How much should an engagement ring cost??

[Sounbelievablydull]

Humour me here please.
My original ring has disintegrated back has split and one ( v small diamond) has fallen out and is now lost.
Now I never thought I was a jewellery type person ...but... Now I find I'm noticing other people's rings and feeling envious.
So, if I were to put my original ring plus a few bits of trivial hideous 80s stuff together what would I need to come up with to have nice piece of bling???

when you decide on a budget, buy the stone from one of the online diamond dealers rather than retail. I had to replace a lost stud earring recently and going through retail (not even a branded store) was double the price of the identically spec'd stone from the online stores (and this was for a GIA certificated diamond - same CCC & shape but slightly different dimensions.)

Given you get the certificate with it, that's your "insurance" that the stone is what it is.

theCladdagh - DeBeers have come up with another doozy lately - "champagne" diamonds, aka the discoloured ones that would formerly have been non gemstone / industrial use as too dark for a white stone, but not a coloured / fancy stone. Hideous brown diamonds. But Champagne! by De Beers! They're muggers.

Well my eternity ring isn't diamond and therefore doesn't conform to the 'standards' required (which I hadn't actually realised existed). It was literally a nice, if inexpensive, ring bought for me by dh on my 30th birthday to say that although he wasn't ready to marry at that point he was very much committed to me. I liked the sentiment and hadn't heard of the de beers thing. We're just ageing hippies and the value to me has always been about much more than money. I'm not materialistic.

I don't like diamonds very much but this medieval ring would do me nicely. It's only £3,900.

If anyone fancies proposing to me I'll be lurking in Style and Beauty between 1pm and 2pm. My housekeeping standards fluctuate but I make a wonderful beef stew and know how to mix a mean martini.

I await your attentions.

I have a Champagne diamond ring, it's not a horrid dark brown stone at all. It's literally light champagne coloured and I love it. It cost me £1400 to have it made bespoke to me and I've had it independently valued somewhere else, for security, at £4400.
I also have yellow diamond earrings, which I love and adore and often wear for everyday, they cost £1100 and again independently valued at just under £5000.
Worth and value are all relative I suppose but I love them and that's what matters. Fwiw, I buy a lot of my diamonds from America as they are much better value even with customs fees.

And I bought a ring 'second hand' from eBay. I know the brand so knew what I was getting but it was being sold by a seemingly clueless bloke, no idea why, who sold it me for £600. I had it valued at £6000! Definitely worth a look

This is my ring;

www.goldengrovejewelry.com/product/opal-queen

I love it, it's isn't everyone's style but I'm not big on bling anyway

I say 'second hand' as the ring was delivered in its box with security tag still attached. I've bought from the brand before and the tag was definitely original and in tact. I'd seen this particular ring selling for around £3500 and I had the PayPal guarantee to fall back on if it was duff. I went for it and even if it had been worn, it was still an amazing find!!

I had a sneaky look at how much mine cost online, and think dp paid between £300-£400 for the wedding set (with wedding ring).

I'm terrified of loosing it as it is, and have gotten used to it, but if it'd been more I'd have felt panicky wearing it out and about. Atm if I lost it, it would be a terrible shame, and I'd have to get a cheaper replacement, but not the end of the world. But I would be in right state if I lost a £1000+ ring.

As pp's said, I'd rather have something for the house for that sort of money.

Go to the auction websites and have a look, then visit some auction houses- even the big houses sell jewellery massively below the retail price - and you will get a huge choice (you will have to pay a buyer's premium of around 10% on top) - diamonds are already thousands of years old, so it does it matter if it's "second hand". He should buy it, not you... not until we get equal pay, and our time out for maternity and unpaid work is recognised... Two months salary is a minimum guide (just like the CSM child maintenance payments) get the BIGGEST MF you can - because one day you may need to flog it to pay for a decent education for one of your DCs... A good bit of jewellery is a great investment, and it will give you pleasure. One of my friends once said that the best gift her husband could give her was a piece of good jewellery, because it showed that he really trusted and valued her contribution enough to give her something very valuable - the value is relative to your own lifestyle (if he earns loads and plays golf like the DH on another stream today who tells his wife to be "a good wife..." it should be at least three times the cost of his sodding annual golf membership! Finally, it's a very English thing to keep the original engagement ring, lots of my French friends get an "upgrade" on anniversaries or birthdays when the family finances improve enough.... Hope you find a beautiful ring and really enjoy wearing it!

Mine was 11k, I love it and my partner wanted to buy it and luckily could afford it. Buy what you both love and it really doesnt matter how much it cost.

Am I the only person who doesn't know what their engagement ring cost? I never once asked because I'm not that materialistic and I think comparing cost as if monetary value is important is just tacky.

What you like and can afford. To replace mine now would cost about 2k, I prefer my eternity ring I think it would be around 4K to replace.

I have lost a diamond earring before, that was an expensive drunken escapade.

I am amazed at people knowing what their friend's engagement rings cost............

Mine cost about 500 because he knew I would lose it. Which I did.

Clarrp it's nothing to do with being materialistic. I know what mine cost because I was there when it was bought - we had a budget of £3000 and I chose one quite under budget! - but also as a responsible owner I've had it re valued and insured so even if I didn't personally choose it, I'd know.

Clarrp it's not materialistic. I know how much it cost because it has been valued for insurance

Get whatever you want but remember that diamonds, like popcorn, have a massive retail mark up - up to 1000% - and are not an investment. Diamonds are pretty, but not rare in themselves. Gold is a better bet.

Valuations for insurance purposes are not a reliable indicator of value.

I remember a documentary about the diamond trade and Tiffany's had the poorest quality diamonds.

I don't really have an engagement ring and most of my friends have fairly cheap, non blingy ones.

He should buy it, not you... not until we get equal pay, and our time out for maternity and unpaid work is recognised... Two months salary is a minimum guide (just like the CSM child maintenance payments) get the BIGGEST MF you can - because one day you may need to flog it to pay for a decent education for one of your DCs... A good bit of jewellery is a great investment, and it will give you pleasure. One of my friends once said that the best gift her husband could give her was a piece of good jewellery, because it showed that he really trusted and valued her contribution enough to give her something very valuable - the value is relative to your own lifestyle

Sometimes I feel as if Mumsnet if a portal to another universe.

It's hard to know where to begin with this muddle-headed, vapid farrago of materialism dressed up as feminism. Make Your Man Buy You a Huge Rock Because Equal Pay Remains a Myth? I'm assuming you're campaigning hard on equal pay and the career costs of motherhood, Highland, or are you just sitting at home stroking your enormous ring? And mightn't the best present your friend's husband could give her a completely equal division of childcare and household chores? Because the 'here's an expensive toy, now get off my back about the golf weekends/porn/me fucking the office junior' thing is a pretty hoary old trope. Ditto with the 'female value is in men's eyes' thing. And surely there are better investments than jewellery if you suspect your husband is hiding money before the divorce and need to bankroll your own future?

It doesn't have to cost anywhere near thousands of pounds. You don't HAVE to have one at all, men don't. The mark up on new jewellery is horrendous, check out the price of secondhand, it's much better value. Also antique rings are unique these days. Save your money/his money for something more worthwhile.

Not sure jewellery is even a good investment, TBH.

I have a friend with far more jewellry than she can wear .I think she does see it as a symbol of her DH love .It's very much 'look what X bought me..'.
My engagement ring is Edwardian and very prettu though very modest partly as I have very small hands. It was second hand-it would probably now be classed as antique.And certainly didnt cost DH a month's salary I have had two diamonds replaced and the shank strengthened so no,it hasn't lasted for ever,but I have worn it happily and proudly for 35 years. I have more expensive rings now but this is the one I'd be devastated to lose
My wedding ring was however made for me to my design and echoes the engraving on my engagement ring .I doubt it cost a months salary either .I took the opportunity of having to have it cut off when I broke a finger to have it enlarged and re- engraved and polished .
And no jewellry is not a good investment. I have had two rings of my (deceased) mother in laws 're sized and valued for insurance purposes .They are worth very little though the stones are good ones .
If you like expensive bling then have it but don't see it as a way of raising money if your relationship breaks down

Theres an excellent novel about the oman who came up with the A diamond is for ever slogan

it really doesn't matter how much it costs

I have noticed with older couples you can often tell whether they have been 'together for ever'as the woman tends to have a quite modest engagement ring bought when they were young and poor (though often also a very expensive looking eternity ring ,maybe to celebrate a significant birthday or anniversary as they got older and richer) Or am I going only by my own friends? .Only one couple of my circle has divorced which I realise is possibly unusual .

Yes, Post - both of my grandmothers had whoppers for eternity or 40th anniversary rings, but fairly modest engagement rings. I guess it reflects increasing affluence.