I'm recently married, and when we were in the ring shopping stage, I discovered that I had really expensive taste... and it had nothing to do with the size of the diamonds.
The two rings I recall really really liking were $300,000 and $5,000, respectively. The 300k ring was made of three different colored natural "fancy colored" diamonds, which apparently are quite pricey, and the 5k still makes me melt when I see it.
BUT my husband makes me melt way more than a silly ring.
After considering all the options, we decided that the most ethical thing we could come up with was recycling, so we paid $175 for an "estate ring" with a blue sapphire center stone that is close enough to making me melt.
I suppose it's a bit less romantic than being surprised, but I think ring shopping should be a joint venture. This ensures that you are both on the same page about marriage, and that all potential spouses are aware of any moneygrubbing snob tendencies, and/or poor tendencies.
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