What does the amount spent on an engagement ring say about the bride and the couple:

via psychologytoday.com

Cronk and Dunham found that both men’s and women’s incomes were positively correlated to the amount spent on an engagement ring. These two findings are indicative of marriage customs found in other cultures such as bridewealth and dowries. Furthermore, the authors uncovered a negative correlation between the amount spent on a ring and the bride’s age. In other words, the younger the bride, the larger the expenditure. Cronk and Dunham argue that their findings suggest that the amount spent on an engagement ring is linked to the mating “quality” of each of the two partners (as gauged in this case by the respective incomes of both sexes, as well as the age of the brides-to-be).