The History & Philosophy of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands

These days, many individuals take marriage ceremony bands and engagement rings without any consideration, and though they offer these lovely objects of jewelry with integrity and love, they’re typically given with no actual information of the that means behind them.

Both marriage ceremony bands and engagement rings are very particular objects of jewelry; the truth is, they’re extra than simply jewelrythey’re the symbols of many feelings and guarantees comparable to:

  • Love
  • Commitment
  • Fidelity
  • Eternity
  • Honour

But the place – and why – did these common items of jewelry stem from?

The History Of Wedding Bands

These objects of jewelry have a historical past that spans many centuries and passes by means of many international locations from throughout the planet. Below, you’ll find a quick historical past of the marriage and engagement ring, as reported from nation to nation.

EGYPTIANS

The now-famous marriage ceremony band is believed to have originated in Ancient Egypt, the place it’s mentioned that plant sections had been common in to circles to suggest unending and immortal love. It was thought that the fourth finger (which we now know because the ring finger) contained a particular vein that was linked on to the heart, and subsequently this turned the official finger for the marriage band.

ROMANS

The Romans additionally agreed with the Egyptians almost about the marriage ring finger and its that means, however reasonably than providing marriage ceremony bands as an emblem of affection, they awarded them as an emblem of possession. Roman males would “declare” their girl with the giving of a hoop.

ASIANS / ARABS

Puzzle rings had been a fancy kind of jewelry that had been as soon as common in Asia, and these jewels had the charming knack of having the ability to disintegrate and put again collectively once morefor those who knew how to do that, after all. Wealthy Middle Eastern males then started to make use of these rings as marriage ceremony bands for his or her wives, who had been typically pressured to put on a puzzle ring when their husband was away. The husband would know upon his return whether or not any of his wives had been disloyal by eradicating the ring while he was away, as a result of the ring was designed to break down upon elimination and will solely be put collectively once more for those who had the talent and information required.

EUROPEANS

Several centuries in the past, the Europeans turned reasonably taken with what we’d class as an engagement ring, however was then known as a Poesy Ring. This ring was given to a liked one as a type of promise, and signified constancy and love. The Poesy Ring was provided as a pledge of everlasting togetherness, a lot as at this time‘s engagement rings are provided as a promise of everlasting marriage.

AMERICANS

During Colonial occasions, all objects of jewelry in America had been prohibited resulting from their obvious ethical worthlessness. Instead, a extra sensible thimble was given as a token of affection and as a pledge of everlasting togetherness. However, after they had been married, the ladies tended to take away the underside of their “engagement thimble” to kind a sort of ring.

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History Of Engagement Rings

The engagement ring of at this time additionally has its personal diversified and attention-grabbing historical past, a few of which is explored under. Engagement rings have been recognized by many various names, have symbolised a wide range of various things and haven’t all the time been manufactured from treasured metals and gorgeous gems!

GREEKS

The historical Greeks are thought to have been the forerunners within the rising of the standard engagement ring. Given as a token of care and affection, the rings utilized by the Greeks had been often called betrothal rings and got earlier than marriage. However, the giving of those rings was not all the time a pre-requisite to marriage and was typically given in the identical approach as a friendship ring may be given at this time.

ROMANS

As seen by their use of the marriage ring, historical Romans weren’t probably the most sentimental of individuals, and the early model of their “engagement ring” had been thought to have carved keys on them. It has been debated that this might have been to symbolise the lady‘s proper to entry and personal half of every part following marriage. However, the extra sentimental wish to suppose that the important thing could have been a key to her husband’s coronary heart.

ROYALTY AND THE AFFLUENT

Engagement rings as we all know them at this timegorgeous gems encased in treasured metals – turned common in across the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the prosperous and the royals started to trade and put on these jewels. However, this stuff had been so costly that no one apart from the royals and the wealthy may afford to trade them. It was to be many centuries earlier than these engagement rings would turn out to be extra common or conventional.

Why a hoop?

The goal of engagement rings and marriage ceremony bands is to convey deep feelings of everlasting love, everlasting happiness, everlasting dedication, and everlasting togetherness. In reality, these rings signify eternity – between the giver and the recipient. A hoop, after all, is an entire circle with no break and no finish or starting, which implies that it simply goes on and on – it’s everlasting.

And, since folklore has it that the fourth finger of the left hand has a vein main on to the guts, it’s only pure that each engagement and marriage ceremony rings can be worn on this specific finger, which was as soon as reputed to be a direct path to the guts.

Conclusion

In brief, it’s clear that the giving of a hoop in honour of a union, betrothal, and marriage has been happening since historical occasions, and though it could not all the time have been as glamorous and romantic as it’s at this time, it was nonetheless a approach of exchanging a contract of betrothal or marriage.

Thankfully, at this time‘s marriage ceremony bands and engagement rings usually are not manufactured from hair, grass, crops or twine as they might have been in historical occasions, however of gorgeous metals set with gorgeous gems, comparable to platinum, Tungsten, Silver, gold, sapphires, diamonds, rubies and opals. These unimaginable objects of jewelry are more likely to stay as common as ever because the centuries go by, and whilst the remainder of the world advances in to a futuristic and technological age, it is arduous to think about a day the place a fantastic engagement ring does not soften the hearts of its recipient.