If you know your future wife well enough, you'll know what to buy her when the time comes. You'll know the kind of jewelry she likes (yellow vs. white, round vs. princess). But if she's like my fiancee, she wants to wear what you like and what you picked out for her. I never took her ring shopping, and she loves the ring because it's what I picked out and it's what I knew she would like. For her it wasn't about the size, it was about the meaning. For me it wasn't about the size, it was about the cut and color, the clarity somewhat, but not the carat. Anyway, came away with: Carat: .52 Color: E Clarity: VS1 Cut: Ideal ~$2,500 Or 1.5 months salary at the time. Don't feel pressured to spend more than you can afford. You'd rather spend that money you saved on Brewers tickets, right? She loved it. That's what matters. I'd sacrifice size for pleasure anyday.