Do people actually spend 3 months salary on a ring?

I’m a 26M, and I just started shopping for an engagement ring for my girlfriend of 2.5 years. Growing up, I always heard that you should spend three months’ salary, but as I’m looking around, I’m seeing plenty of beautiful options—setting and stone—for under $7.5K.

Have rings always been this “affordable,” or has the standard changed? I make a little over $110K, and three months’ salary seems like a lot for a ring. That’s a down payment on a house, a new car, or even my student loans.

Is the “three months’ salary” rule outdated? It seems unrealistic, especially considering that the average starting salary for a software dev in my state is around $85K—there’s no way all these new grads are spending $20K+ on a ring.

<$7.5K feels reasonable to me, but I’d love to hear what others think.

Update: Before we went shopping, my girlfriend said she didn’t want me spending more than $10K. At the store, the salesperson first brought out a top-quality 1-carat natural diamond for $10K and a lower-quality lab-grown for $800. When asked which looked nicer, she immediately picked the natural one—my heart nearly sank because the setting she liked was another $5K.

After that, I asked to see a high-quality 1.5–2 carat lab-grown diamond (~$2K), and she instantly preferred the 1.5-carat. At that point, I explained that I’d get a $15K+ ring if she really wanted, but that money could go toward our wedding or a house instead. She agreed, and after seeing more options, her budget shifted—she fell in love with a $6K lab-grown ring.

I also mentioned a $15K+ ring would mean waiting a year, while the $6K one I could buy in a couple of months—she was completely on board.