Rafael Usufally was more than eager to propose to Alexandria Kishore, his girlfriend of 11 years — but he wasn’t about to get down on one knee until he’d managed to create “the perfect moment.”

First, the loved-up Long Islander would need a ring — and money was no object. What mattered most to the electrical engineer, 30, was wowing his now-fiancée, who works as an administrator at a neurologist’s office.

So Usufally spent weeks poring over diamonds, finally deciding on a $11,000 radiant and emerald cut number with a diamond-filled band — more than double the $5,200 average cost of an engagement ring in the US, according to a 2024 study .

“It wasn’t like [I had] a budget, it was more about finding something that I could see myself getting for her. I started out at one price, but then

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