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Frequently asked questions about buying a cheap engagement ring
Searching for a good value engagement ring is not a simple business. If you're anything like me, you'll feel slightly irritated that you are being told that you need to spend thousands of pounds on something that you know nothing about. Here are some (honest) answers to some of the questions I had when I was shopping for my engagement ring.
You might want to also see our guides to what you need to know when buying a cheap engagement ring and 10 of the best places to buy cheap engagement rings.
You might want to also see our guides to what you need to know when buying a cheap engagement ring and 10 of the best places to buy cheap engagement rings.
Q. How much should I spend on an engagement ring?
You've probably heard of the 'tradition' that you should spend one month's salary on a diamond engagement ring. Or perhaps two months, or three months. Or why not just sell your house and grandma and spend every penny to your name? Such traditions were created by the marketing people of a diamond supplier (DeBeers), so they obviously had a major incentive in encouraging people to spend big.
This 'tradition' seems to have caught on pretty well. There's no real agreement on how much people spend on engagement rings in the UK, but studies have suggested figures of £1865 (2020 article) and £2419 (2019 article) and £4000! (2024 article).
But that doesn't mean you need to spend such sums - there are plenty of engagement rings online for under £1000 pounds, under £500 pounds or even as cheap as under £100 pounds. You may decide that a more expensive honeymoon or wedding reception is more important.
My advice? Decide what you can afford, and then have a read of our guide to 10 things you need to know about buying a cheap engagement ring. There are various 'shortcuts' you can take to save money on engagement rings, such as buying second hand from somewhere like eBay, not insisting on a diamond grading certificate or compromising on one or two of the 4Cs (the system of grading diamonds).
Or take a look at 10 of the best places to buy cheap engagement rings, where there are companies offering new diamond rings from £200 pounds.
This 'tradition' seems to have caught on pretty well. There's no real agreement on how much people spend on engagement rings in the UK, but studies have suggested figures of £1865 (2020 article) and £2419 (2019 article) and £4000! (2024 article).
But that doesn't mean you need to spend such sums - there are plenty of engagement rings online for under £1000 pounds, under £500 pounds or even as cheap as under £100 pounds. You may decide that a more expensive honeymoon or wedding reception is more important.
My advice? Decide what you can afford, and then have a read of our guide to 10 things you need to know about buying a cheap engagement ring. There are various 'shortcuts' you can take to save money on engagement rings, such as buying second hand from somewhere like eBay, not insisting on a diamond grading certificate or compromising on one or two of the 4Cs (the system of grading diamonds).
Or take a look at 10 of the best places to buy cheap engagement rings, where there are companies offering new diamond rings from £200 pounds.
Q. Should I buy an engagement ring online or from a high street shop?
There are plenty of reasons why you might prefer to buy a diamond engagement ring from a high street retailer, such as F Hinds, Goldsmiths, H Samuel or Beaverbrooks. As well as established reputations, they also offer the convenience of easily taking your ring in if you want it resized or polished. They can also advise you in store (although I like to do a lot of research myself first).
The main advantage of buying online is that you will generally find that prices are lower, and that there is often a bigger range to choose from. Many online retailers, such as such as Purely Diamonds, Diamond Heaven or Diamonds Factory have nice easy to use websites which allow you to select exactly what you want to pay for.
High street retailers tend to have similar (or sometimes lower) prices than online sellers during their sales, so there is the chance to grab a bargain if you aren't in a hurry and can wait for a deal to come along.
One other advantage of buying online from a big retailer such as F Hinds, Goldsmiths, H Samuel or Beaverbrooks is that they sometimes offer discount codes which you can't use instore. So, you might consider buying online from a high street name, so that you can take it back to a store if you need to.
The main advantage of buying online is that you will generally find that prices are lower, and that there is often a bigger range to choose from. Many online retailers, such as such as Purely Diamonds, Diamond Heaven or Diamonds Factory have nice easy to use websites which allow you to select exactly what you want to pay for.
High street retailers tend to have similar (or sometimes lower) prices than online sellers during their sales, so there is the chance to grab a bargain if you aren't in a hurry and can wait for a deal to come along.
One other advantage of buying online from a big retailer such as F Hinds, Goldsmiths, H Samuel or Beaverbrooks is that they sometimes offer discount codes which you can't use instore. So, you might consider buying online from a high street name, so that you can take it back to a store if you need to.
Q. Should I buy a gold or platinum engagement ring?
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If you are looking for a silver coloured cheap engagement ring (but still want gold or platinum) then I would advise you to get a rhodium plated 9 carat gold ring.
Platinum is usually more expensive than gold with its main advantage being that it doesn't lose its shine in the same way that white gold does. However, a replating of a white gold ring is available from about £20-£30 at the time of writing. You would need to get it replated quite a few times to make platinum a cheaper option. Most jewellers suggest that a women's wedding band and engagement ring should be made of the same material to avoid hard and soft metals rubbing together. So, if you buy an expensive platinum engagement ring then you will end up buying an expensive platinum wedding band. |
There are lots of long (and tedious) articles online about the difference between 9 carat and 18 carat gold. After reading 86 of them, I've come to the conclusion that the main downside of 9 carat is that it is slightly more likely to tarnish, as it contains more metal which isn't inert (unlike gold).
Again, your option is to pay more now or to save the money to pay for an occasional replating at a later date.
Again, your option is to pay more now or to save the money to pay for an occasional replating at a later date.
Q. Why are engagement rings diamond? Can I choose a different stone for an engagement ring?
How dare you! Where's your sense of romance!
I'm joking of course.
The 'tradition' that an engagement ring has to be a diamond is generally thought to have been a success of the DeBeers marketing campaigns of the 1930s and 1940s. According to the BBC "on the eve of World War Two, a mere 10% of engagement rings contained diamonds. By the end of the 20th Century, 80% did."
If you can, try to work out if your potential spouse actually likes diamonds and then make your decision.
We've got a guide of places where you can buy unusual engagement rings which we think is rather excellent.
You might like to start your search for an alternative gemstone by searching on Amazon for a Red Ruby engagement ring or a Blue Sapphire or a Green emerald engagement ring.
I'm joking of course.
The 'tradition' that an engagement ring has to be a diamond is generally thought to have been a success of the DeBeers marketing campaigns of the 1930s and 1940s. According to the BBC "on the eve of World War Two, a mere 10% of engagement rings contained diamonds. By the end of the 20th Century, 80% did."
If you can, try to work out if your potential spouse actually likes diamonds and then make your decision.
We've got a guide of places where you can buy unusual engagement rings which we think is rather excellent.
You might like to start your search for an alternative gemstone by searching on Amazon for a Red Ruby engagement ring or a Blue Sapphire or a Green emerald engagement ring.
Q. Do I need a diamond grading certificate?
There are lots of different diamond grading bodies, all of which charge a fee for giving an assessment of your diamond's quality (EDR, IGI, HRD etc).
Grading organisations tend to charge a few pounds for the smallest diamonds with a sliding scale going up to hundreds or even thousands of pounds for absurdly large diamonds. Ultimately, that cost is passed from the retailer to the consumer, so part of the cost of your diamond is this certificate.
Do you need a diamond grading certificate? Many would argue that you do need one so that you know exactly what you are getting from an independent authority. However, in my experience, there are other options which still allow you to get insurance on an engagement ring and it's certainly not something you frame and stick on your wall.
You might consider a diamond seller which grades its own diamonds, and so keeps its costs down. Or, pick a seller such as Diamond Heaven which gives you the option of which certificate you want, and explains the intriguing difference in price.
We found that a 0.4 carat diamond ring at Diamond Heaven ranged from £970 to £1140 depending on which diamond grading certification you plumped for.
Grading organisations tend to charge a few pounds for the smallest diamonds with a sliding scale going up to hundreds or even thousands of pounds for absurdly large diamonds. Ultimately, that cost is passed from the retailer to the consumer, so part of the cost of your diamond is this certificate.
Do you need a diamond grading certificate? Many would argue that you do need one so that you know exactly what you are getting from an independent authority. However, in my experience, there are other options which still allow you to get insurance on an engagement ring and it's certainly not something you frame and stick on your wall.
You might consider a diamond seller which grades its own diamonds, and so keeps its costs down. Or, pick a seller such as Diamond Heaven which gives you the option of which certificate you want, and explains the intriguing difference in price.
We found that a 0.4 carat diamond ring at Diamond Heaven ranged from £970 to £1140 depending on which diamond grading certification you plumped for.
Q. Do I have to pay import taxes and customs duty if I import a diamond ring from the US to the UK?
Yes, if you are buying a diamond engagement ring from a US based jeweller such as Macys or SuperJeweler then you will need to pay import tax and duty.
You can read this guide from HMRC.
For the sake of simplicity, most US jewellers which offer international shipping include the import duties at the point of payment. If they aren't mentioned when you checkout your diamond ring, then it will up to you to pay them to HMRC. We found that Macys included import duties at the point of purchase.
(Please note, some of the links on this site are affiliate links, but we include good deals regardless of whether they have the potential to earn money for the site or not)
You can read this guide from HMRC.
For the sake of simplicity, most US jewellers which offer international shipping include the import duties at the point of payment. If they aren't mentioned when you checkout your diamond ring, then it will up to you to pay them to HMRC. We found that Macys included import duties at the point of purchase.
(Please note, some of the links on this site are affiliate links, but we include good deals regardless of whether they have the potential to earn money for the site or not)
