It is pretty silly, but also amazing that just about everybody that gets hitched arrives at the conclusion that it is a symbol, but a necessary one.
I can recall picking out my wife's engagement ring and I was terrified at the concept of spending two month's pay on one (that's the rule of thumb).
Fortunately for me, they didn't say which two months, so I went with two from the paper route I had in Jr. High.
Seriously, I looked at a bunch that left me uninspired and then found an emerald-cut diamond that seemed more dazzling than the others. I blew my neutrality when the guy said the price and I blurted out something like "You mean I can actually afford THIS ring?". So much for leverage.
Before I gave it to her I used to take it out of hiding and catch the sun with it and it would send disco-ball lights all around the room. I was really proud of it and she sincerely loved it.
I've since seen bigger rocks and smaller rocks and learned the status game a lot of people play with this particular milestone purchase. There have been a few times when I wondered whether I should have bit the bullet, spent more and got a bigger one, but I suppose that's not uncommon, but the point is, that was 24 years ago and the money is long gone and forgotten, but the ring is still here. It might be the only thing we still have from those days other than photos.
You'll get a house and whatever else you need eventually, but those things are all transitory. The ring always will be. It's somehow different than anything else I ever bought. It's a bigger deal than I realized. If I had bought her a crummy diamond then I would have hated to watch her show it to other people-- something I have seen a hundred times since. Instead, I got to enjoy the ritual every time it happened. An unexpected benefit.
I hope you and he both enjoy it the same way regardless of what you decide, but if I have one piece of advice to impart it is this-- don't let that stack of bills determine what ring you end up with. I've seen people do that and regret it.
That ring will be with you for the rest of your life. That's a long time.
:rockon: