When a boyfriend gets down on one knee, cracks open the case, and asks “Will you marry me?” odds are, we’re not wondering how engagement rings came to be. Why a diamond? Why the left finger? The tradition of engagement and wedding rings is a long, rich story full of many cultures symbolizing love in their own way. Their stories are what makes men get down on one knee and women to offer their left hand.
History of Wedding Rings
Egyptians wove reeds and papyrus into rings and bracelets. The woven rings were given as tokens of love and symbols of marriage. A ring, like love and marriage, has no beginning and no end. Because a ring represents a circle of eternity, many cultures used rings symbolically.
After conquering Eygpt in 332b.c., the Greeks adopted the ring as a symbol of love. The wearing of a love ring on the third finger came from the idea that the third finger on the left hand leads directly to the heart. The Romans referred to the ring finger as vena amoris. {In Latin it means the vein of love}.
As cultures started to put increased importance on rings, they soon started making them from metal elements. Iron was most likely the first metal one would wear on their vena amoris. Gradually, rings would be fashioned from silver or gold. Eventually jewelers would incorporate semi-precious stones in to the rings.
Engagement Rings
I am certain most of us remember Princess Diana’s stunning engagement ring. It was a beautiful sapphire with small diamonds surrounding the 18 carrat stone. A diamond is by far the most popular engagement ring. However, in the 18th and early 19th century gems stone rings were more popular. Gimmel (or gammal) rings are hoops joined together that can not be separated unless you cut through one of them. Often the rings were separated so both the soon-to-be-bride and groom had a hoop. then they were joined together after the marriage ceremony for the bride wear.
As cultures evolved so did the grandness of the wedding and engagement rings. The rings were not only symbols of love, but also a means to show wealth. This hasn’t changed much, as we still ooh and ah over a huge diamond. And thanks to DeBeers (the largest diamond producer), who in 1940’s set the standard on how much a man should spend on an engagement ring (2 month salary). We can also thank DeBeers’ marketing for the line “a diamond is forever”. Suffice it to say that single company is the reason Diamonds are the most popular wedding and engagement ring stone.
This post is sponsored by Mather, Pennsylvania, wedding planners.
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