Is this true? Someone please explain!

[aprilia_RS250]

Met up with a girl few nights ago for dinner. Everything was going well, we talked about interesting things she looked extremely hot food was good etc. After we were done she offered to drive me home (as I only have a bike). We decided to grab some Movenpick ice cream on the way back at Mission Bay.

So while eating our ice creams somehow she starts talking about how her friend has recently got engaged and how her man got her an awesome engagement ring that she's been blinging it around. Then she tells me she has her engagement ring all sorted out as well, gets her phone out and pow starts showing me pictures of a rock that would make even Micheal Hill sweat. Tells me the MAN needs to spend at least 10% of his annual income on the ring. I shat my self when she said that. I politely asked before or after tax?? She looked at me like she was annoyed by that question and confirmed it should be before tax. 15min later I was in bed, by myself.

I'm 24, I've never heard of this before. Neither have my male friends, however it's a 50/50 split between the female ones where they said the man needs to spend a large sum on the engagement ring to make it special. Is this really true??

[Mully]

IIRC, it's traditionally two months salary.

Want my advice? Run far, far away from this girl.

Far away.

[GOONR]

I've heard this before... Strangely only from women though

[The Pastor]

Well if im prepared to drop 2k on an exhaust and 1k on some mirrors spending a bit on an engagement ring isn't really a hard ask is it?

[Spyke]

Just a sign of things to come man,
Honey do you know what day it is? Uuuuuuummmmmmm thursday? NO STUPID ITS OUR 3 MONTH ANNIRVESARY.

stuff buying worthless crap that means nothing for stupid dates of the year.

[T.W.R]

S.W.F

[Grasshopperus]

Yeah, that's the tradition, 10% or 2 months pay or something like that.

Question; you haven't been seeing this girl too long eh? Hmmmm she's not too subltle.

I told my missus that I'd rather spend $$ on something useful like a house and she agreed. So today she's got a plain white gold wedding ring, NO engagement ring, and a house. Can't shelter under a ring mate (of course, she'll want to get pregnant faster if she's got a house )

[Bassmatt]

Apparentley in Japan the traditional amount is 1/3 of your annual income! Do you think a women would spend that on your engagement ring? Just another sad sign of our consumerist society I'm afraid. No wonder marriages dont last anymore if that is the criteria for choosing a partner.
Bloody stupid in this day and age when most young couples are struggling to come up with a deposit for a house etc.

[Fooman]

It's an old DeBeers marketing ploy to try and get desperate men to transfer money from their wallets into those of diamond merchants and thence DeBeers (historically the monopoly supplier of gem-quality diamonds). Along the lines of "Diamonds are forever".

See: http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/

Epstein did a good article in the Atlantic magazine in 1982 that is available online that discusses the various marketing ploys that DeBeers used to convince people that diamonds actually had value outside industry.

FM

[Swoop]

Bollocks. The other way around.
The girl has to buy the bloke a new bike, worth AT LEAST 7k. (Suzuki's don't count since they will not last).


Yup, you read it here first!

[SPORK]

See they think we narrow minded
Cause they got a cute face, and big-behinded
So I walk over and say "How ya doin?"
See I'm only down for screwin, but you know
ya gotta play it off cool
Cause if they catch you slippin, you'll get schooled
And they'll get you for your money, son
Next thing you know you're gettin their hair and they nails done
Fool, and they'll let you show em off
But when it comes to sex, they got a bad cough
Or a headache, it's all give and no take
Run out of money, and watch your heart break
They'll drop you like a bad habit
cause a brother with money yo, they gotta have it
Messin with me though, they gets none
You can't juice Ice Cube girl, cause I ain't the one

[slofox]

Huh! I'd tell her to get fucked actually...bloody grasping greed...

[sinfull]

(before sex)
Yeah baby, you know i'd be more than happy to spend that much on you !
(after sex)
If i had an income ! Bye

[Fooman]

Other article is at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...-diamond/4575/

[Slyer]

I'll never understand why women want jewelry. How is that going to help them make me a sandwich?
I think a cake mixer or vacuum cleaner would be a better engagement gift.