The price of an engagement ring is a subject no one talks about frankly. You find figures ranging from €300 to €20,000, contradictory “rules,” and a lot of misplaced guilt.
This article provides concrete figures and, more importantly, the mechanics behind them. Once you know where your money is going, you will know exactly where to spend it and where to save it.
Spoiler: the number one lever is neither the metal, nor the brand, nor the size of the stone. It is the nature of the stone.
Engagement ring price: the real numbers
Let’s start with the most useful part: concrete ranges, with what you actually get in each.
Budget
What you get
For whom
€200 – €500
1-carat moissanite on 925 silver or plated gold, solitaire or halo setting
Maximum sparkle, light commitment
€500 – €1,000
Moissanite on solid gold, or a 0.25 to 0.35 ct natural diamond
The most common compromise
€1,000 – €1,500
1-carat lab-grown diamond on solid gold
The best size-to-price ratio
€1,500 – €2,500
0.50 to 0.70 ct natural diamond, or 1.5 to 2 ct lab diamond
The heart of the French market
€2,500 – €5,000
1-carat natural diamond, 18K gold, good cut quality
The classic “one-carat natural”
Beyond €5,000
Natural stone over one carat, high clarity, custom-made
Exceptional piece
In our own catalog, the example is telling: the same one-carat solitaire model, identical design, identical setting, comes in three stones. As of this writing, the moissanite version starts at €399, the lab-grown diamond version at €1,197, and the natural diamond version at €2,394.
The ratio is one to six for a piece of jewelry that is visually nearly identical on the finger. That is the whole question of the average price of an engagement ring summarized in one line.
The “average price” is a misleading figure
We often read that the average French price is around €1,500 to €2,000. That is an average, so it is skewed upwards by a few very high purchases.
The median, however, is significantly lower. In other words, half of all couples spend less than what is presented to them as the norm.
The three-month salary rule is an advertising myth
It must be stated clearly: the famous “two” or “three-month salary” rule is not a tradition. It is a slogan created by diamond marketing in the 20th century to anchor a floor price in people's minds.
It has no historical, cultural, or religious basis. It was designed to sell.
What should really frame the budget
What you can pay in cash. A financed ring weighs on the first two years of living together.
The total cost of the project. The ring is not alone: there will be wedding bands, and often a wedding.
Her own relationship with jewelry. Some people would be uncomfortable with a flashy stone.
A €500 ring offered with peace of mind is better than a €3,000 ring that creates financial tension. It’s as simple as that.
Where exactly does your money go?
Understanding the price breakdown is the fastest way to know where to make trade-offs.
The center stone: 60 to 80% of the price
This is the dominant expense, by far. On a €2,000 ring, the stone often accounts for €1,400 to €1,600 on its own.
It is therefore the only item where a trade-off truly changes the bill. Dividing the stone budget by three divides the final price by almost three.
The metal: 10 to 20%
A solid gold setting costs more than a silver one, but the gap remains moderate for a thin ring, which uses little material.
Switching from 18K gold to 14K gold saves a real but rarely decisive sum. Our comparisons of 14K vs 18K gold and 10K vs 14K gold quantify the difference.
Workshop labor: 5 to 15%
Setting a pave of forty micro-stones requires many more hours than a four-prong solitaire. A halo, a trilogy, or a twisted band cost more to manufacture.
What you don't pay for with us
A significant portion of the price in traditional jewelry corresponds to the storefront: rent on a high-street location, dormant stock, sales staff. These costs are real, but they add nothing to the stone you are taking home.
The real lever: the nature of the stone
Let’s revisit the comparison, because this is the heart of the subject.
Moissanite: sparkle per euro
With a higher refractive index than diamond, moissanite produces more fire—those colored flashes highly visible in the sun.
Its 9.25 hardness on the Mohs scale makes it perfectly viable for daily wear for decades. It is the royal road for an affordable engagement ring without visual compromise: see the moissanite engagement ring collection.
Lab-grown diamond: the best compromise
It is a real diamond: same chemical formula, same hardness of 10, same optical behavior. Only the crystallization location differs.
For a given budget, it allows you to access a stone that is significantly larger or significantly purer than with a natural one. It is the fastest-growing choice. See the lab-grown diamond collection and our article on lab-grown diamond prices.
Natural diamond: symbolic value
It remains the most expensive, and it will stay that way. You are paying for geological rarity, a history spanning hundreds of millions of years, and an existing secondary market.
For many couples, it is a non-negotiable criterion, and that is perfectly legitimate. See the natural diamond engagement ring collection.
The eight levers that lower the bill
Here are, ranked by decreasing effectiveness, the trade-offs that really move the price without degrading the result.
1. Change the nature of the stone
The most powerful lever, by far. Switching from natural to lab-grown generally halves the price; switching to moissanite divides it by five or six.
2. Drop just below the round weight
A 0.92-carat stone costs significantly less than a 1.00-carat stone, for a diameter just a few tenths of a millimeter smaller. No one will see the difference with the naked eye.
3. Choose a halo
A 0.60-carat stone surrounded by a halo presents to the eye a volume comparable to a naked one-carat stone, for a fraction of the price.
4. Accept G-I color instead of D-F
The price gap between a D and a G is significant. The visual gap, once the stone is set on yellow or rose gold, is almost zero. Our article on diamond color details the thresholds.
5. Accept VS clarity instead of IF
VS1 or VS2 clarity means inclusions are invisible to the naked eye. Paying for higher clarity means paying for what only a microscope can see.
6. Choose a shape other than round
The round brilliant is the most expensive cut per carat because it wastes a lot of rough stone. An oval, a princess, or an emerald cut offers more visible surface area per euro.
7. Go down one karat of gold
Switching from 18K to 14K reduces material costs while increasing scratch resistance. For a ring worn every day, it is often a better technical choice.
8. Never touch cut quality
This is the only item never to sacrifice. A poorly cut stone remains dull regardless of its size or clarity. The cut is what makes it shine; everything else is secondary.
How much does a custom engagement ring cost?
Contrary to popular belief, custom-made is not systematically more expensive.
You pay no dormant stock, no storefront, and you choose exactly the level of each criterion. On a €1,500 budget, a well-managed custom design often results in a more impressive ring than an equivalent catalog model.
The case of the inherited stone
If you have a family stone, you only pay for the setting and the workshop labor. It is the most economical scenario that exists, and the most meaningful.
A “certificate” issued by the seller themselves is worth nothing. Only reports from recognized independent labs have market value.
Paying for invisible clarity
This is the most expensive mistake a beginner makes: upgrading criteria that the eye does not perceive, while keeping a mediocre cut.
Confusing gold-plated and solid gold
Plating is a surface layer. It has its advantages, notably the price, but it wears off over time. Our article what is gold-plated explains what you are actually buying.
Forgetting the ring's cost of life
Resizing, white gold rhodium plating, annual prong checks: these are small amounts, but they exist. Factor them mentally into the budget.
Above a certain amount, the question deserves to be asked seriously.
What home insurance covers
Most comprehensive home insurance policies cover valuables, but with a global limit that is often low and only at home. A ring lost on vacation is generally not covered.
Separate declaration
Beyond a few thousand euros, a specific declaration with your insurer, including an invoice and any certificate, is the only real protection. Keep the invoice and a clear photo of the jewelry.
On your buyer rights
The legal warranty of conformity applies to any purchase from a professional in France. Official information is available on service-public.fr, and rules on precious metals and hallmarks on economie.gouv.fr.
Engagement ring price by carat
Carat is the unit of weight of the stone, not its width. One carat is exactly 0.20 grams, and this nuance explains almost everything that follows.
When you double the weight, you do not double the stone's diameter. A one-carat round stone measures about 6.5 mm; a two-carat stone measures about 8.2 mm, which is barely a quarter larger.
The price, however, does not follow this modest logic at all. Large rough stones are much rarer than small ones, and the market also applies a psychological premium to round weights.
Table of ranges by carat
The ranges below are general orders of magnitude for the French market, with correct cut quality and visually clean clarity. They are intended to frame a discussion, not to price a specific model.
Weight
Approximate round diameter
Moissanite price range
Lab-grown diamond price range
Natural diamond price range
0.25 ct
≈ 4.1 mm
a few tens of euros for the stone
a few hundred euros
around five to eight hundred euros
0.50 ct
≈ 5.2 mm
low-end jewelry budget
around a thousand euros
one to two thousand euros
0.75 ct
≈ 5.9 mm
still under a few hundred
around a thousand euros
two to three thousand euros
1.00 ct
≈ 6.5 mm
a few hundred euros
one to two thousand euros
three to six thousand euros
1.50 ct
≈ 7.4 mm
a few hundred euros
two to three thousand euros
six to twelve thousand euros
2.00 ct
≈ 8.2 mm
less than a thousand euros
three to five thousand euros
twelve thousand euros and well beyond
Read this table horizontally rather than vertically. On the same row—meaning with a strictly identical visual size on the finger—the gap between the three columns is the real subject of your budget.
Why moving from 0.90 to 1.00 carat is so expensive
The diamond market operates in commercial tiers. Weights of 0.50, 0.70, 1.00, 1.50, and 2.00 carats each trigger a significantly higher price bracket than the previous one.
A 0.95-carat stone therefore sells for significantly less than a 1.01-carat stone, for a diameter difference of about a tenth of a millimeter. None of your engagement party guests will measure that.
It is the best technical arbitrage in the sector, and it seemingly costs nothing. Simply ask for a weight "just below the bracket" rather than aiming for a round number on principle.
Should you aim for a carat on principle?
The carat has become more of a social symbol than an aesthetic factor. Many future fiancés set this figure before they have even looked at a single ring on a finger.
Yet a 0.70-carat stone on a slender hand often looks more elegant than a one-carat stone on the same hand. Proportion counts more than the number written on the certificate.
Try it on before deciding, and look at the actual appearance rather than the technical specifications. Our jewelry sizing guide helps to visualize these proportions.
Price according to cut shape: why the round cut costs the most
For the same weight and quality, two stones of different shapes do not have the same price at all. This is one of the most underestimated levers for your budget.
The reason is purely industrial. To obtain a perfectly calibrated round brilliant cut stone, the cutter must sacrifice a huge portion of the starting rough crystal.
Cutting yield explains everything
A round cut rarely retains more than forty percent of the rough weight. An emerald cut or an oval cut, whose geometry follows the natural shape of the crystal more closely, retains much more.
This waste is billed to the final buyer. It is not visible anywhere on the label, but it is very present in the price per carat.
Added to this is demand: the round cut represents the majority of engagement ring sales, which sustains its premium.
The shape table
Shape
Relative price per carat
Visible surface area for same weight
Effect on the finger
Round brilliant
Highest, baseline 100
Average
Maximum sparkle, a safe bet
Oval
Significantly lower
Clearly superior
Elongates the finger, looks larger
Princess
Among the most affordable
Superior
Graphic and contemporary
Emerald
Lower than round
Very superior
Mirror effect, requires great clarity
Pear
Lower than round
Clearly superior
Very recognizable, must be oriented correctly
Marquise
Among the most affordable
The highest
Maximum volume per euro spent
The emerald cut trap
The emerald cut is seductive and often cheaper per carat. But its large, flat facets act like windows into the interior of the stone.
An inclusion that would remain invisible in a round brilliant becomes perfectly legible in an emerald cut. For this shape, you must therefore increase the clarity, which chips away at some of the savings made.
The marquise and pear shapes suffer from another flaw: the bow-tie effect, a dark zone in the center when the cut is poorly proportioned. Always look at the stone in a real photo, never in a computer-generated rendering.
Price according to metal: 925 silver, 10K, 14K, 18K gold, and gold-plated
The metal represents only a fraction of the price of an engagement ring, but this fraction varies greatly depending on two factors: the alloy fineness and the weight of the material used.
Many buyers focus on the former and totally forget about the latter. Yet, it is the weight that makes the real difference in the invoice.
What gold fineness really means
Pure gold, known as 24 carats, is too soft to hold a stone. It is therefore alloyed with other metals to harden it, and the fineness indicates the proportion of pure gold in the alloy.
18K gold contains seventy-five percent pure gold, 14K gold about fifty-eight percent, and 10K gold a little more than forty percent. Our complete 10K, 14K, 18K, and 24K comparison details the properties of each.
Mechanically, moving from 18K to 14K reduces the value of the raw material contained in the ring by about a quarter. On a thin setting, this represents a few dozen euros; on a wide and heavy ring, it can count in the hundreds.
Metal weight, the invisible parameter
Two 18K gold rings can contain two and six grams of gold. The second will cost three times more in material, without anything on the label announcing it.
A wide band, a domed profile, a solid gallery under the stone: all these add weight. A thin shank, a flat band, an openwork gallery remove it.
Systematically ask for the weight in grams before buying. This is the question that distinguishes an informed buyer from a buyer who is subject to the displayed price.
925 silver and gold-plated: entry-level options
925 silver is a precious metal in its own right, hallmarked, repairable, and hypoallergenic for most skin types. Paired with a moissanite, it makes for a credible engagement ring on a very tight budget.
Its flaw is well known: it oxidizes in contact with air and requires regular cleaning. Our article white gold or silver compares both looks precisely.
Gold-plated, on the other hand, is not solid metal but a layer deposited on a base. It gives the appearance of gold for a fraction of the price, but it wears off with daily friction, and a ring worn every day is the worst possible use case.
The special case of white gold
White gold is not naturally white. It is a slightly grayish alloy covered with a thin layer of rhodium to obtain that characteristic cold luster.
This layer wears off, generally in two to five years depending on how often it is worn. Rhodium plating is a recurring cost that must be integrated into the total budget, unlike yellow or rose gold, which require nothing.
What a custom ring really costs, item by item
Custom-made items are intimidating because one imagines an opaque quote. In reality, a personalized engagement ring is broken down into perfectly identifiable items.
A serious workshop will agree to detail them for you. If they refuse, that is a signal.
The breakdown of items
Item
Typical share of the quote
What makes it vary
Center stone
55 to 80 %
Nature, weight, cut, color, clarity
Setting metal
8 to 18 %
Alloy fineness and weight in grams
Side stones
0 to 12 %
Pavé, halo, set shoulders
Design and modeling
3 to 8 %
Drawing from photo or total creation
Casting and setting
5 to 15 %
Number of stones to set, complexity
Polishing and finishing
2 to 5 %
Rhodium plating, satin finish, inner engraving
Where custom-made really saves money
The first gain is the absence of inventory. A physical jewelry store ties up tens of thousands of euros in a display case, and this financial cost is spread over each sale.
The second gain is fine-tuning. On a catalog model, you buy a fixed set; custom-made, you place the euro exactly where it is visible, and you remove it where it is not.
The third gain is the individually chosen stone. Two diamonds with identical characteristics on paper can have a very different appearance, and custom-made allows for this selection. See our article custom-made diamond jewelry online.
What drives up a custom quote
The complexity of the setting is the primary factor. A pavé of micro-stones on the band and the gallery can represent several hours of additional work.
Requests for late modifications are also costly. Once the wax or the model is validated, any change restarts part of the process.
Therefore, validate the design carefully before launching production, and ask for a three-dimensional rendering rather than a simple sketch.
How to read a jewelry label without getting ripped off
An engagement ring label often contains a line of codes that no one explains to you. Knowing how to decode it changes the nature of the conversation with the salesperson.
The mentions that must mandatorily appear
The metal must be indicated with its fineness: 925 for silver, 375, 585, or 750 for 9K, 14K, and 18K gold. A ring that only displays "gold" without fineness should alert you immediately.
The total weight in carats is often noted as "ctw" or "total weight." Be careful: this figure adds up all the stones, including dozens of micro-stones in a pavé.
A ring displayed at "1 carat total" can therefore contain a center stone of 0.45 carat surrounded by fifty-five hundredths of diamond dust. Always ask for the weight of the center stone alone.
The vocabulary to decipher
"Treated diamond": the color or clarity has been artificially modified. It is not illegal, but it strongly reduces the value.
"Synthetic stone" or "lab-created": it is a real lab diamond. The mention is mandatory and perfectly honorable.
"Simulant", "zirconia", "CZ": it is neither a diamond nor a moissanite, and the durability is incomparable.
"Vermeil": 925 silver covered with a thick layer of gold. Better than classic gold-plated, but it is not solid gold.
The three questions to systematically ask
First question: what is the exact weight of the center stone alone, excluding side stones? The answer must be immediate and precise.
Second question: which laboratory issued the report, and can I see the number engraved on the girdle? An independent report is verifiable online.
Third question: what is the weight in grams of the mount? A salesperson who cannot answer does not know the product they are selling. Our guide how to recognize a real natural diamond usefully completes this list.
Buying online or in a jewelry store: the real price difference
The price gap between an online ring and the same ring in a display case is not a question of quality. It is a question of cost structure.
What the boutique price funds
A retail outlet in a city center supports commercial rent, secure fitting, inventory insurance, and a team present all day. These charges are legitimate, but they exist even before a single ring is sold.
They are then spread over the volume sold. In a sector where only a few dozen rings are sold per month, the share imputed to each piece of jewelry is considerable.
This mechanism explains the essence of the gap. It says nothing about the stone itself.
What you lose by buying online
You lose the immediate fitting, and this is a real disadvantage for a ring where finger size counts. You also lose the ability to physically compare several stones side by side.
Finally, you lose the local service for routine maintenance. A neighborhood jeweler remains precious for a cleaning or a prong check.
What you gain
Criteria
Buying in a physical jewelry store
Buying online
Cost structure
Rent, stock, sales team
Logistics and customer service
Choice available
Limited to the day's display
Entire catalog browseable
Fitting
Immediate
After reception, with right of withdrawal
Customization
Often subcontracted
Integrated into the process
Decision time
Under commercial pressure
At your own pace, as a couple
The most effective method often consists of combining both. Go try on shapes and sizes in a boutique to train your eye, then decide quietly at home.
The hidden costs of an engagement ring
The purchase price is not the total cost. An engagement ring lives for thirty, forty, or fifty years, and this life has a cost that no label displays.
These amounts are individually modest, but their cumulative total deserves to be anticipated from the start.
Resizing
This is the first expense, and it concerns a majority of surprised buyers. A ring offered by chance rarely hits the right finger size exactly.
Enlarging or reducing a plain band is a common and reasonable operation. Conversely, a ring whose band is entirely set with stones all the way around is often impossible to resize cleanly.
Therefore, anticipate this point at the moment of choosing the model. The sizing guide allows you to hit the mark the first time.
Periodic rhodium plating
Reserved for white gold, it consists of re-depositing the white layer that gives the metal its cold luster. It comes back every two to five years depending on the intensity of wear.
This is not a manufacturing defect but a characteristic of the material. Choosing yellow gold or rose gold simply eliminates this item entirely.
Engraving, insurance, and prong checks
An inner engraving, date or initials, remains a modest supplement and should be requested at the time of manufacturing, never after setting.
Insurance, on the other hand, depends on the declared value and your existing contract. Beyond a few thousand euros, a separate declaration is necessary.
Finally, the annual prong check is the cheapest and most profitable move of all. A prong that deforms releases the stone, and losing a diamond costs infinitely more than a preventive check.
Financing your ring without credit: the dedicated savings method
Consumer credit is the worst way to buy an engagement ring. It turns a symbol into a monthly installment, and it weighs specifically on the years when the couple needs flexibility.
There is a simple alternative that gives excellent results in just a few months.
Open a dedicated account, separate from the rest
The principle is to move the money out of the current account as soon as it arrives. What remains visible in the current account always ends up being spent.
An automatic transfer scheduled for the day after payday works better than any monthly good resolution. Consistency beats intensity.
Calculate backwards
Start from the target date for the proposal, not the amount. If you want to propose in ten months and aim for a one-thousand-euro ring, the monthly effort is one hundred euros.
Formulated this way, a budget that seemed inaccessible becomes an ordinary line item. It is exactly the same reasoning as a subscription, but with a ring at the end.
If the monthly effort seems too heavy, the right answer is not to extend the duration indefinitely. It is to revise the target by changing the nature of the stone rather than giving up on the project.
The monthly effort table
Target budget
Over 6 months
Over 10 months
Over 18 months
€400
≈ €67 / month
€40 / month
≈ €22 / month
€800
≈ €133 / month
€80 / month
≈ €44 / month
€1,200
€200 / month
€120 / month
≈ €67 / month
€2,000
≈ €333 / month
€200 / month
≈ €111 / month
€3,000
€500 / month
€300 / month
≈ €167 / month
General information on consumer credit and borrower rights can be found at economie.gouv.fr.
The resale value of an engagement ring: the truth
This is the most poorly addressed topic in the entire industry, because it is uncomfortable. However, it must be stated bluntly.
A ring is not an investment
The price you pay includes the stone, but also the metal, workshop labor, distribution, warranty, and margin. Upon resale, a professional buyer only buys back the material.
The discount is therefore structural and significant, even for a high-quality natural diamond. There is nothing abnormal about this: it is how any manufactured good works.
A salesperson who presents a ring to you as an investment is telling you a story. Buy for the meaning, never for the resale.
What limits the discount slightly
Three elements improve residual value: an independent laboratory report, a stone of a sought-after commercial weight, and keeping the original invoice.
A classic setting also resells better than a design heavily influenced by a trend. The four- or six-prong solitaire remains the most liquid asset on the market.
The case of moissanite and lab-grown diamonds
These stones have virtually no organized secondary market. Their resale value is therefore very low; you should know this before buying.
But the reasoning flips: if a natural diamond already loses a large part of its value, paying several times the price for a slightly less brutal discount is questionable logic. Our moissanite vs. diamond comparison details each criterion.
Price of an emerald, sapphire, or ruby engagement ring
Colored stones are making a comeback for engagement rings, and not just for budget reasons. They tell a different story than a diamond.
Sapphire, the alternative engagement stone par excellence
With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is perfectly suited for daily wear. It is the only colored stone that can be recommended without reservation for a ring worn every day.
Its price varies enormously depending on origin and color intensity. A medium-shade blue sapphire remains very affordable; an exceptional-colored stone reaches diamond price levels.
Sapphire also comes in pink, yellow, green, and colorless, often at prices lower than the classic blue.
Ruby, rarer than you think
Ruby is chemically the same mineral as sapphire; only the color changes. But a ruby of a beautiful, vibrant red color that is untreated is rarer than a diamond of equivalent weight.
The market is massively composed of heat-treated stones, which is accepted and declared. A high-quality untreated ruby is at the top end of the market.
Emerald, magnificent but fragile
Emerald is softer, around 7.5 to 8, and above all naturally fissured. It does not handle daily knocks or aggressive cleaning well.
It is a superb stone for a ring worn occasionally, but much more delicate for an engagement ring that is never taken off. If your heart is set on an emerald, prefer a protective bezel setting.
Colored stone table
Stone
Mohs Hardness
Daily wear
Price positioning
Diamond
10
Ideal
Highest
Moissanite
9.25
Excellent
Most affordable
Sapphire
9
Very good
Very variable, often moderate
Ruby
9
Very good
High in untreated quality
Emerald
7.5 – 8
Delicate
High in beautiful color
Ring plus wedding bands budget: thinking about the complete project
The classic mistake is to think ring by ring. Yet three pieces of jewelry will follow one another in a few months, and the budget is played out on the whole set.
The three pieces of jewelry for the project
There is the engagement ring, then the bride's wedding band, then the groom's wedding band. The latter is too often forgotten in initial calculations.
A simple men's wedding band costs significantly less than an engagement ring, but it still represents a real budget line. Our article on men's engagement rings also addresses this subject, which is still rarely covered in France.
A distribution rule that works well: about sixty percent of the total budget for the engagement ring, twenty-five for the women's wedding band, fifteen for the men's wedding band.
The visual harmony between the ring and the wedding band
Two rings worn side-by-side should fit together without rubbing. A setting with a very low stone or a flat gallery makes this alignment much easier.
If the engagement ring is already chosen, bring it along to select the wedding band. A wedding band custom-designed to match the ring's profile is sometimes the only proper solution.
Customs have evolved significantly. Sharing the financing for the entire project is common today and does not take away from the surprise effect of the proposal.
The most useful conversation is not about the amount, but about the timeline. Knowing how many months you have ahead of you is enough to frame everything else.
Allow two to four weeks for a catalog model, and four to eight weeks for a custom piece with stone selection.
Add a buffer for a possible resizing after the proposal. A project launched three months before the target date goes smoothly; a project launched three weeks before always costs more.
FAQ — Engagement ring price
What is the average price of an engagement ring in France?
The average often cited is between €1,500 and €2,000, but it is skewed upward by a few very high purchases. The actual median is significantly lower.
Do you really have to spend three months' salary?
No. This rule is a 20th-century advertising slogan with no traditional basis whatsoever. The right budget is one you can pay in cash without stress.
How much does a one-carat engagement ring cost?
Everything depends on the stone. For moissanite, you start around a few hundred euros; for a lab-grown diamond, around a thousand; for a natural diamond, you generally have to count on several thousand euros.
What is the best value for money?
Lab-grown diamond for those who want a real diamond, moissanite for those looking for maximum brilliance at the best price. In both cases, never sacrifice the quality of the cut.
Does an engagement ring have good resale value?
Poorly, in the vast majority of cases. The resale discount is significant, including for natural diamonds. Never buy a ring thinking of it as an investment.
Does custom-made cost more?
Not necessarily. You pay for no dormant stock or display case, and you adjust every criterion. For a given budget, the result is often superior to a catalog model.
What budget should be set aside for the engagement ring and two wedding bands?
A distribution that works well consists of dedicating about sixty percent of the total budget to the engagement ring, twenty-five percent to the women's wedding band, and fifteen percent to the men's wedding band. Thinking about the entire project from the start avoids discovering a forgotten expense too late.
Is a 925 sterling silver engagement ring serious?
Yes, provided you know its limits. 925 silver is a hallmarked precious metal, repairable and well-tolerated by most skin, but it oxidizes in contact with air and requires regular cleaning. Combined with a moissanite, it makes for a credible engagement ring on a very tight budget.
Why does a round stone cost more than an oval of the same weight?
Because the round brilliant cut wastes a much larger portion of the starting rough crystal than oval, emerald, or marquise shapes. This cutting waste is billed to the end buyer, and the high demand for the round also maintains a commercial premium on this shape.
In summary
The price of an engagement ring does not depend on a social rule but on four variables: the nature of the stone, its weight, its cut quality, and the metal.
The only truly structuring decision is the first one. Once that decision is made, everything else becomes fine-tuning.
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