A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENGAGEMENT RINGS
Engagement rings are one of the ultimate symbols of love, unity, commitment and dedication. They are not just a romantic gesture: they are a promise adorned with gemstones, and a life-changing moment immortalised in precious metals and diamonds.
No wonder people put so much effort into finding the perfect one... after all, they can seal the deal on perhaps the most important decision you're ever likely to make.
What many people don't realize about engagement rings is how long they've been used in marriage proposals. indeed, the Romans used them, and the Greeks and Egyptians who came before also had rings as part of their culture, when they were known as betrothal rings.
Just like today, they were worn on the third finger of the left hand, to encircle the vein of love and connect with the heart.
ENGAGEMENT RINGS IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Many examples of these rings from the classical world still exist today, and they tend to be simple items made from a range of different materials.
As times changed, and metalwork evolved, so did the fashion for engagement rings. By the 15th century, they had become powerful status symbols, and the more elaborate and impressive your engagement ring, the more wealthy your marriage was sure to be.
Members of the aristocracy and royal courts began trying to outdo each other with the grandiosity of their rings, adding family seals, gemstones and more and more intricate metalwork. This began influencing the tastes and fashion choices of the burgeoning middle classes, and before long, beautiful engagement rings had become all the rage.
In the latter half of the 15th century, we begin to see the emergence of diamond engagement rings. The first example of a diamond being used in a ring of this sort is said to have been exchanged between two members of the Austrian nobility, and it immediate set the imaginations of the public ablaze.
People were bewitched by its beauty, and diamond rings suddenly became the height of fashion for those arranging marriages. Ever since, diamonds have been held as the standard for engagement rings, due to their beauty and connotations of timeless romance.
ALL ABOUT THE FINGERS
There have been differing traditions over the centuries regarding which fingers to wear your various rings, but the finger which has always been regarded as the most suitable is the ring finger of the left hand.
Time and time again, different cultures have identified this finger as a part of the body deeply connected with romance, due to the fact that the 'vein of love' runs through it and leads to the heart. Because of this, today the wedding ring is always worn on this finger, just as it would have been in the ancient world.
If you wish to wear both your wedding band and your engagement ring (and why wouldn’t you?), then many people follow the tradition of wearing their wedding ring on the ring finger, and then placing the engagement ring over that, so both sit together.
However, occasionally, both rings do not chime well together, or look at odds with one another. Also, it is possible that for people with very delicate or slender fingers, wearing two rings can restrict one’s dexterity. If this is the case, some people prefer to wear the wedding ring on the left hand, and the engagement ring on the third finger of the right hand.