Wedding jewelry is an integral financial part of the wedding "process." First comes buying the engagement ring, on which grooms spend an average of $5,000 to mark the occasion. Grooms spend an average of three months for making their selection and purchase. Recent surveys indicate that most men pick a center stone of a carat or more. The popularity of the shape of the stone is round, for about half of the purchases. The Princess cut comes in next at about one-third of the selections. Almost three-quarters of the rings are purchased in white gold.

Next, come the wedding bands with an average cost of $1,000 for the bride and $491 for the groom. Most brides prefer their wedding bands in white gold. About a third of the grooms prefer white gold, with the remainder selecting yellow gold, or an alternative metal like titanium.

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