Diamond Engagement Ring Calculator from GroomGroove.com

According to an American tradition (and thanks to a well-funded De Beers marketing campaign), a groom-to-be should spend a total equal to two months of his salary on a diamond engagement ring. A website designed to help roadmap a groom’s trip down the aisle has posted a diamond engagement ring calculator to help sum up the recommended price.

The site says, “Courtesy of GroomGroove.com, [grooms] can enter their salary information and with a click of a button, figure out how much De Beers wishes they would spend on their bride’s diamond engagement ring!”

For example, if someone earns $24,000 per annum, according to the diamond engagement ring calculator, he should spend $4K on the ring. If he earns $100,000, he should spend $16,666, and if his salary is on par with that of Bill Gates or Donald Trump and he earns $1 billion, her ring should be worth $166.6 million dollars or the projected revenue of the recent film Shrek the Third.

According to the site’s research, following World War II, De Beers wanted to bring diamonds to the masses, rather than having them be for a select few. Thus, the price was set at approximately two months of pre-tax salary, which is somewhat tied to inflation.