Why Do We Use Diamond Engagement Rings
Diamond rings are an essential part of the modern-day engagements. More than a gift to the bride, offering a diamond ring has become a part of our wedding traditions. As we all know, all the different types of diamond designs like the bezel setting, and tension diamond ring setting, etc. have their significance. Even the number of diamonds in a ring is also considered as a symbol of life. We all might have at some point thought about the origin of this tradition. In this article, we will discuss the history of engagement rings and also about the emergence of diamonds in wedding rings.
Sign Of Ownership
The custom of using rings for engagement started in Ancient Rome. As per the reports of GIA, one of the most renowned institutes around the world for grading diamonds, it is evident that women of Ancient Rome used rings as a symbol of mutual love and obedience. However, the rings they used were made of different elements like ivory, iron, and bone, etc. And also, they were more like bands and didn’t have any diamonds or precious stones embedded.
Symbol Of Marriage
It was during the year 850 the wedding rings got recognized as a mark of marriage. During this time, Pope Nicholas declared the engagement rings as a man’s intent to marry. However, during this time gold was the most commonly used metal for ornaments and only gold rings were considered as an engagement ring. As per the studies, the first diamond embedded engagement rings were used by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria while proposing to Mary of Burgundy.
Emergence Of Diamond Ring
As mentioned earlier in this article, the first diamond engagement ring was used by the Archduke of Austria during 1427. However, it didn’t make an impact among the people and they continued using gold rings and bands as engagement rings. Diamond embedded rings started to popularize in 1947. During this time, De Beers, a British mining company started an advertisement campaign and made diamonds more affordable to the people.
This is how the custom of using rings from Ancient Rome became a part of our wedding tradition. Presently, many people have started to allow the bride to choose their ring, and still diamond is their first preference. However, due to the advancement in technologies, many unique types of diamonds and ring settings are now available in the market. So, if you plan on getting hitched, give ring selection ample time, after all marriage is once in a lifetime phenomenon for most!