Buying guide · Budget
There is no salary rule.
One month, two months or three months of pay is not a financial formula. Start with the amount that leaves your life in good shape after the proposal.
The old Engagement Ring Guru gave better advice: imagine yourself six months after the purchase. Would you still feel comfortable with what you spent? That question is more useful than multiplying a pay packet.
Start with the money that is actually available
- Choose the most you can spend without hiding debt or delaying something more important.
- Subtract the rest of the ring costs. Leave room for the setting, resizing, tax or duties, delivery and insurance.
- Keep a buffer. A custom change, delayed return or unexpected wedding cost should not become a crisis.
- Check the number together if finances are shared. A secret proposal does not require secret financial stress.
Expensive can still be the right choice
If jewellery matters deeply to both of you, you have the money and a particular ring will be worn for decades, spending more may fit your life. The point is to choose the number deliberately. A low-cost ring can be meaningful. So can an expensive one.
Debt changes the question
Look at the total repayment, interest, fees and the date the balance will be gone. If paying for the ring will make the first months of the engagement tense, reduce the budget or change the plan.
What should get the money first?
- A sound, wearable setting
- A diamond or gemstone you enjoy at normal viewing distance
- A grading report where one is appropriate
- A workable return period
- Secure delivery, sizing and insurance
Paying for a grade you cannot see may matter less than improving the cut, setting or overall size. The answer depends on the exact ring.
Where the history comes from
The Smithsonian holds De Beers material in the N. W. Ayer advertising records. De Beers also credits N. W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety with its famous 1947 slogan in the company’s own history. A 1994 JCK industry report describes a campaign promoting the two-month salary guideline.
Work backwards from your proposal date →