Member Article

I Do. It My Way. UK brides-to-be are now one in three engagement ring customers

ONE in every three women who say ‘yes’ to a marriage proposal have been involved in the purchase of their engagement ring, new national research has revealed.

In fact, when proposed to with a ring they don’t like many insist on changes or even a new one. The unhappy brides-to-be demand their fiancé changes their engagement ring once they have agreed to marry, according to the study by bespoke engagement ring jewelers Rare Pink.

Besotted men spend an average of £1,150 on an engagement ring for their future wife, according to the research. But every year some 76,000 men – a third of the 230,000 engagements agreed annually in the UK - are finding their partner is involved in their engagement ring selection. Many of these women subtly let their partner know which design they like through a friend or a public Pinterest board. Some decide to design their rings together and a few force their partners to return or swap the rings they’ve chosen.

This shift in purchasing behaviour opens up a £87m market segment where jewelers can now promote their engagement rings to both men and women. Brides-to-be that return their rings blame stones which are too small, the wrong colour of precious metal or type of stone and a dislike of their fiancé’s choice or design as the main reasons they are likely to change their engagement ring, according to the poll of 1,750 engaged couples*.

And 75% of those who admit they disliked their fiancé’s choice of ring say they wish they’d been consulted on ring choice before their man went down on one knee and proposed.

Just one in 10 brides-to-be get a say in what their engagement ring looks like, according to the Rare Pink survey. Yet, when it comes to wedding rings, 93% of brides are the dominant decision maker on style, cost and colour, the poll reveals.

But, according to the experts at Rare Pink, an ever increasing number of brides-to-be are determined to take matters into their own hands when it comes to weddingrings.

Rare Pink, CEO Nikolay Piryankov said: “Traditionally the choice of engagement ring has been down solely to the man. But, clearly, our research shows that in many cases they get the choice of ring wrong. “That can prove to be an expensive mistake with the average engagement ring costing well over £1,000. The ladies sometimes feel they have to wear their engagement ring forever and no one wants to be forced to wear something they don’t like.

“So brides-to-be are taking control of the situation and insisting they have a say in the design of their ring before their soul mate pops the question. An increasing number of savvy women are using services like our own to design a bespoke engagement ring, something that is unique to them and best reflects their individual personality, well in advance of them actually becoming engaged.

“All their fiancés have to do then is to get the rings ordered and made before they ask for their lady’s hand in marriage. “In fact, some 30% of the engagement rings we made last year were designed by future brides.”

Despite the ins-and-outs of fads and changing fashions and budgets ranging from sub-£500 to extravagant five figure pieces, the most popular engagement rings in Britain are based around a simple gold band with a traditional diamond set in its centre, according to the Rare Pink survey.

*Rare Pink polled 1,750 engaged couples from their customer database during May 2014.

Press contact

Gemma Gore – We Are Indigo - 07891 062260 gemma@weareindigopr.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nikolay Piryankov .