@TheWitchBitch I think my sister lucked out since her husband, to my knowledge, gives a shit about her thoughts and feelings. Her previous relationships were with absolute scumbags.

The drastic differences in replies gets me thinking, clearly there's not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution for engagement/wedding rings. A ring choice or lack thereof could probably be a good test of how well someone knows you. I'm sure plenty of ladies would be happy with a lab diamond or even a cubic zirconium without even considering it a compromise, and then there are the oddballs who want citrines or whatever.

I wonder how many of the dudes crying about diamonds will ever actually be in a situation to buy one.

I guess the moral of the story is that it's important to communicate and gauge expectations to avoid fucking up royally. I've heard stories of women getting upset that a ring was mad expensive almost as much as I hear disappointment about cheaping out.