Budget for wedding rings?

aggiespartan · September 2014

I have no idea where to even start. Anybody have any pictures of what you've chosen? Walking into jewelry stores always feels intimidating to me, so I would like some idea before we go.

tammym1001 · September 2014

Wedding bands can range anywhere from $20 to $20,000. It's such a huge range and depends so much on personal taste and budget. Can you give us an idea of what you're looking for and maybe some girls with something similar can chime in?

missdelilah · September 2014

Firstly, go with what you can afford. I still haven't decided what to go with yet, but I love the Brilliant Earth collection. We'll probably end up going with something from them. If nothing else, it gives you an idea of what's out there, and pricing.

http://www.brilliantearth.com/rings/wedding-anniversary/womens-wedding-rings/#pagination

climbingsingle · September 2014

Figure out what you can afford comfortably. Then going into a jewelry store and ask them to show you rings in that price range.

aggiespartan · September 2014

My engagement ring is an 18k white gold solitaire with a round diamond. I am a petite person, so the band is pretty thin (I'm thinking about 2mm maybe). I'm thinking my wedding band should be equally as thin. Maybe some small diamonds, but that's going to come down to cost.

Dignity100 · September 2014

That is a difficult question on so many levels.

1st - decide what you and your FI are willing to spend on a ring. Will that include the full ringset or just the e-ring?

2nd - it's hard to show what 1 person spent over another because not all diamonds/gemstones are created equal (I'm talking diamond vs diamond ; gemstone vs gemstone and even a little diamond vs other gemstone)

there might be a diamond that is rated:
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Carot: 1.0
Cut: Good

VS

Color: H
Clarity: SI1
Carot: 1.0
Cut: Ideal/Excellent

The 2nd one, even though the color and clarity are lesser graded, it still might face up nicer because the cut can hide a lot of things.

Also, some people don't have their hearts set on a diamond. Some people want a stone that holds some other meaning to them. Others want to be able to save a little money because most people won't notice if you go with a white saphire or moissanite.

aggiespartan · September 2014

Engagement ring is out of this equation. I understand the pricing of diamonds and the 4 c's and all that. I'm really just trying to get an idea of how other people came up with their budget (percentage of the whole or just a personal choice of wanting to spend x amount) and to see stylistically what other people are going for.

Dignity100 · September 2014

Ours was a personal choice on what we felt comfortable spending and what we could afford. It was a major conversation for FI and I because I don't like spending or having $ spent on me.

climbingsingle · September 2014

aggiespartan said:

Engagement ring is out of this equation. I understand the pricing of diamonds and the 4 c's and all that. I'm really just trying to get an idea of how other people came up with their budget (percentage of the whole or just a personal choice of wanting to spend x amount) and to see stylistically what other people are going for.

We had XXXXXX amount of money. After allocating for all the other wedding expenses, we looked at what we had left over. Then we decided what percentage of that money we wanted to spend on our rings. I personally wanted something with larger diamonds, so I spend a good chunk of change on my ring.

emz101 · September 2014

I went in knowing I wanted to stay under $1000. I have a very distinct engagement ring, split band with diamonds all down both sides of the band, a large stone in the center and 2 small stones on either side all surrounded in diamonds, about 2 carats all together so I didn't want something that would clash with my ring. I went to a bunch of places, tried on a bunch of rings and found one that fit perfectly with my engagement ring and looked amazing on its own if I chose to not wear my E Ring. It is small, simple and I love it.

My advice, find something that fits nicely with your e ring, something that looks nice on it's own, and before you go decide what cost you don't want to go over and tell the salesperson, no point in showing you rings out of your budget.

CMGragain · September 2014

Lots of people don't do engagement rings. I would go with what you can afford. Gold wedding rings can be either 10 karat, or 14 karat. 14 karat has more percentage of real gold. You can buy a perfectly nice wedding ring at Walmart. Mine is like this, and I have worn it for 38 years.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Keepsake-14kt-Yellow-Gold-2mm-Wedding-Band/7754492

Here is the 10 karat version: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Keepsake-10kt-Yellow-Gold-Wedding-Band-2mm/24190685

Want something a bit fancier? http://www.walmart.com/ip/1-4-Carat-T.W.-Princess-Cut-Diamond-Ring-in-10kt-Yellow-Gold/12518509?action=product_interest&action_type=image&placement_id=irs_middle&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=25298874302&category=0:3891:3896:445428&client_guid=f205ef51-ac3e-439f-89fa-00aaf3bdb908&config_id=0&parent_item_id=34991242&guid=90857e92-8f4c-4c46-abfb-2e1d2d6bd34a&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

White gold is also available, but yellow gold is more durable, and does not need to be refinished like white gold does. There is also silver. Stay away from anything that is plated! It won't last.

Other metals are often used, especially for mens rings, but they cannot be resized if your finger changes sizes over the years. (Most people's fingers get larger.) Titanium and stainless steel are popular, but these have only sentimental value, not the intrinsic value that gold or silver have. If you or your FI work with heavy machinery, it is not a good idea for you to wear a ring at work.

One excellent place to buy wedding rings on a budget is your local pawn shop. With all the divorces these days, lovely rings find their way into the shop. Pawn dealers are expert at appraising value. They sell plain rings by weight, not by style. Prices are soft, and you are expected to bargain. A 14K gold ring can be polished and sized to look like new unless it has a fancy design. I have a large jewelry collection, and many of my best pieces came from a pawn shop.

aggiespartan · September 2014

We aren't exactly "on a budget," but I just don't really know where to start. Like I said, my engagement ring has already been bought and is an 18k white gold solitaire. We are going to go look at the jewelry store tomorrow where my engagement ring is from. I guess we will start will just assessing how much things cost. I'm also not really sure what style I want. Walmart is not an option for us as there are no Walmarts in our area.

CMGragain · September 2014

aggiespartan said:

We aren't exactly "on a budget," but I just don't really know where to start. Like I said, my engagement ring has already been bought and is an 18k white gold solitaire. We are going to go look at the jewelry store tomorrow where my engagement ring is from. I guess we will start will just assessing how much things cost. I'm also not really sure what style I want. Walmart is not an option for us as there are no Walmarts in our area.

If you had given us this information in your original post, you would have saved us some time. A plain, 18K white gold ring would look nice with your solitaire.

aggiespartan · September 2014

It was in my second post. I apologize if you only read the original post.

hikebikebemerry · September 2014

FWIW, I got a plain white gold 2 mm band with a milgrain edge. I really wanted my wedding band to be something low maintenance (so, no gemstones). It cost me $200.

If it's an option, go to more than one place. We went somewhere and while they were nice, nothing jumped out at us. It was the second jewelry store that we went to where we both fell in love with our bands.

caitlinmca · September 2014

For our bands we went back to the place that we bought my e-ring as well. I have a thin plain band then a round solitaire setting. As a PP said, I wanted something that was able to stand with my e ring but also stand alone if I wanted to wear them separately. I ended up choosing a thin band with diamonds all around that fits nicely both with and without.

shaker227 · September 2014

It's hard to budget for this because there are just SO many options. I'm not a big advocate of going into debt for a wedding but we were able to get 0% financing for a year and it's just really nice that we can spread the payments out without actually paying more overall.

I thought I knew what type of band I wanted, but when we went back to the jewelry store that my engagement ring is from, the girl working saw my ring and pulled out a band that looked like it was made to match it! It wasn't anything like what I had it mind but I absolutely love it. My point is, the employees there know every ring in the place and have seen them combined with e-rings and will definitely be able to help you get started. Good luck! This is one of the more fun parts of wedding planning in my opinion

shvoyce · September 2014

I thought we would spend around $1000 total for both wedding rings, but ended up spending $1700. We went to a local jewelry store and just started looking at rings. My guy found a ring that he liked, it was more than what we expected (but we also had NO IDEA what rings would cost). But we wanted quality and something that he would wear for the rest of his life! I thought I wanted just a plain 18k gold band to match my engagement ring, but after I put a few on, I found the wedding ring looked best with with a couple diamond chips on it. It looked good on it's own, should I not want to wear the engagement ring, and it looked good next to the engagement ring. I would say, just go in with an open mind and keep your total wedding budget in mind.

aggiespartan · September 2014

We went this morning and I found one that was stunning for $1350. I think I will probably go with that one. They said that they could get it done in about a week, though, so I have some time to decide. My fiancé found one he liked, but doesn't want to pay real jewelry store price for his, so we will keep looking. The store we went to only had 18k gold, platinum and palladium, so we may look for a different gold or material for him.

JennyColada · September 2014

caitlinmca said:
For our bands we went back to the place that we bought my e-ring as well. I have a thin plain band then a round solitaire setting. As a PP said, I wanted something that was able to stand with my e ring but also stand alone if I wanted to wear them separately. I ended up choosing a thin band with diamonds all around that fits nicely both with and without.

This is basically my exact experience down to the rings.

We didn't really have a "budget" (although we weren't prepared to spend $20,000...we were thinking under $1000, ended up being $450 I think). I just picked what I liked.

caitlinmca · September 2014

JennyColada said:

For our bands we went back to the place that we bought my e-ring as well. I have a thin plain band then a round solitaire setting. As a PP said, I wanted something that was able to stand with my e ring but also stand alone if I wanted to wear them separately. I ended up choosing a thin band with diamonds all around that fits nicely both with and without.
This is basically my exact experience down to the rings. We didn't really have a "budget" (although we weren't prepared to spend $20,000...we were thinking under $1000, ended up being $450 I think). I just picked what I liked.

Exactly! No way could we afford anything expensive, thankfully we had "bridal bucks" from the e-ring which helped. My band was around $730 after it being on sale at the store and the bridal bucks. FI ring is tungsten with a diamond in it. His was around $3-400 after sales and bridal bucks.

It's all about just going and looking. I knew I wanted something simple, I work in the medical field, gloves coming on and off all day, my e-ring gets caught quite often on the size of gloves that fit my hands, but any bigger to fit my ring would be too big for my hands. When I get my band in April '15, I doubt I will wear my e-ring to work anymore, just my band so really think about your everyday work life as well, I wanted something not too plain but not too over the top either.

AlliT17 · September 2014

So this may be bad advice for you because some people are completely opposed to this but my wedding band was pre-owned. My engagement ring was new but we both knew we wanted something simple for our wedding bands. He went with a basic black ring that would hold up since he works with his hands a lot I think it was $300 and then for mine everything seemed too expensive, my engagement ring is very traditional so I just went with a basic band for it, the new cost for the same band was $600 and the pre-owned band was $250, it just made more sense to me to go with the less expensive but same band and it looks brand new and I still got a full warranty on it. Of course I am also of the belief that you can upgrade your rings in the future which a lot of people are against so I guess it is just personal preference.

grumbledore · September 2014

I am starting to wish I never got an engagement ring. I love my ring, but I can't find a wedding band that fits with it (aesthetically OR physically) so I am going to be wearing it on my right hand and my wedding ring on my left after the wedding. I just ordered a beautiful platinum plated sterling silver diamonique ring from QVC - I am so done with this ring crap.

emmyg65 · September 2014

I don't have an engagement ring. For wedding bands, we decided what we were comfortable spending and found rings we liked in that range. Pretty much like how we buy everything else.

goldchocobo.defunct635829490514903826 · September 2014

My e-ring is shaped really funny. Like this:

I didn't want gaps that a straight band would create so I looked for a ring with a 'swoop' in it to show continuity, like this:

This of course cost more because the ring is 'weird' and I didn't want to pursue a custom one. I found a band from a e-ring/wedding band set and chose it. I think custom would have cost more anyway.

FI chose a ring made from tungsten and white gold. He wanted something more durable. It cannot be resized but he said that's a good way to keep his weight in check (he said it not me!).

We just chose what we wanted and had a budget in mind that we were honest with the associate about.

happilyeverafter31205 · September 2014

If your looking to budget for his wedding band, you might want to consider what kind of metal he wants. Gold, white gold, titanium, tungsten, black ziconium ect. Go online and do some price checking, and see out which metal is best for his line of work. Gold, Silver and Platinum, will scratch and show wear a lot easier that other metals. Some metals like Cobalt Chrome or Tungsten will maintain an permanent polish without having to be flashed. Also you can get an idea of what you want to pay before getting the deer in the headlights standing in front a jeweler. Titanium-Jewelry.com has a ring education center you can check out before you go shopping. And if you do order from them they have a 90 day love it or return it policy. Hope this helps and you find what you're looking for!

http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/education.html

theartistformerlyknownas · September 2014

My band came as a set with my e-ring so I have no idea what it cost. FI didn't want us to spend a lot on his band, so we got a tungsten one from overstock.com for $32. It all comes down to your own personal priorities.

ShellD13 · September 2014

I'm not a big fan of really ornate sets...My e-ring which H picked out is a diamond three stone low set in platinum. So I opted for a plain platinum band that was the same width as my e-ring band. Found it on Blue Nile for $580.

[Deleted User] · September 2014

First part is to shop around to figure out what style you like for the rings. Remember, your rings don't have to match, go with what each of you would enjoy wearing. Once you figure that out you can shop around for prices. Don't forget to check out some of the mom/pop jewelry stores in your area, sometimes their prices can beat the chain stores and they can also have some unique options. I found my ring at a jewelry pawn shop. They sell new & estate (pawened/trade in) stuff. I didn't have a solitare ring so I just tried on rings until I found one that went well with my e-ring. overstock.com also carries wedding rings. You just need to know what you want & size.

Budget for wedding rings?

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