lol

I guess it goes without saying that I am proposing, but I should mention my girlfriend doesn't know I will be. I picked out a ring I think she'll like. She never wears rings and isn't a massive fan of diamonds. So I found a really nice gold one with an emerald that's surrounding by small diamonds. She loves green and gold jewellery, and I spent a long time finding this one. It's a created emerald which I think she'll prefer because she definitely wouldn't want any sort of conflict jewels.

The ring is cheap. It was £300 and has actually gone down to £180. I mentioned this to my sister who said I was a dick, essentially. Apparently, she'll be showing it to her friends (some of whom are engaged), who will know about rings and clarity and such. She says they will see that it's cheap and it will be embarrassing for her. I'm 90% sure my girlfriend doesn't know much about jewellery and clarity.

I could probably get a similar ring that's more expensive. I certainly wouldn't know why I'm paying more, I don't think she would either. However, I am starting a new job soon and was going to buy a new TV for £250. I kind of realised I'm willing to spend more on myself for a random treat yourself present than an engagement ring and I started understanding my sister's perspective a bit more. So WIBTA?

Edit: I just want to clarify that we have talked about marriage and are both on board. It's the proposal in terms of when and how I do it that would be a surprise.

Edit 2: I really want to thank everyone for contributing and helping me out. I left to run some errands and returned to an overwhelming response full of additional advice which goes above and beyond, I really appreciate it. I am not going to be able to reply to everyone, but I am reading and upvoting.

Edit 3: Thank you for the gold. I haven't found the comment it's on yet. I'm still trying to work through the comments!