While I was going by bus from texas to Arizona I met this guy who was in the military I don't remember how we got to the subject but we were talking about how expensive engagement rings are. He told me that when he purposed to his wife he was poor so he could only afford a solid gold band for the ring but every year he saves up and adds a diamond. He says some years he could only afford a kart or 2 and some he was able to get larger. He said the reason he did that is if he dies she will be able to sell the ring for the dimonds and the gold. I asked what he do if there is no more room on the ring. He laughed and said already happen I just went out and got her another band to put more on.
When my parents married they didn't have much money and with a child on the way they couldn't spend money on a ring.But my mom's friend,a jewelry maker(sorry idk if that's right) made their rings.Just two plain bands of gold,but they never changed it.
You will never sell a ring for anywhere near what you paid for it. Jewelry gold is low quality and content gold or else it would bend, chip or break. You pay for the name on the box.
It used to be common practice to sleep together during engagement. This led to men proposing, getting their rocks off, and then leaving, which in the morals of the day, ruined a woman's prospects and left her with no way to support herself. DeBeers marketed diamonds as a sort of guarantee... Essentially a kind of bail bond on a proposal, and a little seed money if he did run off.
You may want to look into just when that shit started. It wasn't 100 years ago. Also, most of the world doesn't do that shit. That shit is shit. Google Adam ruins everything season 1 episode 1.
Marriage it's all set up for women's benefits.. That's why men don't buy into the marriage bullshit anymore ....