With that, Ms. Nichol laughed with relief and then cried out of happiness as she said “yes” several times. Mr. Egerton later confessed that he didn’t have enough money for a real ring, but assured her that he was saving.

The couple’s experience has apparently been widely shared in the last week, as more than 20,000 people have purchased the engagement ring from the discount store Poundland (the British equivalent of America’s Dollar Store). They come in four varieties, with stones resembling diamonds, topaz and rubies, and cost one pound, or about $1.30.

The rings have prompted a flood of proposal posts on social media and television — the British presenter Piers Morgan jokingly proposed to his co-host, Susanna Reid, on air — and nearly as much commentary. While some women have dismissed the rings as tacky or insulting, others have welcomed them as a funny and spontaneous idea that allows women to participate in choosing the real ring.

“We don’t need to spend thousands in order to tell someone we love them and want to commit,” said Kate Baxter, a jeweler designer and consultant, and the founder of The Cut London, a jewelry store. “A friend of mine was proposed to with a shell on the beach, then you can choose the perfect ring together.”

“The notion that a man should spend three times his monthly salary is outdated, in my opinion,” she added. “The best advice is to save up until you can afford to pay for what you want, or make sure you can afford the repayments. If it’s enough to make you wince a little, that’s about right, but there’s no point in starting married life in loads of debt.”