to think that people who spent £12,000 on an engagment ring are very silly and pretentious.?

[vio]

Recently a very good friend of mine just got engaged, she was given the chance of choosing an engagnment ring at Cartier in London, with a budget up to £12.000 ..though at the end she chose one cost £8.500 but I thought that's a complete waste of money...on the other hand, I felt bad for judging people becos everyone has its own right to spend money right?

I tried on a really expensive ring once. DH and I were walking along and came to a jewelry window. We were discussing emeralds. I said that the 4 carat emerald in the window was too green to be real. We went inside betting on the price. We both estimated way too low. The gentleman behind the counter smiled and slide it on my finger. He then told us the price. It was a perfect, flawless 4 carat emerald set in diamonds. $40,000.00 and was currently being bid on by other jewelers. I almost fainted. I've never seen such a beautiful ring...and probably never will again. Two days later it was gone.

I was dead cheeky when I was looking for an engagement ring (DH wisely proposed without). I would say hmm, stuff in the window is very nice, but what have you got in the safe out the back? They'd lock all the doors (obviously), and bring out these things the size of golf balls. I tried on several US$300,000-plus rings, just to see what it felt like.

Didn't buy any of them, of course, but it was fun trying them on.

Very sorry to hear about your DS, vio.

I know that gold, diamonds etc. keep their value as raw materials but the cost of a ring includes much more than just the raw materials - you are paying for the design, the work, the setting and the name, almost none of which are recuperable in re-sale.

And as I had my ex-engagement ring valued by a jeweller with a view to selling it, I do know what I am talking about in my case.

My whole wedding, honeymoon and engagement and wedding rings was under £7000 and we are very happily married. Will be 10 years married next year and I am hoping for a ring to replace the one DH had to cut off my finger when I was pregnant. That cost £20 from Argos when we had been together a v short time and this next one might be a bit more than that!

Who really gives a frick about how much someone elses ring costs ?

I have nice jewellery...
DH earns an obscene amount really but we donate the same amount to charity whenever we make big purchases (eg car/ring/watch etc) so whatever our budget we halve it straight away...
But my jewellery makes me so happy, whenever I look at my watch (= 18th birthday present of my parents) I see my engagment and eternity rings off DH and all 3 make me smile and feel loved at least 20 times a day! I know you don't have to spent ludicrous amounts to feel loved but everyone likes to have pretty things!

We don't. We are just comparing experiences. Just...talking for the sake of it. Have a great day NomDePlume.

I'm sure your "cheap rings" are worth your DH's weight in gold (not literally but you get my meaning) to you riven. What anyone has in love, family and memories outweighs anything you can't take with you to the grave anyway. It's all just stuff in the end.

I don't know. I'm not uber-rich nor do I know anyone that is. I know that some uber-rich make wonderful contributions but also lavish themselves in "brilliance" such as Oprah and Bono.
I can only think for myself and I would suppose that any charity one makes would hold to their particular interests anyway.

I'm not getting that honeymoon (13 years here) either. I hope you do eventually (riven and anyone else that really would like one). We did the justice of the peace ceremony. Long story and I'm not going to go into it.

lol, I'd be happy to be able to squeeze into my dress again.