Every man who intends to propose to his girlfriend with an engagement ring has to define his personal budget. We have some guidelines for you.

• There is no universal rule telling how much an engagement ring should cost.
• A few guidelines can help you to define your personal budget.

Many women wish for a diamond ring as their engagement ring. The price of a diamond can be a bit shocking for many men at first, but keep in mind that:

• An engagement ring is one of, if not the most important pieces of jewelry a woman will own in her lifetime. It symbolizes the promise to spend a whole lifetime together!
• The newly betrothed will want to show off her ring to friends, family, colleagues, ….
• The engagement ring is not only meant to be worn until the marriage but for a lifetime!
• A diamond ring is an investment.

Especially in American movies, the ecstatically smiling actresses are being offered huge, sparkling engagement rings. The price of such rings often exceeds realistic budgets: at the time they want to get engaged, many men are only at the beginning of their career. It’s important to find a budget for your engagement ring that is in line with not only one’s income, but also the one's lifestyle.

• Gross and net monthly income
• Savings
• Lifestyle
• Cost per time

The net income is a good indicator for defining the budget for an engagement ring. It’s a common opinion that at least half monthly salary should be invested. If the financial situation allows it, one or more full salaries can be invested.

Especially in the United States it’s common to spend large sums on an engagement ring. Most Americans want to make sure that the – obligatory – diamond’s sparkle is well visible on the fiancées left hand. Hence, many follow the unwritten rule of spending at least one full monthly salary on the ring, but just in case two are really not feasible! Three salaries are considered as optimal. US-American jewelers consequently estimated an average sum of 6 000 $ being spent on engagement rings. According to these estimations, this sum doubled compared to 2013.

If you have savings you might want to consider investing part of them in a diamond ring. Diamonds have proved to be a god investment over time. Also, it’s a nice idea to start your own tradition and purchase a ring that’s worthy of being inherited within the family.

An engagement ring should match the couple's lifestyle; where they live, what they wear, what they do and where they are employed. It doesn’t make sense to splurge on an overly pricy engagement ring if you can’t afford your rent the months after. Simultaneously, some women that (could) have it all don’t like showing off with flashy jewels. Know the difference between the lifestyle she wants and the lifestyle she wants to show!

An engagement ring is meant to be worn for many happy years. Consequently, one should invest in the best possible quality! (Which does not only mean the often price-defining size of a diamond, mind you!) Like with all major investments, it’s worth calculating how much you are actually spending considering the time of use.

Think about how long you think your future wife will wear the engagement ring. Now you can put the price of the engagement ring in perspective:

What happens if you spend less on the engagement ring that your partner had wished for? First of all, it is very hard for laymen to assess the value of a diamond ring. The worth of a diamond depends on various criteria. Many people assume that only diamond’s size or carat-size (which actually measures the weight, but is often mistaken for the diameter) is seen as the most important factors. But actually, also a diamonds clarity, color and cut define its quality and hence the value. A small diamond can be a lot more worth than a bigger one! Therefore, it’s necessary to find a trade-off between all of a diamond’s characteristics – and to explain them to the fair lady, if necessary.

However, the engagement ring’s price is not what truly counts. The purpose behind it and what it symbolizes exceeds its monetary value by far. The right woman will appreciate your promise and the symbol for it – no matter how much money it cost you.