A Brief History of Engagement Rings
Engagement rings are seen as a social norm in western cultures to symbolise the promise of love and devotion between partners. In this article we ask the how, why and where these engagement ring symbols came from.
Today engagement rings are seen as a social norm in western cultures to symbolise the promise of love and devotion between partners. However, when considering ‘taking the leap’ I’m sure we’ll ask the how, why and where these important symbols came from. The development for the engagement ring actually stems all the way back to the early development of man, originating very simply with the circle.
It has been suggested that modern engagement rings were seen in their earliest glimpses through the behaviour of cavemen. Supposedly once a caveman had selected a partner he would bind her hands and feet with a woven red / rush cord. This would eventually be tied only to her hands and finally only to her finger… after he felt secure enough that she would stay put!
Today the circle is associated with various concepts such as peace, the universe, holiness, the earth and the sun. The Egyptians were the first civilisation to properly connect the symbol of the circle with the notion of a union between partners.
The circle was seen as a symbol of an unending union, something without a beginning or end, and it was the Egyptians who first began to construct rings made of bone and metal. Early variations on modern engagement rings were common during the Greek and Roman period with the use of rings as a symbol for a promise of betrothal between partners. Over time it became quite common in various cultures for a gold ring to be given to the family of the bride upon the announcement of a betrothal.
However, it was not until the 13th Century that these items became re-popularised. In fact before the 20th Century a variety of betrothal gifts were common, not so long ago it was quite common to receive a thimble from your prospective spouse!
Diamonds flooded the market during the 1800s after the discovery of a huge wealth of stones to be mined in Africa. In fact the giving of diamond engagement rings only became a common custom in the 1930s after heavy campaigning by diamond sellers. The strength of the diamond made it a popular symbol of the durability of love and it later became the most popular stone to be used in wedding jewellery. Diamond engagement rings had become popular amongst royalty and the affluent, whilst the less wealthy would celebrate their engagements with Fede (faith) rings. These rings were revived from ancient Greek and Roman culture and consist of a metal band with two clasping hands to symbolise the pledging of love. These of course were a pre-cursor to the modern Irish claddagh ring.
Today the popularity of engagement rings has grown to the point of it becoming a staple of Western culture. People’s options have grown vastly with a massive range of choices from the style, the stones used, the metals available and the option to purchase ready to wear rings or even have a ring designed especially to suit personal preferences…. the choice is yours!