The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks loved wearing rings. The Romans gave rings as love tokens and offered gold rings during a betrothal ceremony.
By the 6th century AD exchanging betrothal rings and entering in to an obligation to marry had taken hold in Christian and Visigoth Europe.
In the late 15th century wealthy and powerful aristocrats were seeking to make the right impression on potential fiancées with gemstone engagement rings. Diamond cutters had just developed the techniques to make these gems more lustrous and attractive. We know for example that in 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria offered a diamond engagement ring to his intended, Mary of Burgundy.
Wedding rings have always been central to Jewish and Christian wedding ceremonies. The symbolism of the ring is that the giver is bestowing wealth on the recipient, and there is also an element of love and blessing. In the 20th century it has become more common for the bride and groom to exchange wedding rings.
The tradition of placing the wedding ring on the bride’s fourth finger goes back to a belief in Roman times that a vein, known as the ‘vena amoris, ran from the heart directly to the fourth finger. This didn’t prevent 16th bridegrooms from placing the ring on their bride’s thumb.
WHAT TYPES OF RING DO YOU GIVE?
Since the 16th century in Western Europe wedding rings have been distinct from engagement rings.
The convention is that the man offers an engagement ring to his intended as part of the marriage proposal. The bride’s acceptance of the ring is taken to signify acceptance of the proposal. The popularity of diamond engagement rings owes much to an effective De Beers marketing campaign in the 1950s. At the time it was invariably the man who would choose and purchase the ring. More recently the tendency has been to choose the ring together. In some cases, each partner chooses a ring for the other.
Until the critical moment in the ceremony, the wedding ring is kept safe by the Best Man. Just ahead of the marriage rite, he gives this to the groom, and it is placed on the finger of the bride.
