The history of the engagement ring is truly amazing, what we consider today as a symbol of love was only a sign of ownership by the Romans and Egyptians in the 2nd century BC. Not very romantic, right? But fortunately, time has changed and the engagement ring has evolved from the past to the present day.
An engagement ring today represents a great commitment in a relationship and greatly warms up the relationship. In this article from the Leopard website, we will explain the history of the wedding ring.
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An ancient sign of ownership
Like many of our customs today, engagement rings can be traced back to ancient Rome. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Roman women wore rings made of ivory, flint, bone, copper, and iron to signify a business contract or to confirm mutual love and obedience. These newer and more durable materials replaced the reed and hemp rings used by the ancient Egyptians. Gold rings and jewels were later found in the ruins of Pompeii, proving that metal was the material of choice at the time.
A sign for marriage
According to the GIA, it wasn’t until 850 that the engagement ring was given official meaning, when Pope Nicholas I declared that the engagement ring represented a man’s intention to marry, and gold was the most popular material for engagement rings at the time. . According to the Cape Town Diamond Museum, the first time the diamond appeared on an engagement ring was in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy, and it featured a stone that resembled the letter “M.”
Engagement ring in the 15th century
In the 15th century, engagement rings began to embody the symbol of intertwined unity. Gimmel rings, or rings consisting of three connected bands, became very popular. Rings began as separate bands, one worn by each half of the engaged couple. They were connected on the wedding day and the bride used it as her wedding ring.
Engagement ring engraving
While Gimmel rings were still used in the 15th century, engraved rings also began to circulate among the betrothed group. They hid inside the inner band of the ring, also the lovers carved each other’s name inside their ring.
diamond appearance
Although the Archduke was the first to propose with a diamond ring, it was by no means a diamond ring, a trend, and no one used diamonds for an engagement ring. In fact, diamond engagement rings didn’t become popular until years later, when De Beers, a British diamond mining company in South Africa, launched an advertising campaign. With the help of Hollywood stars and the slogan “Diamonds are forever”, diamond engagement rings became popular for the first time since they first appeared stateside in 1840.
The last trend of the millennium
In recent years, we have seen a change in the priorities of the engagement ring. Of course, diamonds are still a popular choice, but most brides choose colored stones and rings made from unique materials. When Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton, he chose a stunning blue sapphire engagement ring. Actor Blake Lively received a light pink oval diamond in a rose gold setting from Ryan Reynolds, and Katy Perry received a unique ruby in a flower halo design from Orlando Bloom. Even Ariana Grande, the singer, broke tradition when she displayed a pearl and diamond vase from her fiance Dalton Gomez in December 2020. And we continue to see tradition breaking in the choice of wedding ring.
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