Data nerds, come get your facts and figures…
We can always count on The Knot to furnish us with some intriguing statistics about engagement rings and marriage proposals. The wedding website conducts a Jewellery & Engagement study every year, and 2017’s findings have now been released. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most shocking, most interesting and most surprising facts;
- The average proposer spends 4.4 months planning how, when and where to pop the question. 7% of proposers spend 12 months or more!
- How much are couples spending on their new bling? An average of $6,351. That’s a steady rise from just over $5,000 in 2011.
- Grooms spend an average of 3.5 months looking for the perfect engagement ring, and will look at 26 different rings before purchase. That’s a lot of sparkle.
- It seems most brides are still opting for the traditional round cut diamond as their centre stone – a majority of 52%, to be exact.
- Does size matter? Apparently not that much – the average carat size for a centre stone was 1.2 carats, and the average carat size for the total ring was 1.8.
- White gold is still a winner as far as ring metal is concerned; 61% of brides rocked a white gold ring in 2017.
- It looks like the trend for custom made engagement rings is set to continue, and maybe even increase. 45% of engagement rings had a custom design.
- 33% of couples are teaming up to shop for the perfect ring together. Naturally this means more brides know how much their ring cost – 70%, to be specific.
- 14% of grooms purchased the engagement ring online, a small but steady rise from 10% in 2011. Better pricing and convenience were in the top 3 reasons cited for this.
So grooms are spending more money on the engagement ring, more time planning the propsal and even adding thoughtful customised details to the bling. Who said romance was dead? We’re impressed guys, keep up the good work!
Read more facts and figures from the 2017 Jewellery & Engagement Survey here: