how much do i spend for the ring? i checked tiffany and de beers, but the only things that start to look decent are 20k and above.... how much is too much?

Unless she is a gold digger - she will not care. Anything over £10,000 is too much.

I got my now wife's from a diamond wholesaler in Hatton Garden, and designed the ring and setting.Massive brownie points for romance!Try Emdico. Vivek is great.

i spent one month's salary

my wife used to tell me that 3 months salary was traditional. I did my own research and found out that 1 - 1½ months was nearer the mark. I could not find out if this meant guaranteed or average earnings and which elements of the benefits package should be included. My advice is this. Do your research as to average prices for rings in other locations. With a bit of market knowledge, you can get a ring and a holiday for less than the price of the ring in the UK. We went to Turkey (cr@p holiday) and actually had the opportunity to watch the ring being made in the factory. Wonderful. We then took it back and I had it valued at 2½ times the price we paid for it. Money aside, it was a great experience and a nice ring. I suspect that if you head to countriues such as South Africa, you may be able to achieve the same thing

Its simple - as much as you can afford. She knows how much you earn, so bear that in mind. Traditionally it is 1 months salary.Too much - does not exist.

I'd let her choose it.

pop the question, invite her to choose (preferably by telling her that you are planning a holiday to visit some appropriately diamond friendly location - Somalia or Sierra Leone are options as you can get some guy to hook a rock out of a swamp). This was you are empowering her rather than imposing what you want and are thus setting your marriage on the right path before it even begins. Also, if you buy a ring, you WILL get it wrong. She will say no rather than risk wearing a ring she does not like. Also, bear in mind that the words will hardly have left your mouth before she has contacted her mother (who will already have prepared a guestlist of people you have never met), booked the venue, organised the caterers and chosen the menu. Joking apart, the thing that really matters is that you show you are ready to actually get married rather than just appeasing her with a ring. Getting the job done quickly means you cut down on endless wedding planning meetings. My top tip is to sort out the first dance in advance. We booked a dance teacher to teach us our first dance, thus avoiding the traditional embarrassment of the "walk around slowly holding on to each other dance". do a google on the subject and you should find people who actually teach this part.

Hello? Is this 'Top-Consultant' or 'Woman and Home'?

I spent what was a helluva lot on my wife's engagement ring at the time. A whopping £1,700 which was about a month's salary for me. That was ten years ago when i was a junior consultant. Since then, I've given her far more costlier jewellery, and even for our recent 10th wedding anniversary, suggested an upgrade, but she refused point blank and said despite that she'll always treasure that engagement ring. Lads, it's not how much that matters! Trust me! It is what it is.

too true. true love isn't measured in the size or price of the ring, it's in the heart and if it is delivered to or comes from the one you love that is all that matters.That's what I told my fiance anyway. Granted she launched it into the canal and I took one in the knackers but one day she'll understand.

I agree with the above comments..best to buy in wholesale (and throw in a holiday if you can)I took my fiance to Antwerp..its meant to be the diamond capital of the world...you get to pick the diamond (and there are tons to choose from) and the ring of your choice and they set it before you

Got mine in diamondland in Antwerp. Saved about 50% on UK prices.Make sure your jeweller is a member of ABJA, as there are plenty of chancers out there

yeah, i got mine at diamondland too...much cheaper than UK prices

its 6 months gross or three months net salary you cheap b$strds!i say anything less than 20k is a waste of time

And anything more than £5k will make her too terrified to wear it in public in case some scally takes a magpie-like fancy to it.

Alfonso, I'm sure you meant 3 month's gross or 6 month's net! Didn't do too well in Accounting did you. You muppet! Only reason I'm mentioning this is because of your rude remarks calling people cheap. Muppet

I have the photo to prove that I got my wife's 5 diamond engagement ring from Tiffany's....... in Turkey, right next door to Trotters' Independent Traders....

6 months salary? Anyone who has to think in terms of monthly salaries should be able to find soooo many better things to spend money on. My wife would have gone loopy if I'd spent that much on a ring. She'd far rather we'd spent the month on something else.The 3 month thing is also promoted most by jewellers. Go figure.

I took the view I gave my wife everything when we got married. So she is paying for it.So how much would a girl spend on a ring for herself? My wife would consider it vulgar to spend anything like a month salary.

the divorce will cost you more than the ring would have