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The History Of Engagement Rings From The Ancient Egyptians Up To Today

27.05.2013
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The history of the engagement rings and wedding jewelry market dates back to the ancient Egyptians, who viewed the circular shape of the ring as a never-ending cycle and the space in the center as a gateway. During the Roman era, a man gave the engagement ring with a small key, which, as the romantics believe, was the key to his heart. The ancient Greeks started the tradition of wearing wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand, as it is believed that the vein in that finger leads to the heart.

In 1215, Pope Innocent III. decreed a period of waiting between a decision to marry and the ceremony itself. Rings were given during that time as a promise of a future marriage. Diamond engagement rings were popularized among the wealthy in Europe during the Renaissance, when the first diamond engagement ring of record was presented to Mary of Burgundy in 1477 by Archduke Maximilian of Austria on the occasion of their betrothal. The Victorians — known for their keen sense of romance — gave posy rings, bands with colored gemstones, which symbolized love and fidelity. In Colonial America, women were given a thimble with the top cut off so that it could be worn as a ring.

The modern diamond engagement ring as we know it today came to the forefront in the 1930s when a young man gave his girlfriend a diamond engagement ring before going to war. The diamond engagement ring skyrocketed its way into popular culture in 1947, when N.W. Ayer advertising agency copywriter Frances Gerety, who was working on the De Beers account, was asked to come up with a line that embodied the attributes of a diamond. She came up with the phrase “A Diamond is Forever,” a tagline that still endures.

Today in the U.S., a diamond engagement ring has become a cultural imperative, with some 80 percent of women receiving a diamond ring when they become engaged. The Knot.com & WeddingChannel.com 2011 Engagement and Jewelry Study reveals that 65 percent of brides were involved in the selection of the ring.

From these ancient and proven traditions draws also our company CABRHA team in creating our own designs and in actual processing and manufacture of jewelry.


Rapaport Magazine - April 2013, article: “I do, I do“  by Amber Michelle