Budget Saver #1: Don't go overboard on the ring!

"The old adage of spending two months’ salary on an engagement ring is no more than an arbitrary guideline established by the jewelry and diamond industry."

How true it is.

Try, try, try not to get sucked in by the pretty sparklies. I know...it's easy to be mesmerized by their sparkle. It's easy to want friends and families to ooh and ahhh over your ring. But there are some serious factors you should consider when choosing a ring.

If all goes well, you will be wearing this ring FOREVER.
If you're anything like me, the thought of taking off my ring puts me in a mild state of cardiac arrest. what if i lose it? what if it drops down the drain? So, choose a ring design that compliments how active you are with your hands on a daily basis. For you active gals, think what a honkin' big diamond is going to feel like on your hand 24/7. Lower profile rings won't get in the way as much. If you have a life of leisure, well then....by all means opt for the 3 carat princess cut solitaire.

[Personally, I hate when ring turn around on my finger because of the weight. And I really hate not being able to slide my hands into my pockets without the setting snagging on something.]

Think of everything else you could be putting that money towards.
A house? A car? Nest egg for your future offspring? For those of you that opt for a diamond solitaire ring...boy, that diamond is probably more than i want to spend on my entire wedding. Just a quick search on Mondera.com provided the following scale for similar quality diamonds (D, VS1):

• 0.5 carat round = $1,739
• 1 carat round = $8,223
• 1.5 carat round = $23,225
• 2 carat round = $37,223

And that's without any side stones.

Who else but you will know how good that diamond is?
After the initial "ooh, you're engaged! let me see the ring!" when will anyone look that closely at your ring...especially close enough to discern those teeny flaws in the diamond with the naked eye? NEVER. From VS1 (Very Slightly Included) all the way up to IF (Internally Flawless), the inclusions in the diamond are really only visible under10x magnification! Only at SI do you start to see the inclusions with the naked eye. But look at the difference in price:
E, SI2, Very Good = $974
E, SI1, Very Good = $1,134
E, VS2, Very Good = $1,353
E, IF, Very Good = $2,339

And regarding color, straight from the horse's mouth:

"Diamonds graded D through F are naturally the most valuable and desirable because of their rarity. Such diamonds are a treat for the eyes of anyone. But you can still obtain very attractive diamonds that are graded slightly less than colorless. And diamonds graded G through I show virtually no color that is visible to the untrained eye.

And while a very, very faint hint of yellow will be apparent in diamonds graded J through M, this color can often be minimized by carefully selecting the right jewelry in which to mount your diamond. Keep in mind that, while most people strive to buy the most colorless diamond they can afford, there are many people who actually prefer the warmer glow of lower-color diamonds." -Mondera.Com

Just think of it this way, your diamond will have character...like you!


What's your favorite color?
"A diamond is forever." "Diamonds are white like the purity of our love." Using diamonds for wedding and engagements was something dreamed up by De Beers. Why not consider these other classic gemstones for your ring, like rubies, emeralds, or sapphires?



By all means, choose a ring that makes you happy, and makes you feel schwoopy and romantic, but by taking a level-headed approach, you can save quite a bit of money and still get a wonderful ring that will be a constant reminder of you of how lucky you are to be marrying that special someone. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.