Post # 1
Member
82 posts
Worker bee
I was wondering how the engagement rings from women around my age range (Early 20’s/College Age) look like. I’ve seen some beautiful and huge! (large diamonds are always beautiful) diamonds on wedding bee and I always wonder “How does everybody afford them?” I’m thinking it’s from a lot of hard work haha 🙂 I’ve seen a lot of variety amongst my friends. Some are expensive, some are modest, some are big, some are small, some are modern, some are antique etc….It would be interesting and fun to see your’s too! It’s fun seeing all the different styles and stone choices.
Share your e-ring pics!
I recently got mine! I’m going to wear it forever!
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Post # 3
Member
1271 posts
Bumble bee
I am 23, and Fiance and I are grad students, have student debt and no income to speak of. We picked my ring from a store that sells vintage jewelry on Etsy. It is 10K yellow gold and 0.25 diamonds tcw. It cost $80, maybe $100 total even with counting shipping and sizing, and we consider that an expensive purchase.
I honestly can never understand myself how so many supposedly poor students can afford the rings they do! We definitely work hard, and it kinds of rubs me the wrong way that you seem to imply that simply working hard is enough to give you tons of disposable income. I’m sorry if I’m reading into it too much, I don’t think you meant it that way, but I just wanted to point out the assumption.
Post # 4
Member
237 posts
Helper bee
I’m 19 and this is going to be my wedding set. 1ct total weight. Eventually we may upgrade to a higher quality center stone or a new set all together but that’s a long way down the road. 
Post # 5
Member
1890 posts
Buzzing bee
I’m 21, my Fiance is 22, and we are both senior undergrads. (Though he will have one more year, and then grad school.)
ETA: I guess I should include specs. White gold Scott Kay setting with ‘surprise’ diamonds, .51 ct, F, VS princess center. Wedding band isn’t pictured but it’s another .5 ct.
My e-ring was about $3k- Fiance saved for three years while going to school to make sure he could pay cash for it and still be comfortable afterwards.
Post # 6
Member
82 posts
Worker bee
@MrsSnowMountain:Â I was just saying their husbands or boyfriends worked hard for “many many” years (implying that most likely older bee’s have more expensive rings) to save up for their e-rings. It wasn’t meant to be offensive in anyway. It was a lighthearted comment. I work over 20 hours a week, go to school full time and I have tons of student loan debt as well. My boyfriend does the same. I feel like tuition costs are getting so high these days, its so hard to keep up trying to pay it all ;P and out of state tuition is a real pain in the booty! haha
Post # 7
Member
881 posts
Busy bee
We got engaged right before out last semester of our undergrads. Fortunately we had very little debt (<6k) and small but steady incomes from our student jobs (and savings from working during the summer). We picked out a 6mm moissanite in 14k white gold for about $435 and paid for it in cash.
Post # 8
Member
881 posts
Busy bee
Oops: I don’t think I’ll ever upgrade, I’m way too attached. I think I’d feel like my ring thought I didn’t love her anymore. I have attachment issues…. 😉
Post # 9
Member
894 posts
Busy bee
We are both college students. He worked so hard all summer to be able to make my beautiful ring!
Post # 10
Member
894 posts
Busy bee
@MrsSnowMountain: I know a lot of my college-age friends go into a great deal of debt to get a big heavy diamond. To each their own but that is not worth it to me!
Post # 11
Member
1271 posts
Bumble bee
kay_thunderbird Oh, I know you weren’t trying to be offensive! Sorry, that may have sounded too harsh the way I put it. I did misunderstand, I thought you were exclusively talking about young brides.
I’m just always wary because of the younger engaged girls I’ve encountered in RL with big, expensive rings – they tend to be really smug, like with the attitude “Well my Fiance worked HARD and SAVED because that’s how much I mean to him! If your Fiance worked as hard, you’d have a nice ring too!” Ughhhhh. You know what I mean? Does anyone else ever encounter that?
gangqinjia Oh noooo :/ That’s too bad that people feel like they have to do that.
Lovely rings all! Can we see yours OP?
Post # 12
Member
82 posts
Worker bee
@MrsSnowMountain: It’s ok haha i just didn’t want you to get the wrong impression. We’re trying to save up all our money so one day we can buy a house. I want a garden for me and a backyard for my dog 🙂
Post # 13
Member
1640 posts
Bumble bee
Here’s mine! It was my mom’s ring!
ETA: We’re both college students.
Post # 14
Member
82 posts
Worker bee
I bought mine from a vintage store on etsy too!
But I haven’t received it yet. I had to get it sized down. It shipped today! can’t wait to get it!
here’s a pic of the ring on the seller’s hand, (not my hand) ;P
Post # 15
Member
397 posts
Helper bee
A little about us.. My Fiance and I are both 23 (he now works full time as teacher and I am a graduate student with no income). He purchased my ring when we were seniors in undergrad and proposed in September (right after we graduated in May). He paid 2,200 for my engagement ring but honestly, the only reason he could afford it (neither of us worked during undergrad) was a combination of saving money from working one summer, his parents contributed $500 (they have done this to each of there childrens e-rings) and he put the rest (about 1,000 on a zales credit card). Now we are not credit card people but it worked out because he paid it off fast with no-interest and we got a discount on the wedding bands we purchased a few weeks ago for being card holders.
14K White Gold, Center Stone is .66 CT and side stones add up to almost .5 CT. 
Post # 16
Member
82 posts
Worker bee
All these rings look lovely and they are all so unique! This is fun! haha