I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

Engagement rings are a big ticket item. For most people, engagement rings are one of the biggest purchases they’ll ever make. And it’s easy to see why people are ready to drop a lot of cash on their ring— after all, engagement rings are meant to symbolize everlasting love and people want the quality of their ring to reflect that. Plus, diamonds appreciate over time, so engagement rings are also an investment purchase that people want to get right. 

So, what exactly are people spending on engagement rings? Across the US, the average amount spent on an engagement ring is $6,351. Though, the amount spent per state ranges from $3,518 to $10,241, with the lowest average coming from Utah and the priciest coming from California. 

While it’s good to consider how much people are spending on their engagement rings, it’s also important to remember that your budget doesn’t have to hit that average number. Every person’s unique situation is different— the most important thing about your engagement ring budget is that it’s comfortable for you. No one wants to start a marriage with strained finances or debt. 

So, how do you buy the perfect engagement ring when you’re working within a budget? We partnered with Fancy Lab to answer that question! The first thing you should do is make sure you know exactly what your budget is. Some people have a range they look within and some people just set a hard upper limit. To figure out your budget, just take an honest look at your finances and think about what you’d be completely comfortable spending.

Once you know your budget, it’s time to start shopping around. If you’ve never bought an engagement ring before, you might not know that engagement ring settings are usually sold separately from the engagement ring’s center stone (which is, traditionally, a diamond). So, keep that in mind while you’re shopping. 

If you’re shopping online, most retailers have handy filters that will allow you to only look at settings or diamonds within certain price ranges. But one online retailer, the luxury jeweler RockHer has taken diamond “filtering” up a notch with their online diamond concierge, ROSI. 

ROSI, a combination of algorithm and AI (powered by IBM’s Watson!), was designed by the team at RockHer to help make what used to be a very difficult shopping decision very simple. Essentially, ROSI works by getting a few pieces of information from whoever’s using her, then sorting through thousands of diamonds and showing the user only the very best ones within their criteria. So, in a nutshell, ROSI helps you find the best diamond within your budget, taking all the confusion and work out of the diamond shopping process. Plus, she does it faster than even an expert gemologist could.

And RockHer is a full stop shop— you can use ROSI to find your ideal diamond and then pair that diamond with your ideal setting right away (or vice versa). They have every imaginable setting style, from intricate vintage settings to sleek modern rings. 

So, the answer to the question of “how to buy the perfect engagement ring without breaking the bank?” Figure out your budget then use ROSI, an AI advanced digital diamond gemologist, to help you sort through the rubble and find your perfect ring.