By NATALIA HAWK
I have this trick I use sometimes at parties when I get stuck talking to… how do I put this diplomatically… the person nobody else wants to talk to.
Just when they’re sounding off about the diarrhea they’ve had for days, or the holiday they took to Zimbabwe five years ago, I pull out my phone and bring up the Tiffany Ring Finder app. And then I start showing them my dream engagement ring, and talking about how it costs about $14,000.
And suddenly, I am the person at the party who nobody else wants to talk to.
It works perfectly. Because everyone seems to get really freaked out about the fact that I am 22 and nowhere near engaged, yet have still:
a) downloaded the Ring Finder app, and
b) actually picked out my future engagement ring, and
c) picked a bloody expensive one .
To them, I say the following things:
a) It’s a really fun app okay, and
b) I’ve just picked a guideline ring, and let my best friends know, so I don’t find myself in a Sex-and-the-City-type of situation where Carrie got that GOLD ring from Aidan, and
c) You have to (hopefully) wear that thing every day for the rest of your life – I personally think it’s worth forking out the cash for a good one.
And no, I’m not insane. I’m just like a whole lot of other women out there who would like a really nice engagement ring.
According to a new poll, a third of women would do actually do ANYTHING to get their dream engagement ring. Including – get this – chipping in for the ring with their own money.
One in five women are apparently even promising to have a smaller wedding if they can get a bigger ring – forgoing the ice sculptures and swans for the Tiffany diamonds.
And the men’s perspective? This from the Daily Mail:
Eighty eight per cent of men were in agreement that women could be demanding when it comes to the type of engagement ring they want. Thirteen per cent went as far to say that a girl had been ungrateful when they had presented her with an engagement ring.
The poll found that on average women thought £1360 (around $AUD2018) was what a man should spend on a ring to pop the question. But surprisingly men thought it was slightly more at £1531 ($AUD2272).
The poll, conducted by jewellery brand Taylor and Co, also found that 23% of women believe that a man’s love can be judged by the amount of money he spends on the ring. Which is terrible news for all those in traditionally low-paid careers, really.
Sorry men.
So. How far would you go to get your dream engagement ring?
I’d like to take the time now to establish that – despite all the judgements you may have already formed about me while reading this article – I am not a crazy person. Despite my planning, I’d be happy with just about any ring my significant other chose for me – after all, it’s the gesture that counts, not the exact price tag.
Plus I don’t want to bargain away the giant chocolate fountain I’m planning for the wedding reception.
Over to you – do engagement rings matter?
Top Comments
I have to admit that I was excited/worried/nervous-as-hell to see the size of the diamond my fiance would propose with. The thought process in my head went a little something like this:
"If he honestly cares about me he'll buy me a big, sparkly one. The more he spends, the more he cares. If he doesn't spend big, he mustn't care and I'll say no."
I know what you're thinking.
That is one unconditionally loving woman right there.
But then the day that I thought would never come, came.
And he pulled out something sparkly.
It was from my favourite jeweller.
Did I notice the size?
Not at all.
What I did notice was the look in his eye, the tears that welled as he asked me to marry him, and the worry on his face when I couldn't answer, just cry happy, happy tears because this guy loved me enough to want to make me his wife.
Do engagement rings matter? Of course it does. I want an engagement, not a shotgun wedding. But I think that's not common nowadays. And for me, what matters most is the feelings of the man of my dreams. If he will buy diamond engagement rings for sale for our engagement, then so much the better. But if he will only buy a gold ring, it's still okay with me. :)