Amazing Engagement Ring Facts

Everyone can agree that engagement rings are beautiful pieces of jewellery. But there’s plenty more to them than sparkling diamonds and karats of gold. Here are some engagement ring facts that may surprise you…

To start, here’s one we’ve mentioned a few times before on this blog. The first diamond engagement ring ever given was from Archduke Maximilian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. He had oblong diamonds arranged to spell out an ‘M’ on a yellow gold band. The rest is history…

The tradition of wearing your engagement ring on the third finger of your left hand came about because ancient societies believed that this finger had a special vein, the ‘vena amoris’ which ran directly to the heart. In reality however, all of your fingers have the same vein structure – sorry!

Many of the engagement rings you see online are actually computer generated models, not actual photographs. And the majority of those images are produced by the same company; Lionsorbet.

75% of brides to be change their status to ‘engaged’ on Facebook immediately after the proposal. But 27% call their best friend first, at least!

In some countries the engagement ring is worn on the right hand rather than the left, including Germany, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Norway.

December is the most popular month for couples to get engaged – must be something to do with Christmas cheer. After December, November (thanksgiving) and January (New Year’s Eve/Day) are next, while May also sees a spike in engagements.

Approximately 2,000 couples a year get engaged at Disneyworld. Only 75 – 100 couples take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty to pop the question.

The most expensive commercially available diamond engagement ring in the world is the DeBeers platinum ring. It weighs 9 carats and costs a hefty $1.5 million.

The average diamond carat weight used in engagement rings might surprise some; it’s just 1 carat for a solitaire ring and 1.4 carats for designs with additional accent stones.

29% of men say they would wear an engagement ring if their partner gave them one.

The custom of giving engagement rings dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks.

On average, men spend between one and three months shopping for an engagement ring; longer if they’re opting for a custom made design.

As much as 60% of brides to be are now directly involved in the process of searching for and buying the engagement ring. Takes some pressure off the men, at long last!

One of the world’s most expensive engagement rings in recent history was given to Paris Hilton by her then boyfriend, also called Paris. It was a 24 carat canary yellow emerald cut diamond and was worth an estimated $4.7 million.

The title for ‘the’ most expensive engagement ring however goes to, of course, Elizabeth Taylor. It was given to her by Richard Burton, clocked in at 33 carats, and cost $8.8 million.

Allegedly, 28% of women say they would turn down a proposal if they didn’t like the engagement ring!

The average amount spent on an engagement ring in the USA sits at around $4,000. Around 12% of couples will splash out on a ring worth $8,000 or more.

Size isn’t everything for most brides! 47% of brides rate their diamond’s carat size as only ‘somewhat important’.