When it comes to purchasing a simple engagement ring there’s no set-in-stone price; it really depends on your situation. You can get an engagement ring for as little as $1,500 or as much as $8.8 million.
But what if you want to pop the question but your financial health is not that good? Still, there are many options for budget couples.
So, what does a simple engagement ring cost?
Unfortunately, there is no specific answer to that question. If you do a little research, you will find that there are plenty of simple engagement ring options out there for every budget. In fact, doing a little research before buying an engagement ring goes a long way in helping you avoid paying too much.
Cost of a simple engagement ring
Currently, the average cost of an engagement ring is around $5,900 but there are many factors that go into the price of a ring.
One of the rules of thumb when buying an engagement ring is that the price you pay should be equal to two months’ salary.
Things to consider when buying a simple engagement ring:
It doesn’t matter if you are a hardcore romantic or a by-the-books rationalist, buying an engagement ring will not be an easy task. Thankfully there are templates you can follow, and some of them are shared below. You can also check out our engagement ring buying guide.
Her expectations
To the ladies, the ring does matter because it is a symbol of your love as well as commitment towards each other.
So before buying the ring, it will be a good idea to know her preferred style first.
Understand her style, because the engagement ring you pick will be the most important piece of jewelry she owns, and will be on her finger for the rest of her life.
Women don’t like removing their rings when working or engaging in their hobbies or sports, so make sure you keep this in mind when purchasing the ring. Think about how the band will fit into her daily lifestyle.
Her finger size
This is of utmost importance. The average size of a women’s ring is between 5 and 7, so you can work around these numbers to determine your partner’s ring size without her knowing.
If you plan to surprise her with the big question but don’t know her ring size, you can try to ask subtlety.
For example, you can pretend you want to buy your mom or sister a ring but you forgot their size.
Alternatively, playfully wrap her ring finger with a string and take the measurement to the jeweler.
But the best method of knowing your girlfriend’s ring size is to get a bunch of trial rings and enlist a close friend to get her to try them out.
The metal for the ring
The metal of the engagement ring will affect its overall look. Platinum and white gold have been very popular options for many years, and you can also find great varieties for diamonds graded on the GIA color scale from D to J.
If you prefer gold, it is worth noting that white metal tines or bezels are usually incorporated into yellow gold rings in order to create a distinction with the diamond.
Know the difference between cutting styles, shapes, and cut quality
Shopping for an engagement ring is usually a challenging task for men. However, to make the process of selecting an engagement ring easier you should learn the difference between the stone’s cutting style, shape, and cut quality.
The diamond’s shape represents the outline of the stone when you view it face up. This shouldn’t pose a problem to you since engagement diamonds are traditionally round in shape. But if you are after some other shapes, there are options such as rectangle, marquise, oval, heart, pear, and square.
Cutting style means how the facets of the stone are arranged. Common circular shaped diamond engagement rings tend to have a standard face arrangement with 57 to 58 facets.
You can also go for other cutting styles such as radiant cut, which features a rectangle or square shape with a beautiful style, or an emerald cut that also has either a rectangle or square shape punctuated by four facets on the sides and slanting corners.
Last but not least, cut quality describes how well the gem’s facets interact with light.