Rude Jeweler Calls Her $130 Engagement Ring ‘Pathetic,’ Then Woman’s Frank Reply Goes Viral

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From the archives: This story was last updated in September 2019.

A young couple, very much in love, went to a Pandora jewelry store to pick out an engagement ring that fit their budget. A disparaging comment from a store employee about their $130 ring almost ruined the moment, but Ariel Desiree McRae, of Tennessee, took to social media to share the anecdote, and her response.

Ariel’s post in 2016 quickly went viral, and her message was loud and clear: you can’t put a price tag on love.

“My husband doesn’t have a lot, neither of us do,” Ariel wrote in her Facebook post in November 2016. “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.”

Ariel was not concerned about the ring itself. “I just wanted to marry my best friend,” she said. Ariel and her partner, Quinn McRae, picked out a sterling silver and cubic zirconia set, and Ariel was over the moon.

“While we were purchasing my rings however,” Ariel continued, “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.’” Ariel was devastated.

“I watched my now-husband’s face fall,” Ariel recalled. Quinn had already voiced concern over the value of Ariel’s rings, asking her time and time again, “Are you sure you'll be happy with these? Are you sure this is okay?”

“Old Ariel,” as the young woman referred to her once-self, would have flown into a rage. But “Mature Ariel,” she added, had a more thoughtfully constructed response. She turned to the store employee and responded, “It isn’t the ring that matters, it is the love that goes into buying one that matters.”

The couple purchased their chosen rings and left the store. To date, Ariel’s post has been shared 163,000 times and counting.

Speaking to Today, Ariel said that she didn’t think the store clerk meant to be rude. She added, “I’ve received so many messages from people telling me that I gave them the courage to finally propose or get married, even if they couldn’t afford a ring.”

“People shouldn’t have to go into debt for love,” Ariel said. “It’s the love that’s important. You can get married without rings. It’s just material.”

According to the Mirror, jewelry store Pandora issued a statement of apology. A spokesperson for Pandora contacted the British newspaper directly. “Pandora Jewelry regrets that Ariel and Quinn had this experience while shopping for such a meaningful testament to their love,” their statement read.

“Their experience is not in keeping with our brand values,” the Pandora spokesperson continued, “or what we expect from those who sell our products.”

Ariel and Quinn eloped for a quiet courthouse ceremony that was just right for them. “My husband was so afraid of me not wanting him because he couldn’t afford a piece of jewelry,” Ariel shared in her now-viral Facebook post. “The world has made it this way and it is so sad.

“But here I am though, courthouse married, $130 ring set, the love of my life by my side, and happier than I could ever imagine. Y'all, I would have gotten married to this man if it had been a 25-cent gum ball machine ring.”

Three years later, the McRaes celebrated a new milestone. On Aug. 25, 2019, Ariel gave birth to a baby boy named Everest, the couple’s first child.