Engagement Ring Envy: Mine’s Bigger Than Yours

If you have ever witnessed the hoo-ha that accompanies the very public unveiling of an engagement ring, you like me perhaps, have also wondered whether engagement rings and more specifically, the jealousy that can be associated with them, would benefit from Freudian analysis. Is there such a thing as engagement ring envy?

What is ring envy?

It is basically looking at somebody else’s wedding or engagement ring and feeling jealous because you think it is better than the one you have. Or it could even be looking at the ring and being envious because you are not engaged or married.

Comments relating solely to the size it seems, are top of everyone’s agenda.

Approval is only met when it has been decided by committee, that the size of the diamond accurately reflects the love in the relationship. The bigger the diamond on the engagement ring, the more he loves her, clearly.

For the bestower of the ring, this attitude can cause unnecessary pressure.

If the act of choosing an engagement ring is not difficult enough – the stealth mission to correctly identify measurements, the phone calls to friends and family to ascertain any disclosed information, the casual comments whilst passing the high street jewellers as to the type of ring one might like if they were to say, ever be engaged, to then also ensure the size of the diamond does not become an object of ridicule, is surely enough to put your partner off ever asking.

So when it comes to engagement rings, does size really matter?

Unfortunately for the smug lady with the biggest rock on her finger, there are also other factors to consider when determining the quality, and ultimately the value of a diamond engagement ring.

The Value of a Diamond

In the jewellery industry, the value of a diamond is calculated by the four Cs – colour, clarity, cut and carat. The more colourless, clear of imperfections, and well cut the diamond is, the more valuable the engagement ring.

In other words, a larger, cloudy, yellowish diamond is less valuable than a smaller, clearer and colourless one, and so the size of the diamond alone is not directly proportional to the value of the engagement ring.

This will possibly come as bad news for the guilty ones among us who, owing to the size of their diamond, have unduly paraded engagement ring superiority in order to make others feel inadequate.

It may come as good news for some, who can put their size anxiety and engagement ring envy aside and be confident that it’s the quality that counts.

Next time you find yourself amid engagement ring frenzy and size matters creep into conversation, you can rest assured that on this occasion, size alone really doesn’t matter.