Engagement rings: The ugly truth for grooms

WOMEN expect a more extravagant ring if they consider their fiance to be less attractive, a study has found.

Some 590 men and women, with an average age of 30, were shown a photograph and a few details about a member of the opposite sex.

Female participants then had to choose the cheapest ring they would settle for offered by the target man from a list of five rings. Women wanted bigger, pricier rings when their imaginary partner was deemed less attractive.

It suggests women are willing to settle for a less handsome partner if he is financially better off.

The study, at the Western Oregon University in the US, was published in the Evolutionary Psychological Science journal.