Written by Dallea Caldwell
Nothing says ‘I love you” like an iridescent rock chipped away from some African cave and fastened to some other hunk of metal formed with equal attention to detail and maximal iridescent effect. Of course, one could just say “I love you”, but words are thrown around thoughtlessly given their low cost, wide availability, and short-term shelf-life. The engagement ring is designed to put your money where your heart is and then mark your romantic territory in a manner classier than just spraying your significant other. The question is, how much should you spend telling the world that you want to spend the rest of our life with — and all your hard-earned cash on — that very special someone?
The Ultimate Algorithm For Popping the Question
The math is simple. Take the value X of the person you want to be with (X=priceless), divided by what you would be without that person Y (nothing, nobody, big fat zero), and subtract the cost of shared goals and aspirations which a big splurge would seriously compromise. Basically, jewelers say a suitor should spend the equivalent of 2-3 months salary on an engagement ring. Honestly, spending 6 weeks on a ring and a couple months-worth in saving strikes the right balance of careful thought, sentimentality, and forward thinking about the life to come. Whatever you spend, it shouldn’t look as if it could be done on a whim.
Plus, there are lots of cost-cutting tricks which preserve all the “Wow!” and less of the woes of a pricier ring. Consider these 4 options.
Halo Cut: Just like having your less attractive friend play wingman, a diamond surrounded by smaller ones make the center diamond look bigger and is actually cheaper than a single very large diamond, which is harder to find in a cut and color of equal quality.
Pronged Setting: Less metal means less money.
A Little Color: Unless your special someone is high-maintenance beyond belief and keeps a grading microscope in her purse, a little yellow tinge isn’t noticeable to the naked eye. So don’t opt for the second tiers of less pristine clarity: G, H, I, and the lowest being J
Engravings Over infinity Ring: Diamonds covering the entire wedding band says, “I love you”, but an engraving says “I love you, and I want to buy a house.” Plus, adding intricate lines and patterns can sometimes render the band iridescent enough to pass for an infinity ring from afar.
Now Go Pop The Question!
Congratulations on liking it enough to put a ring on it. Best wishes to you and yours. And, if you want to spend some of the the dough you’ve saved on the ring to your proposal night pop, let TalkLocal get your flowers and book a limo rental! Give that loved one a night to squeal indecipherably about with friends for months!
