Chip Chick
As a woman hoping to one day get engaged, I always wondered what thought process people go through before buying their partners an engagement ring.
Most of the time, engagements are a ‘surprise,’ while you and your partner most likely talk about getting married beforehand, popping the question and what the ring looks like is usually a surprise.
So, I’ve always wondered how people go about buying engagement rings without trying to consult their partners. How do they decide how much they want to pay?
Since the 1980s, there has been a popular rule of thumb in the diamond retail industry that men should buy their future wives a diamond ring worth three months of their salary, dubbed the “three months’ salary” rule.
But these days, people are setting their own rules when it comes to buying engagement rings, making us wonder, does anyone follow the “three months’ salary rule” anymore?
While the “three months’ salary rule” started becoming popular in the 1980s, in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, De Beers jewelers needed some way to increase the sales of their diamond engagement rings. So, they launched a new marketing campaign that told buyers they should buy their partners diamond rings worth one month’s salary to prove their everlasting commitment.
The campaign was a big success, and in the 1980s, the marketing campaign increased the ring value to three months’ salary.
But when it comes to buying engagement rings today, things work a little differently. Nowadays, more women and others are more upfront with their partners about what kind of engagement ring they want.
I’ve heard of women showing their boyfriends Pinterest boards with pictures of the ring style they want, cut, color, karat, etc. So, when people buy engagement rings, instead of going into a jeweler with a specific price in mind, they’re going in with a specific style in mind.
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