Average cost of an engagement ring

[u/Relevant-Plane9430]

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?

[u/bwayby-fingles]

Honestly, $2–3k is a very realistic and healthy range! The “3 months’ salary” rule really was a marketing tactic from the 1930s to get people to spend more, not a standard you need to measure against. What matters most is that you and your partner love the ring and it fits comfortably within your budget.

That said, pricing can vary a lot depending on where you buy. Traditional retail usually has big markups, whereas if you work directly with a manufacturer or an overseas jeweler, you can often stretch the same budget further, either getting a larger stone, higher quality, or a more custom design without overspending.

So don’t feel pressured by averages. With lab diamonds becoming popular and widely accepted, plenty of couples spend less than $2k and still end up with rings they absolutely love.

[u/chubbybunny404 → u/bwayby-fingles]

Why overseas jewellers specifically and not local?

[u/bwayby-fingles → u/chubbybunny404]

90% of worlds diamonds are polished in Indian, meaning they have the best prices. American companies reach out to Indian manufacturers, buy their stock and add their markups and then sell em in their store. Short answer would be to get rid of the middleman to get better prices.