ring for that amount.

My only recommendation would be - don't buy the ring yourself before you propose. Propose to her and then bring her shopping for the ring. It'll be so much fun for her trying on lots of different styles etc.

Good luck!

Thumpette

2k is more than enough- Ive seen loads of amazing rings at 1k and less also. There was a guy on looking for rings at a budget of 250 euro and I think that is also perfectly fine. Wedding planning is an expensive time, so dont put yourself out too much with this. It is an important purchase yes, but it also a symbol, not a measure of status!

Good luck OP!

cynder

When my fella took me the the jewelers i picked a ring for 1500, i didn't like any of the 2k ones. I agree with boobar.


*you could always get a cheap cubic zirconia ring for €30 and propose with that (tell her its not the real thing and that you want her to choose her ring) and then take a walk to the jewelers.

best of luck.

greenbicycle

i think that's plenty of money to spend on a ring, there is so much variety, you will definitely find something really really nice for that.

in terms of buying the ring before or letting her choose it, i totally get the idea of why it would be good for her to choose but my ring was bought for me and i just think its so special that this ring is the one that was used for the actual proposal i would not have wanted to choose a different ring after at all.

i just wanted you to have the before or after argument from both perspectives!

diskodolly

im not sure where you live but there is beautiful antique rings in powerscourt in dublin, my cousin recently got engaged and got her ring there, and it is WOW.
i dont want to say the name in case they think im advertising but you can PM me and ill tell you whats it called. they were able to tell her the history of her ring and its veryspecial to her. they have hundreds of rings.
we got our ring in galway, and i feel there is better value in dublin.

best of luck

Heineken Helen

martinlamp wrote: »

Hi guys

Yes I think the day has come to ask that one and only question. Looking to do it in a week’s time, just wondering if the same traditional methods still apply on buying a ring? I.e. a month’s wages to spend on a ring. Not sure But I have saved 2000 is that enough to spent in these hard times(thats my month wages). I am by no means flush with cash but have saved it up for this moment. Do you think she would expect a higher priced ring these days? I know herr well and I don’t think she would, all she wants to do is get engaged but I don’t want to disappoint her

I’d appreciated any help
Thanks
Martin (going out 8 years time to make a change)

Awww you both sound like reasonable people and that's really sweet. I agree with those who suggested using a cheap ring for the proposal (she can still keep that one anyway) and then bring her shopping

2000 is plenty, more than plenty. The fact that you've saved up anyway shows you're serious!

Good luck

Bootcamper

Martin,
You have probably already bought the ring but here's my input anyway! Don't feel under pressure to spend a certain amount. It's not the amount that matters, it's the ring and there are fabulous rings for 2k or less. Who cares about the "one month's wages" thing, surely that's not really in keeping with the times. I'm looking for an engagement ring at the moment and my boyfriend/fiancé (haha!) has a smaller budget than you and I find so many lovely rings. I'm sure your girlfriend has already said yes and has her ring by now so congatulations!

Captain Commie

After the mrs and myself got engaged we went ring shopping together and i told her that money was not an issue and to pick the ring she wanted, she had a look at the rings that were 2k-5k and didnt like any of them at all. She ended up picking a ring that cost about 300 cause it was the nicest one that she could see.

Fair play if you can afford 2k, our entire wedding was for 12k including her ring

00112984

Agree with the others. Don't be led by the "month's wages" rule. I think in this day and age it's a lot more practical, where possible, to discuss it as a couple and decide on a budget that you're both comfortable with. Who knows, she might think €2k is too much for a piece of jewellery and would prefer something cheaper with the difference going on something else.

It's a big deal, picking a ring but don't be afraid to get her involved too.

Best of luck.

Orla_smile

Hi Innovated,
How did you do your wedding for €12k.
I only want 15 people at mine so should be grand.
Think big weddings are very 2006, its all about budgeting and having quality intimate time :rolleyes:

Irishrossoblu

Whatever you do, pick it with her. 2k is way over the top in my opinion. Is your other half Irish? Lots of non UK-Irl-US do not expect or have the tradition of engagement, so no need to buy a ring.

psycho-hope

i agree with everyone that said let her pick the ring after you propose, if your looking for something cheap to propose with try M+S they have some lovely rings for around 30-40 euro.

magneticimpulse

psycho-hope wrote: »

i agree with everyone that said let her pick the ring after you propose, if your looking for something cheap to propose with try M+S they have some lovely rings for around 30-40 euro.

Id be happy with the "prop" ring meself. Since Ireland is bankrupt...you'd want to be investing your money in your pension and the likes. Not throwing it away on an engagement ring. Everyone is going to be so screwed over next year with this budget. Save all the money you can, your going to need it!!!

K09

Hi,

I am planning to propose to my gf over the christmas or new yrs. I was thinking of buying the ring myself.
However, I have no idea what amount of money to spend on it or what kind of ring to get.

Any guy I know who got married bought the ring himself and proposed with it. I think my gf would like to be proposed to with the ring but I also think she would like to spend the day going in/out of jewellery shops looking for the perfect ring.

I'm not sure what to do. If I do decide to get the ring afterwards how could I make the proposal special?
Any suggestions or advice would be hugely appreciated!!

Thanks!

Zaph

K09 wrote: »

I think my gf would like to be proposed to with the ring but I also think she would like to spend the day going in/out of jewellery shops looking for the perfect ring.

You really need to find out which it is. Once you've got that worked out then you can work out how you're going to do it.

bills

If you are not a 100% sure, then get a cheap costume ring & go shopping for the ring after.

Obviously, you cant go asking too many questions if you want to surprise her so this may be your best option.

pavcro10

Online is waaaay cheaper. Congrats

HxGH

Did you not get a ring from a Halloween Brack? :P

€2,000 should suffice my friend.

Best of luck with your future!

tinkerbell

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

I am planning to propose to my gf over the christmas or new yrs. I was thinking of buying the ring myself.
However, I have no idea what amount of money to spend on it or what kind of ring to get.

Any guy I know who got married bought the ring himself and proposed with it. I think my gf would like to be proposed to with the ring but I also think she would like to spend the day going in/out of jewellery shops looking for the perfect ring.

I'm not sure what to do. If I do decide to get the ring afterwards how could I make the proposal special?
Any suggestions or advice would be hugely appreciated!!

Thanks!

Don't go and buy the ring yourself. Propose to her and then go out shopping for it together. And of course you can make the proposal special! Just because you don't have a ring yet doesn't mean it can't be special. Do something romantic and just ask her!

Storm_rages

I'm interested to hear people say its cheaper to buy online. I do work in the trade (sort of) and to be honest i would not buy online. I would buy at auction, for a couple of reason, They tend to be cheaper then you can buy for in shops, you get a wider choice and most places will give you a written valuation. I got my engagement ring in an auction house in Dublin and i'm delighted with it. (but yea i would let her pick it, it is something you see everyday and it would be terrible if you hated it)

trixie11

martinlamp wrote: »

Hi guys

Yes I think the day has come to ask that one and only question. Looking to do it in a week’s time, just wondering if the same traditional methods still apply on buying a ring? QUOTE]

So...how did the proposal go?

random10

Me and my boyfriend are together a few years and know we will get married in next few years. When we were in town last week he asked if I wanted to go looking at rings to give him an idea of what I'd like and what suits me, of course I said yes. Anyway we went into two shops in the powerscourt centre, the first lady was lovely. The second one was a man who asked what our budget was. We said 5,000, well actually my boyfriend did I personally was thinking more 2,000-3,000 but anyway if he insists , anyway back to the guy in the shop when we said 5.000 he said "oh so you want something smallish so"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I nearly died. Surely 5,000 is NOT a small amount for a ring?????????????

City boy turned country

I have been thinking about and saving for proposing for a few months now. I will be ready to go in January.

What I did was drop a few hints about me not having a clue about what type to get and I asked her to show me on the internet what to get. She then went onto the website for the shop, had a look and actually picked the ring out there and then so i asked to see it and when she left I took the code for the ring so I can go in and ask for it in her size.

Question though: my best mate's girlfriend works there and can get me a discount. My girlfriend knows this. Would this come across as cheap?

Thanks

CBTC

krankykitty

City boy turned country wrote: »

Question though: my best mate's girlfriend works there and can get me a discount. My girlfriend knows this. Would this come across as cheap?

Not at all! It's common practice to haggle for a discount anyway with such an expensive purchase, so having a mate there for a discount just makes that process a bit easier

Believe me, the wedding business is expensive enough as it is, take any discounts you get!

random10

Totally agree, grab the discount, if I knew my boyfriend had gotten my ring down by a good bit I'd be very proud, more money to spend on the wedding, good luck.

The Davestator

Has anyone any experience of haggling on price in Fields? Saw a lovely one there at the weekend and the sales girl said they might be able to do something with the price. Its 2,495.

greenflash

The Davestator wrote: »

Has anyone any experience of haggling on price in Fields? Saw a lovely one there at the weekend and the sales girl said they might be able to do something with the price. Its 2,495.

Depends on what the ring is in terms of metal and stone. Find out the details of the ring e.g. if it's gold, ask what carat it is etc and get all the info you can on the stone (or stones), then look around to see what a similar standard piece of jewellery will cost elsewhere. Do a quick bit of general research but don't worry about trying to become an expert over night, then armed with a bit of knowledge go back and take them down even further. Be prepared to walk away, especially from a shop such as Field's, as you will get better value and better quality elsewhere. Any initial discount offered is not going to be the lowest price they can sell it for so stick with it.

K09

tinkerbell wrote: »

Don't go and buy the ring yourself. Propose to her and then go out shopping for it together. And of course you can make the proposal special! Just because you don't have a ring yet doesn't mean it can't be special. Do something romantic and just ask her!

OK. Thinking of going away for couple of nights over the Christmas Period. She wants to go for New Yrs eve but problem is many places already booked and shops closed new yrs day and the next 2 days!! So would not be able to go shop for ring then!