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[+] considerations for the prospective groom

- gut check: are you  sure you are ready to get married?

- how do i know she's the one?

[+] all the groom needs to know about engagement rings

- a groom's guide to engagement rings

- diamond-buying
guide

- do you need GIA-certified diamonds?

- buying an engagement ring online

- surprise ring or blank check?

- how much should a groom spend on an engagement ring?

- engagement ring price calculator

[+] popping the question

- should the groom ask the father-in-law for permission?

- popping the question

- wedding proposal stories

[+] "pre" marriage things

- the prenuptial agreement

- pre-marital counseling

- pre-marital financial planning

a second marriage for the groom?

engagement announcements

the engagement party

dealing with cold feet or wedding jitters

dealing with bridezilla

eloping

a las vegas wedding

the name change: how it will get done

backing out of your wedding: a survival manual

tax consequences of getting married

diamond engagement ring calculator [Page 1 of 1]

Grooms now have a diamond engagement ring calculator. Courtesy of GroomGroove.com, they can enter their salary information and with a click of a button, figure out how much DeBeers wishes they would spend on their bride's diamond engagement ring!

Where did the two months of salary idea come from?


The origin of the two months salary begins with DeBeers, the largest diamond producer and marketer in the world. In 1947, in an effort to increase diamond sales in the United States following a depressed wartime market, DeBeers launched a marketing campaign with a New York advertising firm. A copywriter penned the famous slogan "A diamond is forever". As far as advertising slogans go, it's pretty damn good. A diamond, like your marriage, is supposed to last forever. (ed. - We're thankful wedding preparation doesn't last nearly as long.)

From our research, GroomGroove.com understands that DeBeers wanted to bring diamonds to the masses, rather than have them be for a select few. Accordingly, the price of diamonds was set at approximately two months of salary, which is somewhat tied to inflation.

Diamonds, just like your marriage, are an investment, and have been an investment device for several thousand years. Hard, durable and used to mine for other minerals, diamonds are generally quite rare (although they are not the rarest of gemstones). This, coupled with cartelization by the producers and resellers, keeps diamond prices very high. As a result, it will cost a groom at least $1000 to purchase a diamond of decent cut, clarity, color and carat. Of course, a $1000 diamond engagement ring will likely be lacking in two or three of the four C's. Accordingly, a groom is likely to spend at least $2,500 on his bride's engagement ring.

So just how much is two months salary?

While there is no real answer, we believe two months' salary refers to your gross salary, and not your net salary. (ie. the amount of money you make before taxes and deductions).

Here are some sample salaries and diamond engagement ring cost equivalents:

If you earn... $30,000: tradition states you're on the hook for a $5,000 diamond engagement ring. $50,000: rampant advertising suggests you buy a $8,333 rock. $80,000: say goodbye to $14,167 on that piece of ice. $100,000: pray that for $16,667 she sticks around for a long time to come.

And... If you earn $100 billion dollars, or the approximate Gross Domestic Product of New Zealand, you're looking at dropping $16 billion dollars. On the bright side, however, you should be able to get a good quality cut, carat, color, clarity and cardiac arrest at that price!

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Hilary
Wed, May.14th 2008
Rating:
EVERY girl dreams of a big ring, whether she will admit it or not. It is funny...reading these comments. The girls are all for the nice ring and the guys seem to want to skimp. Just because she doesn't say anything when you give her a puny ring does not mean she is completely happy with it, no matter how much she loves you. Her love for you and her wedding dreams are two very different things (and those dreams have been in her head a heck of a lot longer than you...making them very hard to forget, especially since you have been recently added to the fantasy). Fantasy vs. Reality. We all know our entire fantasy is just that...an idea, a dream, but remember, too that she is not going to want to explain to all her friends and relatives why her ring is so small, especially since most of them are going to be questioning why she "settled" b/c she is on a pedestal in their eyes and only deserves the best. Or they may be questioning how well you will be able to take care of her and future offspring if the ring just doesn't match up. Yes, most of us women will get over it, but Joan is right...it is once in a lifetime and it should last a lifetime. Upgrading in ten years just makes it so much less meaningful. And what happened to struggling as newleyweds? If I remember correctly most of our parents and grandparents did it. Maybe we should take one step at a time, downsize the house and the television, take things slowly, and create lasting memories. If the woman is "THE ONE", doesn't she deserve her dream to come true? And can't you give up the flatscreen plasma for a couple more years?
Nik
Thu, May.1st 2008
Rating:
Buying an engagement ring for more than a $1000 is stupid, your are getting her another one soon enough any way. I agree w/ several others, if she demands a huge diamond, DUMP HER, you will never be able to impress her.
Stephanie
Mon, Apr.28th 2008
Rating:
My husband spent a good bit on my ring only to have it stolen out of his car. I was really upset! Then we had to come back and buy another ring. So when it was all said and done my ring cast almost 4 months salary. But we wanted something that would last a life time. i didn't want to upgrade in 10 years i want to keep the ring he gave me for the rest of my life. Its so worth it!
Joe
Wed, Apr.23rd 2008
Rating:
Don't even buy a Diamond people. They are useless.
mike
Sat, Apr.19th 2008
Rating:
I ended up doing something a bit different that may or may not make sense... I found a respected jeweler who does custom work, and designed her engagement ring with the help of the in house designers... instead of picking a ring based on the price... i built a ring based on the specifics that I wanted and I thought she wanted and it ended up being much less expensive than what i was prepared to spend... this was partially because she wanted a sapphire and not a diamond
Bruce
Mon, Apr.14th 2008
Rating:
I am all for blowing the big one for my lady, but this business of..."you're paying for a fantasy, not a ring, and this is the one time in your life that you should step up to the plate and truly deliver because it is so rare in this world that any of us ever get to make or have a dream come true." Crock of crap is right...a person must lead a pretty empty and unfullfilling life to think the fantasy of a big diamond ring and expensive wedding will make them happy. If that's the case, you're not with the right person so keep lookin.
Shaun
Fri, Mar.21st 2008
Rating:
Some folks told me, "Spend $1000 more than you feel comfortable spending"... that turned out to be good advice, I think, since I'm a bit of a cheapskate and had started in my head at 6 weeks salary and moved down from there... that extra $1000 went a long way in getting a beautiful ring. You can get a Very nice ring for a lot less than 2 months gross income... I took my sister-in-law and she was great... knew how to make them show her lots of different looks, etc... in the end I picked it out, of course.
Alisha
Wed, Jan.23rd 2008
Rating:
At first when my fiance surprised me with my ring, I was disappointed. The main diamond was too small, I thought, and I had wanted a solitaire while I got a ring with many small diamonds. I thought he was cheaping out. It would have been nice to get a huge diamond, but you know what? I got over it. Plus now we have a lot more money for our honeymoon and for our downpayment. Don't listen to the 2 month salary thing. You'll be wasting your money.
joan
Tue, Jan.22nd 2008
Rating:
when my husband and i first got engaged, i decided to put away my girlish fantasies of having a big fancy engagement ring and a big fancy wedding in favor of things that are "worthwhile". everyone was happy that i was such a practical bride and i agreed with them. but, although i love my husband more than anything and we have a wonderful marriage, i always regretted it. where did all that money we were so smartly saving go? a laptop, clothes, a nespresso machine, restaurants, a sofa. all nice things, but none compare. the best things in life are those moments that are completely unpractical, we all deal with boring routine for the rest of our lives and especially once we are married we no longer can hope for that mysterious hero/heroine to pop out of the blue on a white horse and rescue us---when we decide to marry someone, we have to become his/her hero and hope we get the same in return. in retrospect, i think if you have the opportunity to make a dream come true for someone you love (assuming that, though it will set you back considerably, it will not put you on welfare) you should absolutely do it. you only get to propose once, you only get to go through a wedding once, and even if a diamond ring seems like a silly extravagance and it seems ridiculous to pay that much for a tiny little rock as opposed to a car, or a flat screen tv, or whatever else---believe me, that ring lasts forever and you only have one chance to make a woman really feel like she is worth more than anything in the world. you're paying for a fantasy, not a ring, and this is the one time in your life that you should step up to the plate and truly deliver because it is so rare in this world that any of us ever get to make or have a dream come true.
Wed, Dec.19th 2007
Rating:
Since your not going to sell this ring ANYWAYS, this is a crock of crap. It's a token of your relationship, and nothing more. Get a ring that she likes, and try to save your money for something worthwhile, like food or a house. Or a charity.
Brett
Mon, Nov.12th 2007
Rating:
I understand where this is coming from, but holy cow! If I spend that much, we'll be honeymooning in Indiana!
Rob
Fri, Nov.2nd 2007
Rating:
Cool! Very cool.

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