Woman Defends Her $130 Engagement Ring After Sales Clerk Tells Her It's 'Pathetic'

Jun 25, 2022 by apost team

Getting engaged is a momentous occasion. A lot of people love splurging on an expensive ring to show how important it is. On the other hand, some people are more practical.

With high student loans, astronomical rent prices, and an iffy job market, they decide to give a pass to the big bling.

The decision brings its fair share of criticism.

Take Ariel McRae and her husband, Quinn. According to a social media post written by Ariel, the Tennessee couple fell in love hard after meeting online. They had intense phone conversations and decided to meet. Once they did, they both knew their relationship was meant to last.

Since they were only 20 then, they decided to get a little more life experience before rushing into marriage. Finally, after two years together, the time seemed right. They wanted to make their relationship official. Quinn worked hard to buy a modest set made up of cubic zirconia and sterling silver. Ariel didn't mind at all. According to her, the most important thing was marrying her best friend and love. She loves her rings because of what they symbolize.

Sadly, not everyone was so supportive. While Ariel and Quinn were buying the rings from Pandora, a saleswoman made a snide remark. She called men who buy that set as engagement rings pathetic, obviously not realizing that's exactly what the couple in front of her was doing. After posting to Facebook, the couple's story quickly became an internet sensation. Read on to see the couple's experience and the internet's reaction.

"My husband doesn't have a lot, neither of us do," the Facebook post read. 

"We scrape and scrape to pay bills and put food in our bellies, but after almost 2 years of dating we decided that we couldn't wait anymore, so we didn't. I wasn't even thinking about rings, I just wanted to marry my best friend, but he wouldn't have it. He scraped up just enough money to buy me two matching rings from Pandora," Ariel wrote. 

The wife went on to write, "While we were purchasing my rings however, another lady that was working there came over to help the lady selling them to us. She said, "Y'all can you believe that some men get these as engagement rings? How pathetic."

The statement hit Ariel's then-fiance (now husband) hard. It made him feel like a failure. He began to worry that Ariel wouldn't want to get married because he couldn't give her flashy things. She soon set the record straight. Ariel told the saleswoman that the size of the ring didn't matter. It's the love between two people that counts. They purchased the rings and left the store behind.

Not long after, Ariel and Quinn eloped. When Ariel posted about her experience, it quickly went viral. Pandora itself responded, saying that the couple's experience with the saleswoman was unfortunate and not a reflection of the company's values.

Ariel's Facebook post had over 160,000 shares and over 216,000 likes. The proud and happy wife ended her post with this update for internet users.

"I've never been this happy in my life and I couldn't imagine spending it with anyone else ever," she wrote. 

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Everyone has their own taste when it comes to engagement rings as well as their own budget. According to The Knot, the average cost of an engagement ring as of 2021 is $6,000. However, this price varies based on the couple and the couple’s location. 

Not only that but everything that goes into making the ring unique impacts the cost, from the type of stone to the size of the stone to its clarity. Diamonds typically cost more, and the bigger the carat, the higher the price tag. Surprisingly, only about 8% of people spent under $1,000 on their rings.

While Ariel had been used to people criticizing her $130 engagement ring, many people left positive comments under her Facebook post, showing that they supported her happiness. One person said, “That is so sweet.” Another person replied, “Pretty rings.” 

A third person commented, “Congrats and well said sis!!! Love is so much more than materialistic possession.” Another person seemed to agree with this statement and said, “If anybody only loves you if you can afford a lot of material things, it is not love at all.”

However, some people were still stuck on the fact that Ariel’s now-husband could have gotten her a better ring and even hinted that maybe he will one day in the future. One person commented, “He will at sometime in your life buy you that ring.”

No matter what comments were thrown Ariel and Quinn’s way, the couple proved that their love meant more than any piece of jewelry ever could, and they are still happily married to this day.

What do you think? Would you be happy with a small engagement ring, or are you hoping for something with a little more oomph? Do you have an engagement story of your own? Let us know and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!