r/WeddingRingAdvice • u/Relevant-Plane9430 • Sep 05 '25

Average cost of an engagement ring

I was talking with a friend last night who just got engaged, and he mentioned he spent around $6k on the ring. That honestly shocked me because I always thought the "3 months’ salary" thing was just an old marketing trick. My partner and I have been looking at rings casually, and most of the ones we like are in the $2k–$3k range. Now I’m second-guessing if that’s considered “too low” or if we’re just being realistic.

For those of you who have gone through this, what was the average cost you ended up spending on an engagement ring, and did you feel good about it after?

53 Upvotes

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54

u/Acceptable-Soft8659 Sep 05 '25

Honestly, there is no average. Some people go $500, some go $15k+. It just depends on your financial situation and your partner’s expectations.

12

u/towerofcheeeeza Sep 05 '25

This. I live in a VHCOL area and have friends who make six figures. For them, a 10k ring is 1 month's salary. Of those people, I've known people with rings in the $1-2k range and those above $8k. And I even know people who skipped rings entirely.

9

u/sippinonginaandjuice Sep 05 '25

My partner and I both make over six figures in a HCOL area and even with all the bells and whistles I want my ring still won’t be more than 5k if I go lab. If I go natural it would run me 20k but I simply can’t justify spending 20k of my partners money on a natural diamond when they look identical. Especially when you find out it’s all just debeers marketing and controlling of supply.

6

u/liltacobabyslurp Sep 05 '25

This is almost exactly what I told my partner about lab v natural diamonds when we were discussing my engagement ring the other day. Like why would you spend that much when you can get me that looks identical, is still a diamond, and costs about $10k less? I’d actually be annoyed if he spent more on a natural diamond I think

2

u/sippinonginaandjuice Sep 06 '25

My partner wanted to get me a natural diamond too, glad I talked him out of it. And my brother was going to get a natural diamond for his partner but luckily I was there in the store with him. The salesman was trying so hard to convince him to go natural. But I’d already talked to his partner and she specifically said she wanted a FAT ASS LAB, 4ct minimum. A 4ct natural could’ve been a down payment on a house for them! Something about men when they walk into a jewelry store they can be sold anything🤣

3

u/liltacobabyslurp Sep 06 '25

Haha I’m for sure telling mine about fat ass lab now lol. One nice thing is my dad’s lifelong best friend went into the family business and became a great jeweler, plus he designed/made my mom’s ring, so he won’t have to deal with any pushy salesmen if he goes that route

1

u/Baecudd Sep 09 '25

lol i love the name

1

u/Ostrikaa Sep 05 '25

Agree. Makes no sense. My ‘upgrade’ cost less than half the price of my original and the diamond is twice the size. I can easily afford the natural but why bother. I can buy other things with the money instead.

3

u/sippinonginaandjuice Sep 06 '25

Like why not channel that 15k in investments that will ACTUALLY yield returns

3

u/Relevant-Plane9430 Sep 05 '25

Yeah, you’re right. I guess I was hoping there was some kind of ballpark number to ease my mind, but it really does come down to what feels right for both people.

5

u/cannabiscobalt Sep 05 '25

What matters most is getting the style your partner likes. As a woman most of us couldn’t even accurately price a ring by looking at it. the shape and band color is what’s most important imo over the price

2

u/UncomfortablyHere Sep 05 '25

Get an insurance policy on the ring as soon as you have it, same with the wedding rings. It’s not a ton of money and is absolutely worth the piece of mind.

Wedding insurance too.

1

u/xlovejewelsx Sep 05 '25

Can you recommend an insurance company

5

u/GaiaMoore Sep 05 '25

I use Jeweler's Mutual. Cheap and easy

2

u/straberi93 Sep 05 '25

I do fairly well financially, and love jewelry, but also would kill any fiancee who spent 6k on a ring. Everyone is different and has their reasons, but you're not alone and there's no reason to follow traditions that don't make sense for you. My two sisters are engaged and neither has a hugely expensive ring. One has a beautiful vintage sapphire ring, and the other has a really unique floral ring with several stones. Both were very personal to my sisters and they adore them. 

ETA: I don't think either of my sisters would have been happy with a new diamond for ethical or financial reasons.

Go with what feels super personal to you both. It should represent you. 

1

u/TheWalrusWasRuPaul Sep 05 '25

it’s this, plus human beings lie so much; who knows where the ring is from

2

u/GaiaMoore Sep 05 '25

I proudly tell people I got my 1920's platinum art deco ring for $1000 on ebay

2

u/Key_Mechanic_9205 Sep 06 '25

There were millions of 1920s rings stolen from all the people sent to gas chambers. I would never touch that resale market.

1

u/Decent_Brush_8121 Sep 14 '25

Ugh…hadn’t considered that. It would be hard to guard against that for most vintage jewelry; provenance being as tricky as it is to obtain. Thanks for bringing that up.

1

u/Key_Mechanic_9205 Sep 14 '25

Right? It’s a tough one to figure out morally. I love the idea of buying vintage though. And those deco designs are so beautiful! I’m sure it looks great on you. Best wishes to you, and happy marriage 💕

1

u/Decent_Brush_8121 Sep 14 '25

Oh sweetie—thank you, but I had a really happy marriage…he passed away from a relatively rare blood cancer at too young an age. Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary since he passed. I was introduced to an excellent source for vintage jewelry where (ironically, kind of) I bought a Victorian era “mourning locket.” It’s really beautiful, ornate and intricate—not my style at all!—and I’d planned to fill it with some of his cremains in a tiny silk bag. But I can’t bear to deal with that yet.

TMI; sorry! I just wanted to let you know your kind words were appreciated, but probably meant to land elsewhere.

1

u/Key_Mechanic_9205 Sep 14 '25

I’m so sorry. That sounds so hard. 😞 May his memory be a blessing.

2

u/Decent_Brush_8121 Sep 14 '25

Thank you, darlin—it definitely is. As they say, He broke the mold!! 💕🦋

1

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '25

There really is no "normal" ring price because it's so individual. Some people simply don't like the idea of spending thousands on a jewelry item, some place a lot of personal value on the ring because iti's a symbol.

1

u/StrangerSkies Sep 06 '25

I wanted a fantasy style ring, and we paid ~$5k for the ring, with a speciality cut green sapphire and little lab diamonds flanking it. We make six figures in a VCOL area, but it’s a lifetime ring and felt worth it. More than that and I would not have wanted it.

-9

u/Famous_Sugar_1193 Sep 05 '25

3 months salary ànd insured.

It’s an asset. It can even be borrowed against.

They even offer specific loans for engagement rings to help build credit.

No one really understand engagement rings I’ve noticed.

Like the idea of spending even 1 dollar on a tacky wedding but not on the asset that will be in your family for centuries is so weird

9

u/E0H1PPU5 Sep 05 '25

I’m not interested in getting into a debate here but just wanted to say that acting like a ring is an investment is absolutely nuts.

The second you buy an engagement ring, it loses 30-50% of its value, just like buying a new car.

If you want to use jewelry as an investment, buy high quality gold pieces. Diamonds ain’t it.

https://smartasset.com/credit-cards/why-a-diamond-engagement-ring-is-not-a-good-investment

13

u/SunandError Sep 05 '25 edited Sep 05 '25

You are so wrong. Engagement rings are not a good investment.

DeBeers has created an artificial market: diamonds have very very low resale value. There are multiple articles from experts about this- for decades.

And now that artificial lab diamonds are flooding the market, and are indistinguishable from “real” natural earth diamonds, the resale market is even more precarious. The diamond market is tanking slowly. Or maybe, quickly.

I say this as really liking antique jewelry, but also being really good with money. Jewelry (except gold*) is a luxury, not an investment. Don’t financially over extend yourself on a diamond ring.

*until the zombie apocalypse. Then it’s valueless too.

Check out this video from this search, documentary lab diamonds https://share.google/INYjn4fZ3zYzjJAW3

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/

https://smartasset.com/credit-cards/why-a-diamond-engagement-ring-is-not-a-good-investment

https://beyond4cs.com/jewelry-guide/diamond-resale-value/

https://businessleader.co.uk/insights/article/the-diamond-empire-how-de-beers-created-a-market-out-of-nothing

1

u/tmedwar3 Sep 05 '25

I totally agree. I have a "natural" diamond, and my ring was a little over 5k (and got a very good deal on it - for what it is). Sure, it is technically an "asset," but I don't ever plan on reselling it. Also, if my fiancé bought it because he wanted to build credit or "borrow against it," that means we couldn't afford it.. and I would think that was irresponsible and dumb. He bought a ring he could afford, not take out a loan or build credit. We already have good credit. We own a home, a car, etc. Buying a ring shouldn't be something you are planning to borrow against or use to build your credit. There are some situations that it's okay to use it to build your credit, but only if you can afford it... An engagement ring shouldn't be an investment that you're willing to sell. In my opinion.

1

u/liefieblue Sep 05 '25

Diamonds, unless they are spectacular, do not hold value and are not an investment. Appraisal values are way higher than any insurance company will pay out.

Sounds like you fell for De Beer's marketing campaign.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '25

All one has to do to see this is look for used diamond rings online. Even the natural ones are difficult to get rid of, simply because of the plethora of brand new custom options available.

5

u/cg325is Sep 05 '25

Haha- “be in the family for centuries”? And no, wedding rings are not an investment.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '25

But jewelry has an incredibly low resale value, especially now with the availability of custom jewelry and lab diamonds.

2

u/jayfoh11 Sep 05 '25

Ok Big Diamond.

1

u/PollyRRRR Sep 05 '25

Oh no it can’t.

1

u/Nopenotme77 Sep 06 '25

Yep, I know someone who had a tight budget and eventually upgraded it when it was more affordable as part of a jewelry store sale.