It is easy to get lost in the shine and the sparkle of a wedding ring. However, one must sometimes wonder where did the tradition of having something around your finger become the symbol of togetherness and eternal bonding? What was the thought behind using a ring as a token of commitment? Well, if we look back in to the pages of history for answers, we find out that it all began in Egypt.
Back then, in the time of the Pharaohs, it was believed that the circle represents eternity – no corners, no beginnings, no ends, and a connection beyond our control. The use of a circular object held the belief that the love between two people is eternal. However, the actual ring wearing custom originated from the roman history and the thought behind this custom was not as romantic as we like to believe. The women in Rome were bound to wear a ring with a key attached, as a symbol of their husband’s possession. And those rings did not have anything fancy about them – they were made of plain iron.
Gemstones as a Part of Engagement Rings
As we, all know that things have a tendency to get lost and twisted as they move forward in time. That’s exactly what happened to the wedding rings tradition. During the middle ages, gemstones became a part of wedding rings. However, this practice was limited to only a certain class of people.
Each of the most popular gems such as ruby, sapphire, and emerald, held a significant meaning attached. However, it was diamond that was the most significant of all for many reasons.Since then, the diamond has become a symbol of love.
Use of Diamond in a Wedding Ring
In the history of many cultures, we find the significance of using diamonds in the centre of a wedding ring design. If we look into the Greek history, we find out that diamond essentially means unconquerable -something that cannot be destroyed. Holding onto this meaning, diamond symbolizes the essence of eternal love, which is indestructible. And this is why they found diamond to be the perfect metaphor to represent the bond of love.
Moreover, if we look into Hindu culture, we find that it was actually in India where diamonds were first discovered. People used to believe (they still do) that each gem has certain properties and powers. Diamond is believed to have most of them all, such as the ability to offer utmost protection from evil forces, the power to keep the bad dreams away, and strengthen love between two people. This is why we now see diamond as the ultimate symbol of love. However, the use of diamond in wedding and engagement rings started becoming a tradition when the Archduke of Austria, Maximilian,first gave a diamond ring to his lover as a token of their love.
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