Image by Louisa Bailey via Karina and David’s Elegant Melbourne Wedding
Engagement rings are now as commonplace as weddings themselves – it’s hard to imagine a blushing bride making her way down the aisle without the glitter of a diamond engagement ring on her finger. But although we now take the practice of the groom giving his true love an engagement ring for granted, these gifts weren’t always the start of marital bliss.
Your engagement ring has a unique and special meaning to you, and may even have been a custom-created design. It is also part of a long and diverse tradition of giving engagement rings that has come and gone over the centuries, but whose message of eternal love is timeless.
Engagement Rings from Rome to the Renaissance
Although it is possible rings were given as part of marriage ceremonies and to mark engagements before the Roman civilization, the earliest records of engagement rings come from the Roman period. Brides were given rings attached to small keys signifying their husband’s ownership over them – more than a little distasteful in our more progressive era, but it meant less in the sense of owning goods and more in the romantic sense of spouses “belonging to each other.”
Craftsmanship of all sorts, including jewellery making waned in the centuries following Rome’s collapse, but in 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria had a diamond ring made for his soon-to-be bride Mary of Burgundy. This was perhaps the first custom-made diamond engagement ring ever created, and it sparked a trend amongst European nobility that has persisted to this day.
It would be several more centuries before any non-royals could afford engagement rings, and the tradition of giving lavish and often custom-made jewellery amongst royals themselves was not limited to rings, nor were diamonds the only gems used. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds and pearls were all commonly used in engagement and wedding jewelry, and as the merchant class grew during the Renaissance the tradition of engagement rings and engagement gifts grew too.
Image by Lakshal Perera via Kara and Bart’s Eco Beach Wedding
Victorian Engagement Rings and the Rise of the Middle Class
As time wore on, the giving and wearing of engagement rings grew ever more popular among nobility, artisans and merchants alike. Engagement rings became not only a symbol of love, but a sign of success and having reached a certain station in life. By the Victorian Era, when Europe’s middle class was at the height of its riches, engagement rings were an expected part of almost every nuptial agreement.
Diamonds were the favored gemstone for those who could afford them, largely because they were the most rare and thus symbolized both the rarity of a couple’s love and the effort the groom was willing to go to in order to demonstrate that love. Their rarity also made diamonds a far too expensive choice for most engagement ring givers, and other gemstones were seen more frequently in engagement rings throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
DeBeers, Diamonds and Today’s Engagement Rings
In the first few decades of the twentieth century, the DeBeers company found substantial diamond deposits in South Africa and made diamonds far more readily available to eager engagement ring recipients. The increased diamond supply coincided perfectly with the first Golden Age of cinema, and movie stars dripping with diamonds helped popularize the gemstone in engagement rings and other jewellery.
Today, diamond engagement rings are available in an endless variety of colours, cuts and settings. Custom-made diamond engagement rings are becoming increasingly popular thanks to the world wide communication power of the internet, which makes sourcing, ordering and shipping your custom engagement ring a breeze.
It may seem a far cry from their Roman origins, but when an engagement ring is slipped onto your finger you’re being connected with a long line of eternal love.
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Such an interesting and long history tracing the origins of our beloved engagement rings!
About Pascale: Pascale Helyar-Moray, Founder and Director of StyleRocks has fourteen years of financial services experience as a marketing and communications professional working with blue chip companies in Australia and the UK. Maternity leave forced her to re-examine her career options and in looking for a business she could run from home, she created StyleRocks in order to harness her lifelong passion for jewellery.
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