How Much to Spend on an Engagement Ring

The idea that an engagement ring should cost one, two or three months’ salary is not an old tradition. It grew out of diamond advertising in the twentieth century, and the number of months crept upwards as the campaigns went on.

There is no rule. The right amount is the one you can spend without regret, on a ring your partner will love wearing every day. A ring bought on debt you resent is not more romantic than one bought within your means.

Decide on a range you are comfortable with: a figure you would be happy to spend, and a ceiling you will not go past. A range gives a designer room to work and gives you room to say yes to the right stone when you see it.

Leave room in that range for the things people forget: insuring the ring from the day it is yours, and the wedding band that will sit beside it.

In most engagement rings, the centre stone accounts for the largest share of the cost. Its size, cut, colour and clarity, and whether it is natural or lab-grown, move the price far more than anything else.

The rest is metal and making. Platinum costs more than gold for the same design. And every hour at the bench counts: a plain solitaire band takes less time than pavé shoulders, a halo, or an intricate gallery set with hidden stones. None of these is a reason not to choose them. It is simply where the money goes.

Most of these cost nothing you can see:

Buy just under the round numbers

Prices jump at the popular weights, such as 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 carats. A 0.90 carat diamond can look almost identical to a 1.00 carat on the hand and cost noticeably less.

Choose an elongated shape

Ovals, pears and marquise cuts spread their weight across a longer surface, so they look larger than a round diamond of the same carat weight. They also make the finger look longer.

Do not pay for colour you cannot see

Near-colourless diamonds in the G to H range look white on the hand, especially in platinum or white gold, and cost less than the D to F grades.

Do not pay for clarity you cannot see

What matters is that the stone is eye-clean, with no inclusions visible without magnification. For most shapes, a well-chosen VS2 is eye-clean.

Consider lab-grown

A lab-grown diamond costs a fraction of a natural one of the same grade, so the same budget buys a much larger or finer stone. Our natural vs lab guide gives the honest case for each.

Let the setting do some of the work

A halo or pavé shoulders add presence and sparkle around a modest centre stone.

Cut is the one grade worth stretching for. It decides how much a diamond sparkles, and a well-cut stone with lower colour and clarity will often outshine a poorly cut one with higher grades.

Do not save on the setting’s security. Claws that are too thin, or a band too fine to wear every day, cost more to repair than they saved. And never buy a significant diamond without an independent grading report. Our certification guide explains what to look for.

Buying from a display case means choosing among what someone else decided to make. Commissioning a ring works the other way round. Give us a budget range and we design backwards from it, to get the very best stone and setting inside it.

In practice that means showing you, side by side, what the range buys in different shapes and grades, natural and lab-grown, and letting you decide where to put the money. Some people want the largest stone possible. Others would rather a smaller stone with an exceptional cut in a more intricate setting. Both are right.

Consultations are complimentary, in central London or by video.

Insure the ring from the day it is yours, ideally before the proposal. Ask your insurer whether it can be added to your home insurance or needs its own policy, and keep the receipt and grading report somewhere safe.

Budget for the wedding band, and if you are guessing the size, know what a resize involves. Every Jabour ring includes a complimentary first resize within 12 months of delivery, along with a 12-month warranty and a complimentary polish.