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A 2013 report from Jewelers of America stated that the average engagement ring would run you a cool $4,000. Without doing an ounce of research because I fear my girlfriend seeing my Google history of, “how much do engagement rings cost in 2017,” I’m going to assume that figure has skyrocketed due to numerous factors that all point to Instagram.
As someone who has faced the question “When are you going to propose?” from friends and commenters alike, I keep information regarding the price of rings as far away as humanly possible because I cringe every time I buy beer at the grocery store knowing that my receipt is going to double in price. It wouldn’t even surprise me if millennial trash started crowdfunding rings with donations from friends and family just to get a ring that Instagram deems acceptable.
But as it turns out, not everyone is even using a ring to propose anymore. Cue the disgust, I’ll wait.
A survey from the British Reve Diamonds & Fine Jewellery concluded that 40% of men in the United Kingdom claimed to propose with “fake plastic rings purchased from a well-known online auction site, or alternatively used another method such as a letter to propose to their loved one.” I, for one, am surprised these men are alive to tell their brave stories.
While it’s likely for someone to read this study and say, “If they’re truly in love, that stuff shouldn’t matter,” I’ll say this – that person is lying. We live in a world where an announcement of an engagement is assumed to be followed by, “OMG, let me see the ring!” and a grainy iPhone photo showing said ring. No matter the amount of chill one couple may have, engagement rings are the expensive-ass societal standard for taking the next step in the relationship.
Unfortunately, with all this being said, the managing director of the jewelry company that conducted this survey had to do some backtracking in an effort to save his ass and his business.
“Our survey revealed that whilst men are perhaps being more cautious when making a marriage proposal in not immediately investing in an engagement ring and using a substitute, after receiving the magic answer of ‘yes’, they then went on to spend an average of £3,000 on an engagement ring. In fact 50% of respondents told us that they had spent between £3,000 and £5,000 on a diamond engagement ring.”
So you’re telling me we’ve got a bunch of British dudes out there tossing out ringless engagements hoping for a “yes” only to go drop £4,000 after? Alright, cool, totally. Diamonds, which are rumored to be “forever,” are apparently an afterthought for nearly half of the population barring any disastrous answers to “Will you marry me?”
If anyone feels like being a guinea pig for this new wave United Kingdom fad, please report back and let us know how it goes. Everyone else, take the crowdfunding idea I tossed out earlier and run with it. Hopefully it’ll buy something big enough to get the internet’s approval..
[via Professional Jeweller]
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Will
Will (Twitter / Instagram) is the host of The Sunday Scaries Podcast.
@willdefries
@willdefries
defriewf
will@grandex.co
Defries, for as much as you write about it, you’re gonna have a hell of a wedding one day man.
One of my friends went with his girlfriend to choose the ring. They ended up picking one that she liked that was way cheaper than one he’d have bought, and they’re going to use the extra money for a nicer honeymoon. This is just another progression towards adding sanity to the process of engagement.
I can only hope to be that lucky one day. Oh the logic.
That’s what me and my fiancée did as well. It makes more sense and is a lot less stressful.
The other day, my girlfriend joked about having to zoom in on one of her former sorority sister’s engagement Instagram posts, just to be able to see the ring.
Godspeed
Run
Yeah…that wasn’t a joke
Def not a great sign
Just dropped a couple grand on the engagement ring – I’d like these U.K. fools to meet the future Mrs. Ruxin and justify this line of thinking. The outcome – they’d catch hands
I bought my wife’s engagement ring from my fraternity brothers family jewelry store. They gave it to me at cost but, my insurance company insured it at full retail. I keep suggesting that she should lose it then we can replace it at cost again but, she has “sentimental attachment” to it.
Insurance Fraud. PGP?
I’d be ok with this..kind of a temperature test for the reasoning to get engaged in the first place. Do you want the insta likes or the relationship?
Hell I’d be happy to be proposed to with a s’more
Did someone say s’more?
Some more of what?
You’re killing me YTDMSmalls
best idea for a proposal ever:
Guy turns to girlfriend, “do you want s’more?”
Girlfriend, “s’more what?”
Guy *getting down on one knee and pulling a literal s’more from no where as a “will you marry me’ banner unfurls behind him*, “s’more committed relationship?”
Guaranteed yes.
Family friend’s son just dropped a cool 30k on a ring. He makes good money but holy shit what is he thinking?
platinum vagina
That’s just fucking stupid.
No proposal from my fiance, we just kinda talked about it and went for it. I would go so far as to say we “proposed” to my parents on my mom’s birthday with the surprise that we were getting married. We did get a ring after a month or so though, soooooo…
Ah, the burner ring. Get some crappy $100 thing off Etsy that looks like something you think she will like, then go pick one out with her so she gets what she wants. My fiance’s friend was proposed to with one. Apparently, they were both roasted hard in the chick’s side-group text, but they have at least made it past the 2 year mark. He’s a Seahawks fan and she’s a Patriots fan though, so they already make questionable decisions.
I wouldn’t recommend it, but I guess to each their own?
For us here in America, £4000 is about $4904. In case anyone needed to know.