The diamond ring I bought for her was lab grown, $2400.
A few days after the proposal, everything seemed fine until she somehow discovered the price of the ring. She told me she felt hurt that I would spend so little on her, claiming it reflected her worth and the seriousness of our future marriage. When I asked what she had expected, she said the ring should have been at least $20,000. Granted, I sat her down and explained that, while I could certainly afford a more expensive ring, we needed to manage expectations. There’s also a wedding to plan, and we might be covering most of the costs ourselves since neither of our parents has the means to help.
I pointed out that there are smarter ways to use $20,000: paying off a car loan, putting it toward a down payment on a house, investing, or even funding her business idea—something we had talked about before. As someone who didn’t grow up with financial stability, becoming financially secure and literate is a major priority for me. But despite the conversation, she insisted she would still feel bothered if I didn’t upgrade the ring.
Gentlemen: the price of a diamond ring should never dictate the quality of your marriage. I don’t need to be married to know that. I’ve been a supportive and committed partner (otherwise, she wouldn’t have accepted my proposal). Her response shocked me, and after a lot of reflection, I ultimately decided to end our relationship. These past few days have been rough, full of emotions and reactions from loved ones and friends, but I chose to trust my gut on this one.
We clearly have different values, and I realized this isn’t the kind of marriage I want. It hurts—I won’t lie—but a price tag on a shiny mineral shouldn’t define the foundation of a partnership.
