Why a man is supposed to spend 2 months salary on an engagement ring.

[Rollerderby]

There is an engagement ring commericial at the bottom of the page lol

[lesa]

Congrats on your engagement, Frasbee!

[Cbrider]

I have noticed wedding bands for men are becoming more and more ridiculous. A bunch of them have diamonds and other gems in them....WTF kind of masculine is that?

When the day comes, I want one of those Tungsten bands. I can wear it proudly, but not have to baby the stupid thing so it doesn't get damaged.

-----------------------------

To be honest, there comes a line with womens rings. They are nice to a point, but when they get too big they just seem to scream "bitch."

[Illusional]

i think when it comes to modern day thinking, parents want to know that their daughter is going to marry a man that can manage his money...

raverboy

[Petit Papillon]

Maybe in US , but in Europe it's normal to buy a ring for 500 euros, or even 200. .. We don't spend 10000 Euros on engagement ring,people usually Don't have it. In Poland... We save money for wodka The wedding is during 2 days, and if wódka ends on the wedding,it's a bad sign. Wódka can't finish

[Illusional]

that's what i was thinking. the diamond is more so for the girl to show off how much money her man makes... bullshit.

i'd rather have a wicked ceremony with the bestest food, and an open bar... maybe a clown to laugh at and make fun of all the ugly people who are on my bride's side, some sorta magical to later make them disappear when they get too drunk, and a nice quiet room so i can get laid.

raverboy

[doppelgaenger]

But what if you work at Mcdonalds? 2 months salary there is only like $1000, haha.

[boobaa]

The idea that a man should spend about two months' wages for an engagement ring originated from De Beers marketing materials in the early 20th century, in an effort to increase the sale of diamonds.

Congratulations to anyone who ever fell for this outrageously expensive ploy.

An ad told all the dumb swooning men that they need to give them more money to prove their love and it actually managed to become ingrained in our culture.

haha, luckily there has never been any such rule where I live. I piss on you, proud Americans!

[Junket]

haha, luckily there has never been any such rule where I live. I piss on you, proud Americans!

What?

Boobaa.

You're an idiot.

[boobaa]

Your face is in idiot piss.




On the serious note:

Can I ever marry and not have a ring? What if I don't like some cold metal tingelingy stuck around my finger.

[Charlie Boy II]

Recycle - use your mother's engagement ring, that's romantic and sweet too.

thank you. what a brilliant idea!

[Doc Durian]

If we did ring tattoo's instead of rings, marriages would be entered into more cautiously and last a whole lot longer and as a poster rightly said earlier, the money would be better spent on something else...

...But it's all relative. If there were no wedding rings being sold, another income disposing item/ad campaign would assume it's place in the mass marketing cycle...say for instance, "Nothing says love like a Deboobs D-Cup Breast - When you care enough to sign a 4 year contract with a woman - Think Deboobs"

Better to find a partner who agrees with you on this.

I reckon anything more than 1500.00 is overkill.

[starbuck]

If we did ring tattoo's instead of rings, marriages would be entered into more cautiously and last a whole lot longer and as a poster rightly said earlier, the money would be better spent on something else...

You'd stay with the person to avoid the humiliation of having to get it removed. Ha!

You know, I like this idea though. There's something really simple and unmaterialistic about it that appeals to me.

I also like the idea of my guy getting me a nice handmade sterling silver ring for an engagement ring. Nothing too expensive, but a one-of-a kind thing made by a local artist who could use our business.

Those "Diamonds-R-Us" rings have no appeal for me.

[lovesjoyajm]

Re: using your mother's engagement ring - I love this idea. I've got a way overactive nostalgic/sentimental streak, so I can't think of anything more romantic. I would also wear my mother's wedding dress if it fit me and maybe get alterations done to make it suit me a bit more, but I don't really like the idea of spending thousands on a dress, either. Three cheers for family heirlooms. Do you know of anyone who's used the mother's engagement ring if the mother was still alive?

And Doppel - that's the point of the two months' salary quote. That's why there's no general "you should pay at least $X on an engagement ring", because obviously people at different levels of earning can afford different things. It's all about proportions.

Finally, Fras, maybe it's a dumb moneymaking ploy by the diamond companies, but I think there's another way to look at it, as someone else has said - it's a physical proof that the man is capable of saving money which, for many, is a necessary quality in a life partner. Sure, they could look at the money and say "ok, let's put a down payment on a car" but a few years later the car will probably be traded in for a new one and then the symbol is gone. A ring is something small that can be carried throughout moves and changes in a marriage.

I think engagement trees would be a nice idea.

[Doc Durian]

You'd stay with the person to avoid the humiliation of having to get it removed. Ha!

You know, I like this idea though. There's something really simple and unmaterialistic about it that appeals to me.

I also like the idea of my guy getting me a nice handmade sterling silver ring for an engagement ring. Nothing too expensive, but a one-of-a kind thing made by a local artist who could use our business.

Those "Diamonds-R-Us" rings have no appeal for me.

You accept silver?

If "my guy" goes the way of the dodo, I'll meet you your silver and raise you a k of cubic zirconium for the honour?

(You're a bargain! lol)