History has it that Pope Innocent III was responsible for the customization of two ring types that are very popular today: wedding and engagement rings. He insisted a sort of waiting period between the engagement and marriage proper. Because both of the aforementioned events were considered as contracts, these rings were insignias that legally seal these deals. Prior to the 13th century, it was only the engagement ring that was given as a token in Europe, though the history of wedding ring was far older.
Almost five thousand years ago, the Egyptians used reed or hemp rings as representations of eternity, a circle that has no beginning and no end. The stone cut types that we know today such as the princess cut was still not popular during those periods. In the biblical era, great dowry gifts were handed during the betrothal of couples. It has been speculated that rings, most especially those that are made from precious metals, were used as inexpensive substitutes for expensive dowries.
In the Roman period, rings were used for two primary purposes""to seal deals and to insinuate ownership. High ranking officials wore gold rings, while ordinary citizens wore iron rings as a sign of their position in the community. The rings worn by ordinary citizens were related to the large iron rings used inside the household as key holders. As such, it has been regarded that if a Roman citizen presented his bride with an iron marriage ring, he was therefore giving her the key to his household as well as all his worldly goods.
In 16th century England, the use of wedding ring was officially moved from the right hand to the left hand. It was speculated that this change was done in order to justify the position of a woman in the society, considering that the right hand was deeply regarded as the hand of power. The placement of the wedding ring on the third left hand finger was rooted from the idea that such finger was supposed to be the place where the love vein or vena amoris is situated; therefore, as the ring is symbolic of love, it was officially worn in the third left hand finger as it is directly connected to the heart. Today, wedding and engagement rings are both widely worn on the left hand; however, there are some countries that traditionally wear their engagement rings on the right hand such as Poland and Ukraine.
For Puritans, rings were symbols of heathen so they did not used it for their wedding ceremonies; instead they make use of marriage thimbles to seal their wedding vows. The Victorians were the ones who welcomingly embraced the custom of wedding rings and accentuated them with flowers and hearts. On the other hand, the Edwardians accentuated theirs with leaves and other decorative patterns, which paved way for the introduction of art deco rings. Since then, the use of gem stone rings were widely acknowledged along with the use of stone cut types like the princess cut, emerald cut, step cut and more.
Wedding and engagement rings were first worn by men during World War II. The soldiers going off to war were the first men to wear these rings in order to remember their wives or partners back home. Currently, marriage ceremonies are also regarded as double ring ceremonies. That is, both the bride and the groom wear wedding rings in order to show their commitment and love for each other, although the use of engagement ring is still reserved for women.
Almost five thousand years ago, the Egyptians used reed or hemp rings as representations of eternity, a circle that has no beginning and no end. The stone cut types that we know today such as the princess cut was still not popular during those periods. In the biblical era, great dowry gifts were handed during the betrothal of couples. It has been speculated that rings, most especially those that are made from precious metals, were used as inexpensive substitutes for expensive dowries.
In the Roman period, rings were used for two primary purposes""to seal deals and to insinuate ownership. High ranking officials wore gold rings, while ordinary citizens wore iron rings as a sign of their position in the community. The rings worn by ordinary citizens were related to the large iron rings used inside the household as key holders. As such, it has been regarded that if a Roman citizen presented his bride with an iron marriage ring, he was therefore giving her the key to his household as well as all his worldly goods.
In 16th century England, the use of wedding ring was officially moved from the right hand to the left hand. It was speculated that this change was done in order to justify the position of a woman in the society, considering that the right hand was deeply regarded as the hand of power. The placement of the wedding ring on the third left hand finger was rooted from the idea that such finger was supposed to be the place where the love vein or vena amoris is situated; therefore, as the ring is symbolic of love, it was officially worn in the third left hand finger as it is directly connected to the heart. Today, wedding and engagement rings are both widely worn on the left hand; however, there are some countries that traditionally wear their engagement rings on the right hand such as Poland and Ukraine.
For Puritans, rings were symbols of heathen so they did not used it for their wedding ceremonies; instead they make use of marriage thimbles to seal their wedding vows. The Victorians were the ones who welcomingly embraced the custom of wedding rings and accentuated them with flowers and hearts. On the other hand, the Edwardians accentuated theirs with leaves and other decorative patterns, which paved way for the introduction of art deco rings. Since then, the use of gem stone rings were widely acknowledged along with the use of stone cut types like the princess cut, emerald cut, step cut and more.
Wedding and engagement rings were first worn by men during World War II. The soldiers going off to war were the first men to wear these rings in order to remember their wives or partners back home. Currently, marriage ceremonies are also regarded as double ring ceremonies. That is, both the bride and the groom wear wedding rings in order to show their commitment and love for each other, although the use of engagement ring is still reserved for women.
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