Stories vary depending on who tells them and why, but the history of wedding and engagement rings is certainly long and interesting. Although their appearance may have changed over the years, the purpose of signalling to all, that two people are united in love, remains.
As far as we know, it was the Egyptians who first used rings to represent eternity.
A circle has no beginning and no end; it represents the cycles of life; and contains within it the space that lives within and all around us.
When the Greeks conquered the Egyptians, they adopted the tradition of giving rings to their beloved to represent devotion.
When the Romans conquered the Greeks, they too adopted this tradition and began using rings to announce their engagement and marriage. These rings were initially made of iron and copper, and then by the 2nd century AD, most rings were gold. The more wealthy women had wider, more elaborate bands of gold that were sometimes adorned with uncut precious stones.
Wood engravings, published in 1897
Why are wedding rings worn on the ‘ring’ finger?
Ancient Egyptians believed that the ‘ring’ finger, or the fourth finger of the left hand, contained a “vena amoris” or “vein of love” that led directly to the heart, so this finger was perceived as the one with the closest connection to the heart. The Romans adopted this custom and wore wedding rings on this finger and the tradition of wearing rings on the ‘ring’ finger continues to this day.
When did engagement rings and wedding rings become two separate rings?
In Medieval England, getting married was simple. The couple would offer each other their ‘present consent.’ Often, this consent was expressed through the giving and accepting of an object called a ‘wed,’ and this ‘wed’ was often a ring. Thus, a ‘wedding’ was a ceremony where a man offered a woman a ring and she accepted it. This could cause later confusion though, as since witnesses were not required to be present at the wedding, one or both of the couple could later deny that a wedding had taken place.
In the 12th century, in an effort to control relationships between people, the Christian church declared marriage to be a holy sacrament and established a church ceremony. Rings were a part of the ceremony, and it became the rule that no man should place any type of ring on a woman’s hand unless he meant to get married. It is possible that the two different types of rings emerged then: the more personal engagement ring and the church-sanctioned wedding ring.
When did women start wearing diamond wedding rings?
The first known diamond ring dates back to the late 1st century AD in Rome. Diamonds then were uncut natural gemstones, as they had nothing hard enough to cut them, and were valued for their hardness rather than any brilliance.
The first famous diamond engagement ring was said to have been given in 1477 by Archduke Maximilian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy. The ring is said to have been made up of small flat diamonds that spelled out M, for Mary, a fitting gift for the future duchess. At the time only kings wore diamonds, but Maximilian was so smitten with Mary that he gave her a diamond ring, thus beginning the tradition of a bride-to-be being presented with a diamond engagement ring.
Other famous historical diamond rings include the diamond ring that the Duke of Alçenon is said to have given Queen Elizabeth I (although some accounts suggest it was the other way around!); as well as the diamond ring that Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, gave Mary, Queen of Scots. Both were given in proposal of marriage, but neither suitor succeeded: Queen Elizabeth I’s subjects didn’t want a French ruler; and Mary, Queen of Scots, was eventually executed by her cousin Elizabeth.
Diamond engagement rings became increasingly popular and ornate during Victorian times, due to Queen Victoria’s famed love for diamond jewellery.
When did diamonds become accessible to the general public?
Engagement rings continued to play an important part in marriage contracts during the Renaissance, but diamonds were rare, so only those with considerable wealth could afford a diamond engagement ring.
In the middle of the Victorian Era, miners discovered diamonds in South Africa. In 1867, a 15-year-old boy named Erasmus Jacobs found a small transparent rock along the banks of the Orange River, which turned out to be the 21 carat Eureka diamond. A few years later the De Beers brothers found diamonds on their farm and thus began the diamond rush of South Africa. Soon mines were selling millions of diamonds every year. Suddenly diamond engagement rings were accessible to everyone.
Four decades after diamonds flooded the jewellery market, political unrest and economic instability began in Europe and slowly spread throughout the world. As men went off to fight in the World War, and then the Depression set in, couples all around the globe began to purchase only simple wedding bands, instead of engagement rings and wedding bands, in an effort to save their precious money.
De Beers, one of the world’s leading diamond companies, noticed that jewellery in general was not selling and the diamond market was about to collapse, so they developed a marketing plan that would restore the popularity of diamond engagement rings.
“A Diamond is Forever” became the catch phrase in all of De Beers’ advertisements. For centuries, engagement rings had been uniting the hearts of two people for a lifetime and now with a diamond, they would also symbolise that love is not just for a lifetime, but forever.
The De Beers’ marketing campaign rapidly increased the number of diamonds sold, and made diamond engagement rings an important symbol of love and marriage. Now, around 80% of women in the Western world are given a diamond engagement ring as a symbol of forever love.
When did men start wearing wedding rings?
Up until the past century, wedding rings were mostly worn by women, although the Christian church promoted exchanging wedding rings as a way of keeping men faithful. Rings for men only caught on during World War II, when soldiers wore wedding rings as a way to remember their wives and sweethearts back home. After this, wedding rings became a tradition for men as well as women.
How did diamond engagement rings become a tradition?
Up until the 1940s, diamonds were just one of the many gems used as engagement ring stones. Their current popularity is mainly due to De Beers, the diamond company that controlled most of the world’s diamonds at the time. When people stopped buying diamonds during the World Wars and the economic downturn of 1930s, De Beers launched a marketing campaign to restore their popularity.
In 1947, “A Diamond is Forever” became the catch phrase in all of De Beers’ advertisements, encouraging people to buy diamond engagement rings that would symbolise that love is not just for a lifetime, but forever.
By giving Hollywood actresses diamonds to wear in their movies, De Beers made diamonds glamorous symbols of romance. In 1953, Marilyn Monroe made “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” a household phrase. And by recruiting Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali to illustrate their ad posters, De Beers communicated that diamonds are not just jewellery, but works of art, well worth investing in.
Giving expensive diamonds became a man’s way of showing a woman that she was “worth it.” It was also his way of demonstrating his earning power and ability to support her in life.
What do wedding and engagement rings represent now?
Wedding and engagement rings now, as always, have two functions. They signal to all that we are promised and committed to another.
And they symbolise, to ourselves and to our partner, our lifelong love and devotion to each other.
They serve an important function, but they also offer an opportunity to express our personalities and to have some fun, adding some serious sparkle to our lives!
Engagement Rings
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Art deco aquamarine diamond white gold ring
AUD$7,500.00 -
Round rose cut yellow diamond yellow gold ring
AUD$15,000.00 -
‘Roberta’-Antique ruby and diamond cluster ring
AUD$9,500.00 -
‘Beatrice’-Antique two sapphires and diamond ring
AUD$7,000.00 -
‘Rosabella’-Antique oval rose cut diamond cluster ring
AUD$15,000.00