|
The History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands
By
Reno Charlton
These days, many people take wedding bands and
engagement rings for granted, and although they give
these beautiful items of jewelry with integrity and
love, they are often given with no real knowledge of
the meaning behind them.
Both wedding bands and engagement rings are very
special items of jewelry; in fact, they are more
than just jewelry - they are the symbols of many
emotions and promises such as:
-
Love
-
Commitment
-
Fidelity
-
Eternity
-
Honor
But where - and why - did these popular and
sentimental pieces of jewelry stem from?
The History Of Wedding Bands
These items of jewelry have a history that spans
many centuries and passes through many countries
from all around the planet. Below, you will find a
brief history of the wedding and engagement ring, as
reported from country to country.
EGYPTIANS
The now-famous
wedding band
is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt,
where it is said that plant sections were fashioned
in to circles to signify never-ending and immortal
love. It was thought that the fourth finger (which
we now know as the ring finger) contained a special
vein that was connected directly to the heart, and
therefore this became the official finger for the
wedding band.
ROMANS
The Romans also agreed with the Egyptians with
regards to the wedding ring finger and its meaning,
but rather than offering wedding bands as a symbol
of love, they awarded them as a symbol of ownership.
Roman men would "claim" their woman with the giving
of a ring.
ASIANS / ARABS
Puzzle rings were a complex type of jewelry that
were once popular in Asia, and these jewels had the
charming knack of being able to fall apart and put
back together again - if you knew how to do this, of
course. Wealthy Middle Eastern men then began to use
these rings as wedding bands for their wives, who
were often forced to wear a puzzle ring when their
husband was away. The husband would know upon his
return whether any of his wives had been disloyal by
removing the ring whilst he was away, because the
ring was designed to collapse upon removal and could
only be put together again if you had the skill and
knowledge required.
EUROPEANS
Several centuries ago, the Europeans became rather
taken with what we would class as an engagement
ring, but was then called a Poesy Ring. This ring
was given to a loved one as a form of promise, and
signified fidelity and love. The Poesy Ring was
offered as a pledge of eternal togetherness, much as
today's engagement rings are offered as a promise of
eternal marriage.
AMERICANS
During Colonial times, all items of jewelry in
America were prohibited due to their apparent moral
worthlessness. Instead, a more practical thimble was
given as a token of love and as a pledge of eternal
togetherness. However, after they were married, the
women tended to remove the bottom of their
"engagement thimble" to form a type of ring.
History Of Engagement Rings
The engagement ring of today also has its own varied
and interesting history, some of which is explored
below. Engagement rings have been known by many
different names, have symbolized a variety of
different things and have not always been made of
precious metals and stunning gems!
GREEKS
The ancient Greeks are thought to have been the
forerunners in the rising of the traditional
engagement ring. Given as a token of care and
affection, the rings used by the Greeks were known
as betrothal rings and were given before marriage.
However, the giving of these rings was not always a
pre-requisite to marriage and was often given in the
same way as a friendship ring might be given today.
ROMANS
As seen by their use of the wedding ring, ancient
Romans weren't the most sentimental of people, and
the early version of their "engagement ring" were
thought to have carved keys on them. It has been
debated that this could have been to symbolize the
woman's right to access and own half of everything
following marriage. However, the more sentimental
like to think that the key may have been a key to
her husband's heart.
ROYALTY AND THE AFFLUENT
Engagement rings as we know them today - stunning
gems encased in precious metals - became popular in
around the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the
affluent and the royals began to exchange and wear
these jewels. However, these items were so expensive
that nobody other than the royals and the rich could
afford to exchange them. It was to be many centuries
before these engagement rings would become more
popular or traditional.
Why a ring?
The purpose of engagement rings and wedding bands is
to convey deep emotions of eternal love, eternal
happiness, eternal commitment, and eternal
togetherness. In fact, these rings signify eternity
- between the giver and the recipient. A ring, of
course, is a complete circle with no break and no
end or beginning, which means that it just goes on
and on - it is eternal.
And, since folklore has it that the fourth finger of
the left hand has a vein leading directly to the
heart, it is only natural that both engagement and
wedding rings would be worn on this particular
finger, which was once reputed to be a direct route
to the heart.
Summary
In short, it is clear that the giving of a ring in
honor of a union, betrothal, and marriage has been
going on since ancient times, and although it may
not always have been as glamorous and romantic as it
is today, it was still a way of exchanging a
contract of betrothal or marriage.
Thankfully, today's wedding bands and engagement
rings are not made of hair, grass, plants or twine
as they may have been in ancient times, but of
beautiful metals set with stunning gems, such as
platinum, titanium, white gold, gold, sapphires,
diamonds, rubies and emeralds. These incredible
items of jewelry are likely to remain as popular as
ever as the centuries go by, and even as the rest of
the world advances in to a futuristic and
technological age, it's hard to imagine a day where
a beautiful diamond engagement ring doesn't melt the
heart of its recipient.
 |
