Went to look at rings with my girl and thought $40-50k was doable but when I actually saw a $40k I thought “I can’t believe I have to waste my hard earned money on this useless thing”.

Haven’t decided how much I will spend but definitely don’t see it being over $20k. Just an FYI, go to a diamond dealer rather than the mall jewelers - you can get a diamond that’s just as good but 30-50% less expensive than Tiffany’s.

 

I love wedding/engagement posts! So happy for you. Also I had no idea that rings are this expensive. At this point in my life even $15-$20 K on a ring seems a lot to me (I am a first year analyst).  I am also cheap af so will probably feel super bad if a guy had to spend so much money on buying a ring for me lol. Good luck with the ring search! 

 

I was gonna make a joke about spending a lot on ring but I had no idea that they were 15-20k. I had no idea rings went for that much... damn... hopefully who ever I end up with will be okay with a rubber band.

 

I was gonna make a joke about spending a lot on ring but I had no idea that they were 15-20k. I had no idea rings went for that much... damn... hopefully who ever I end up with will be okay with a rubber band.

If you make $120K, its 3x monthly gross as a general rule. So that would be $10K x 3 = $30K ring, to stay within societal norms. $30K does sound nice, but the rings for $100K or $200K+ are decisively baller. 

I do generally feel a large ring on a girl is a security risk and one day on the NYC subway sat across from this well dressed latina chick (hot chick) who was typing on her phone with some of the biggest rocks I have ever seen. I was convinced she had $250K on her finger. They looked real and I couldn't believe she would slum it in the subway with those rocks. She seemed too refined to wear fake rocks. She did have the kickboxer look, so maybe she had skills. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

What's a good amount to spend let's say in your early 30s, assuming you're pulling 250-300k? 

I see your point of not having your girl rock a shitty ring vs. her friends but there's a limit to this, esp. since the ring will lose a shit ton of value after taking it out of the store & at some point the ring costing more than a good car...

 

Don’t spend a lot, it will feel cool do to so for maybe a few months while she’s showing it to people, but then you’ll be kicking yourself when you have less money for much more important things and nobody gives a shit about her ring anymore. The 3 months salary rule is bullshit and you can get a great ring for around $10k.  If your girlfriend would be mad you didn’t spend more, id reconsider proposing in the first place.  Also, check with your parents and her parents to see if there is an unused diamond floating around in the family you can use which will reduce the total cost significantly.  Also keep in mind the wedding reception is probably going to cost many multiples what the ring does in case you'll need some cash for that too..

 

I'm from Asian. The mentality is that many girls (especially girls' parents) believe that engagement ring and wedding are very important. Not only because of the image displayed for relatives (showing off), but also because of the wield belief that if the man get my girl so easily(with little money), it is likely that he would not cherish the girl later and will decrease the contribution. So girls' family tend to set the initial standard high enough to ensure the fair treatment they would receive in the future. Although I know it sounds BS, it's not without rational.

 

i found a ring on amazon that looks exactly like what my girlfriend wanted...but it was cubic zirconia and cost $25.

she loved it...showed it off to everybody and nobody has ever been able to tell the difference...saved me 25k

just google it...you're welcome
 

There’s some pretty good bands that are that price. If you don’t care about brand name there’s quality rings to be found for way cheaper than most people realize. 

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 

Definitely and particularly as people have already mentioned if you look at things like emeralds or saphires, you can get some great stuff.  Honestly, in my opinion, a really nice $2,000 (or less) emerald ring aesthetically looks better than a $20K diamond ring.

Also, I find it funny how much better things look when you don't have a price reference. For example, my wife and I were going for a walk a few months back and we found a diamond earing on the ground. It looked amazing. Turns out it was cubic zirconium maybe worth $50...could have sworn it was worth a $1,000. If you walked into a jewelry store and nothing had a price on it, I would estimate that 90% of people would guess wrong the prices of both the most expensive and cheapest rings by a wide range.

 

Instead of a 50k ring, buy her a rubber ring off of amazon, they’re like 3 bucks, take what you have and build a sex dungeon. Your girl would appreciate it, trust me,

 

Looks like you got a lot of answers already, but I'll chime in FWIW 

~$24K with the setting, tax and everything. Got it from Blue Nile. Amazing customer service. 

2.05 carat, VS1, D Color, Ideal cut, round shape

She doesn't care too much about this stuff. I normally wouldn't spend this much because in my eyes, it's just a freakin rock. But, I've been lucky financially these past few years and she has been wonderful and supportive through it all, so I thought eh why not. What I've learned from the process is:

1. Focus on cut first, then other things like color, clarity, carat, etc. The wrong proportions can ruin it all. Diamonds are usually priced on weight and amount of flaws - not the angles they're cut. Angles are important because they reflect light. If you have the right cut, a small diamond can look bigger - and vice versa. 

2. Buy from someone you trust. Jewelers have a bad rep for a reason.

3. The size of the ring shouldn't effect the relationship, and if it does - you shouldn't be buying a ring in the first place. 

4. Do not care about what other people think. The ring is for her and is something between you two. Women are absolutely brutal when it comes to this. I don't know why, but the judgement is real. And it's usually the ones not wearing a ring that are making all the judgements...

 

you are an idiot.  diamonds are not precious...they are very common.  debeers controls supply with their monopoly power and tries to artificially keep prices high with extensive advertising campaigns, and sheep like you act like dumb lemmings and just believe what the commercials tell you to believe.

i gave my GF a $25  2 carot ring that looks like exactly what she wanted...i didn't tell her the stone was "fake" because its real, made of carbon, sparkly, and to the naked eye nobody can tell the difference.  Someday maybe i'll tell her...but nobody can tell and she shows it off to everybody.

just google it...you're welcome
 

I'm happy with it, and looks like you missed point #4. 

They are not "precious" but they do hold their value relatively well compared to lab grown and other "fake" stones. I did quite a lot of research when picking one and got the ring appraised too. The diamond I got has pretty much perfect with ideal proportions and angles, and the appraisal came out well over $24K. 

You should be honest with your SO though, but hey, that's none of my business. 

 

I went DEEP down the rabbit hole on researching engagement rings for my fiancée. There are a lot of "Excellent" cut diamonds that aren't truly remarkable. In my opinion, one needs to filter by excellent cut initially and then drill down into the proper proportions (L/W, depth, table, etc.) to really capture that fire that some diamonds seem to have and other "Excellent" cut diamonds do not. 

 

Im a girl & I love diamonds so here is my 2 cents - 

1. Echo the above of online diamond merchants eg blue nile, James Allen. Some of the settings are a cheap-looking so you can buy the diamond loose at online discount price and have it set at a high quality jeweller. Keep in mind the 4 c's, which vary in importance according to individual. Personally carat comes first for me because size is the most noticeable, followed by colour, clarity and carat. 

Most importantly get a GIA certified diamond which is gold standard for diamond quality -  a D colour GIA is far superior to for eg IGI or ARS which is equivalent to a GIA G colour (I am speaking loosely but you get the point). Ethically sourced. Certification of any kind proves that it isn't a lab diamond that has zero resale value. 

2. Some of us girls like, possibly even expect, 'the blue bag and box' for these kind of occasions  ... 

Depends on the recipient and if you are open to it you can buy a second hand high quality Tiffany ring and have it re-polished at Tiffany and it will look like brand new. Tiffany will include all the paraphernalia eg bag, box, ribbon etc with the re-polish to give it the wow effect. NB Tiffany are not GIA but have their own grading. 

Buying second hand is not everyones cup of tea but my view is that diamonds are unique and one of a kind so there is no shame in buying a 'pre-loved' diamond ring. Once it is re-polished, no one will know and you will get a considerably higher quality branded diamond at a competitive price, regardless of your budget.  

Whatever you price you decide on- buy the best possible diamond you can.  Good luck. 

 

Would you become upset if your future husband bought you a cheap ring? When I say cheap, I mean those sub 25 dollar rings?

 

If it was meaningful and thoughtful and what he could afford, no I wouldn't be upset with a $25 ring. There are some incredible dupes you can buy.

eg

https:// www.qvcuk.com /Diamonique-2ct-tw- 100-Facet-Solitaire-Ring- Sterling-Silver.product.344180.html ?sc=NAVLIST

https:// www.qvcuk.com /Diamonique- 5ct-tw-Solitaire- Ring-Sterling- Silver.product.345056.html?sc=NAVLIST

https:// www.qvcuk.com/ Diamonique-39ct-tw-Solitaire- Ring-Set-Sterling-Silver.product. 343699.html?sc= NAVLIST

https:// www.qvcuk. com/diamonique /jewellery/rings /_/N-1z141asZlfn7/c.html

Literally no one can tell the difference. 

But if he was just being cheap yeah I kind of would have a problem with that tbh 

 

It sounds like you know your stuff about diamonds.  While I don't like the first half of your post(or rather agree).  The second part of your post is great to hear from a "girl's" perspective.  Absolutely buy second hand.

Diamonds are not rare, many African's died to get your diamonds.  They don't have a great resale value.

The same reason I am not willing to buy jewelry(watch) for myself for any brand where as soon as I buy it the value goes down.  Vintage Porsche, watches or Diamonds are where it is at.

 

Tiffany is way over priced. As mentioned above, focus on the stone. Size matters. If you have the cash, I would recommend at least 2 carats. On the GIA scale I would not recommend a D rated color and flawless clarity rating because you will pay up significantly for it. Just don’t go below the H color and SI2 clarity because then the inclusions become noticeable. I spent $34k. Wife gets compliments all the time on it. Plus it is ultimately a reflection of you so now everyone thinks I’m crushing it. Good luck. 

 

Definitely don’t have to spend $30k. Everyone has different budgets and are different ages when they finally pull the trigger (early 30s for me). You can get something nice and pretty decent size for less. Main point is that it is not worth paying up for the Tiffany’s or other high end brand name. 

 

I got engaged (and married) in my early 20s. At the time I proposed, I was making $62k per year. I spend $2,500 on a ring and she was so happy with it (it’s sapphire with some diamonds, I got it from Blue Nile). I make quite a lot more now, and I’ve talked to her about upgrading it. She said there’s no reason to and she’s still very happy with it. Blue Nile has some great deals. 

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 

I wanted to get the best quality of ring for my budget, so I did a few things:

- Bought the diamond loose from a wholesaler, no retail brand

- Had the ring made by a small independent jeweler, didn't buy it retail

- Pay for specs (cut, color, clarity) not size (carat)

As a result, the ring appraised at about 40% more than my cash out of pocket.

Having said that, different people look for different things. My wife loves that her diamond is not gaudy-large but is very high quality, and has more "fire" than others (and I think noticeably so if you're looking closely). She also likes that I "built" it and there's no other in the world exactly like it. But someone else might really value the brand name on the box, or might love that it's a 2+ carat diamond and doesn't care that it has microscopic inclusions. There isn't a wrong answer, it's just dependent on the person and what they value.

"Son, life is hard. But it's harder if you're stupid." - my dad
 

We're on a finance forum, and it makes sense to consider all available projects before investing in one. Your comment is like saying: the man's investing in project A which gives $100k NPV, why tf would he care about the project with the same investment that makes $10M NPV ($15-20k on 1 girl you already have vs. 50-70 new girls).
It's just silly to waste such amount on one girl who already dates you, but that's just my thinking.

 

Always go lab grown. Its a Dimond but like 50% cheaper!!!! DONT BUY A FAKE, buy a lab grown. I spent $8K

 

Paid about $14K for a 2.3ct radiant cut stone and simple platinum band. Was lucky that I bought from a family friend that has known my in-laws for decade and my wife since she was young so i think it got it pretty close to cost. I obviously shopped obsessively and found out that a similar ring from Blue Nile would have been in the low $20K. It appraised for ~$25K. As many have said, Tiffany's is a ripoff. I looked just in case and prices were almost 2x Blue Nile for something that is exactly the same once out of the box. 

We got engaged while both in our 30s so while the cost was a large outlay, it wasn't much of an issue to afford and was definitely less than 3 months of salary (even excluding bonus). I cannot imagine paying much more though, a 2.3ct stone is about the limit someone can wear before it gets gaudy. I did check extensively within my (finance) network and 1.5-2.5ct seems the be the sweet spot. Obviously, that may not be possible depending on your age (although I would never suggest anyone gets engaged until they are at least in their late 20s), but my advice for the younger guys would be to land on a setting where you can upgrade the stone down the line. For example, my wife best friend got engaged when she was 25. Her husband was just out of law school and on a limited budget as you can imagine so she got a ring on the small size (~0.5ct). They are like the best couple and she was thrilled when it happened. Fast forward a couple of years and friends and colleagues around her start getting engaged and all got much bigger rings so she became a bit self conscious. Husband rapidly caught that up and surprised her on their anniversary with an "upgrade". 

 

My wife has simple tastes, and prefers quality over quantity. So I went to best high-street jeweler in country and bought absolutely highest quality diamond for my budget (10k). Size was perfect as well (no big rock, I think close to 1kt). Since it was on another city, I had to wait. She loved it. Nice fact is, that other girls know/infer the quality, from its limited size.

My view: Don't waste your money on expensive rings (may loose it, get stolen, etc.), as it is just a token or symbol. Get most for your budget, by findng-out/asking her what she prefers. Invest the balance in a nice honeymoon...better RoI from memories and bonding.

 

When randomly thinking about it, women tend to throw out huge sums of money and us dumbasses simply accept that as the norm. After doing a bit of digging, my GF fell in love with this ring. Way less than the initial £10-12K she was talking about. Same for the wedding dress - she thinks that you can't get anything decent for under £10K, but by the time we end up tying the knot, I'm sure she'll find something she loves for half that.

 

Lol. My friends with the highest combined income (right near that top tax bracket that most interns can only dream of reaching) got a $1k ring for her, $15k into a Vanguard account, and topped off the down payment on their condo. Many of the people who can actually afford dumb shit like diamonds rarely burn their money on them

 

Here's a hack I learned the second time around (on wife #2 now.) Get a uncertified diamond off a exchange, get a jeweler to set it in the ring, boom. Just having GIA certified basically adds 10x to the price.

 

zero dollars

and on the wedding ring too. it's silicone. and mine's tatted on.

spending money on de beers diamonds lol

spending even more money on canadian "ethical" diamonds

lol lol

meanwhile, renting an apartment, leasing a car, and mortgaging your wedding

lol lol lol

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 

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Ea cum provident quam deserunt odit. Velit itaque maxime incidunt consectetur aperiam quo illo quas. Velit quasi commodi nesciunt.

Facilis cum velit voluptate. Laboriosam accusantium vitae ut. Nobis hic mollitia voluptas dolorum omnis. Et est iste at quis debitis voluptatem harum.

 

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