Engagement Ring Calculator
Enter your take-home, what you have saved, and months until the proposal. The calculator returns an honest budget you can pay in cash - and shows the myth number right next to it.
The two-months-salary rule came from a De Beers advertising campaign in the 1930s, and the modern version survives because jewelers repeat it. The honest budget is simpler: roughly 90 percent of one month take-home plus what you can save by the date, zero debt on the receipt - and the carat tricks below save more than any rule.
How to use
- Monthly take-home first - the honest math runs on what actually lands.
- Existing ring savings, then months until the proposal.
- Read the dodge note: 0.9 carat instead of 1.0 saves up to 30 percent for a look nobody can tell apart. Updates live.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I spend on an engagement ring?
The honest version: about 90 percent of one month take-home, adjusted for savings and debt - for a 4,000 dollar take-home that is roughly 3,500 to 4,000, paid in cash. The two-month rule (8,000 here) is a De Beers advertising invention from the 1930s, not a tradition your partner grandparents followed.
Is the two-month salary rule real?
It is real advertising: De Beers coined successive versions - one month in the 1930s, two in the 1980s US - to sell more diamonds. No survey of actual spending supports it; the median American couple spends well under one month. The calculator shows both numbers so the decision is yours, not an ad campaign.
How do I save money without it looking cheap?
Carat pricing jumps at round numbers: a 0.9 carat stone looks nearly identical to 1.0 but costs up to 30 percent less, and the same works at 1.4 versus 1.5. Cut quality and setting style drive the sparkle people actually notice - the notes on this page point where the savings hide.
Should I finance an engagement ring?
Financing converts a symbol into a monthly reminder with interest - the honest budget exists precisely so the receipt is clean. If the timeline is tight, the calculator scales the budget to what saving covers by the date; a slightly smaller stone bought in cash beats a bigger one financed through the first year of marriage.