History of the Engagement Ring

Engagement Rings

Perhaps nothing else is as important to a young woman as a diamond engagement ring. It means the entire world is unfolding like the fairy tales she knew as a young girl. it is the one piece of jewelry that every young woman dreams of.

Generally gold, sometimes silver, usually including diamonds, an engagement ring signifies that a woman is spoken for and engaged to be married. The ring is worn on the left hand ring finger. The engagement ring is representative of a formal agreement between a man and a woman to become married. The choice of the particular finger seems to date back to Egyptian times where it was thought that the vein in that finger went directly to the heart.

The arrangement, or tradition if you will, dates back to ancient times and has a place in history with the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. Engagement rings are not just used in western civilization but bridge most cultures. In modern times women are sometimes purchasing an engagement ring for their husbands to be. This is a common practice in parts of Europe and South America.

The engagement ring is a symbol of wealth, or at least, an indication of what the man is worth. There are many thoughts as to how much should be spent. It is customary in the United States to spend the equivalent of three or four months salary on the diamond engagement ring, although two or three months is probably an average.

At one time, engagement rings mounted sets of stones. One traditional sentimental pattern mounted six to celebrate the joining of two families: The birthstones of the bride's parents and the bride (on the left), and the birth stones of the groom and his parents (on the right). The parents' stones were mounted with the mother to the left of the father. The bride and groom's birthstones would be adjacent in the center. Another similar pattern, for four stones, mounted the birthstone of the parents' marriages, and the birthstones of the bride and groom. These token rings often disassembled, to expose a channel in which a lock of the suitor's hair could be treasured.

Others believe the engagement ring goes back to the time of the Egyptians. Why wear the ring on the third finger of the left hand? The ancient Egyptians believed that the vein in that finger ran directly to the heart. As for that big rock of an engagement ring, brides have the Archduke Maximillian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy to thank for that: In 1477 he offered his beloved a diamond as a betrothal gift -- the first recorded diamond engagement ring.

A Victorian tradition was the Regards ring, in which the initials of the precious gems used spelled out the word 'regards'.

In the British-American tradition, an engagement ring is a ring worn by a woman on her left-hand ring finger indicating her engagement to be married. By modern convention, the ring is usually presented as a betrothal gift by a man to his prospective bride while or directly after she accepts his marriage proposal. It represents a formal agreement to chastity and a future marriage.

Similar traditions seem to date at least to the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. In Rome it was believed that the "vein of love" was located on the fourth finger of the left hand.

In the United States, it is more common today than it used to be for a woman also to buy the man an engagement or promise ring at the time of the engagement.

In Brazil and Germany, both the man and the woman wear engagement rings.

In some societies, it is traditional for the engagement ring to cost the equivalent of one month's pay of the man's wages. In the United States, diamond industry advertisements advocate two months' pay. A spokesperson from Tiffany’s Australia, quoted on the television program A Current Affair (February 1, 2005), suggested that a man should spend two to three month's salary on an engagement ring.

Engagement Ring Designs
Tradition dictates that an engagement ring is made of gold with diamonds. That is not to say that silver is never used. Silver is sometimes the prefered element. Diamonds are nearly always included, hence the engagement ring often being referred to as a "diamond", where one would say, "... they must be serious, he gave her a diamond ...". Expensive diamonds are not always used with some people preferring sapphires, rubies and emeralds. Softer stones like pearls are seldom used.

Free Overnight Shipping
Click for more details