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2012年9月13日 星期四

The History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands


These days, many people take wedding bands and engagement rings for granted, and although they give these beautiful items of jewellery with integrity and love, they are often given with no real knowledge of the meaning behind them.

Both wedding bands and engagement rings are very special items of jewellery; in fact, they are more than just jewellery - they are the symbols of many emotions and promises such as:


Love
Commitment
Fidelity
Eternity
Honour

But where - and why - did these popular and sentimental pieces of jewellery stem from?

The History Of Wedding Bands

These items of jewellery have a history that spans many centuries and passes through many countries from all around the planet. Below, you will find a brief history of the wedding and engagement ring, as reported from country to country.

EGYPTIANS

The now-famous wedding band is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt, where it is said that plant sections were fashioned in to circles to signify never-ending and immortal love. It was thought that the fourth finger (which we now know as the ring finger) contained a special vein that was connected directly to the heart, and therefore this became the official finger for the wedding band.

ROMANS

The Romans also agreed with the Egyptians with regards to the wedding ring finger and its meaning, but rather than offering wedding bands as a symbol of love, they awarded them as a symbol of ownership. Roman men would "claim" their woman with the giving of a ring.

ASIANS / ARABS

Puzzle rings were a complex type of jewellery that were once popular in Asia, and these jewels had the charming knack of being able to fall apart and put back together again - if you knew how to do this, of course. Wealthy Middle Eastern men then began to use these rings as wedding bands for their wives, who were often forced to wear a puzzle ring when their husband was away. The husband would know upon his return whether any of his wives had been disloyal by removing the ring whilst he was away, because the ring was designed to collapse upon removal and could only be put together again if you had the skill and knowledge required.

EUROPEANS

Several centuries ago, the Europeans became rather taken with what we would class as an engagement ring, but was then called a Poesy Ring. This ring was given to a loved one as a form of promise, and signified fidelity and love. The Poesy Ring was offered as a pledge of eternal togetherness, much as today's engagement rings are offered as a promise of eternal marriage.

AMERICANS

During Colonial times, all items of jewellery in America were prohibited due to their apparent moral worthlessness. Instead, a more practical thimble was given as a token of love and as a pledge of eternal togetherness. However, after they were married, the women tended to remove the bottom of their "engagement thimble" to form a type of ring.

History Of Engagement Rings

The engagement ring of today also has its own varied and interesting history, some of which is explored below. Engagement rings have been known by many different names, have symbolised a variety of different things and have not always been made of precious metals and stunning gems!

GREEKS

The ancient Greeks are thought to have been the forerunners in the rising of the traditional engagement ring. Given as a token of care and affection, the rings used by the Greeks were known as betrothal rings and were given before marriage. However, the giving of these rings was not always a pre-requisite to marriage and was often given in the same way as a friendship ring might be given today.

ROMANS

As seen by their use of the wedding ring, ancient Romans weren't the most sentimental of people, and the early version of their "engagement ring" were thought to have carved keys on them. It has been debated that this could have been to symbolise the woman's right to access and own half of everything following marriage. However, the more sentimental like to think that the key may have been a key to her husband's heart.

ROYALTY AND THE AFFLUENT

Engagement rings as we know them today - stunning gems encased in precious metals - became popular in around the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the affluent and the royals began to exchange and wear these jewels. However, these items were so expensive that nobody other than the royals and the rich could afford to exchange them. It was to be many centuries before these engagement rings would become more popular or traditional.

Why a ring?

The purpose of engagement rings and wedding bands is to convey deep emotions of eternal love, eternal happiness, eternal commitment, and eternal togetherness. In fact, these rings signify eternity - between the giver and the recipient. A ring, of course, is a complete circle with no break and no end or beginning, which means that it just goes on and on - it is eternal.

And, since folklore has it that the fourth finger of the left hand has a vein leading directly to the heart, it is only natural that both engagement and wedding rings would be worn on this particular finger, which was once reputed to be a direct route to the heart.

Summary

In short, it is clear that the giving of a ring in honour of a union, betrothal, and marriage has been going on since ancient times, and although it may not always have been as glamorous and romantic as it is today, it was still a way of exchanging a contract of betrothal or marriage.

Thankfully, today's wedding bands and engagement rings are not made of hair, grass, plants or twine as they may have been in ancient times, but of beautiful metals set with stunning gems, such as platinum, titanium, white gold, gold, sapphires, diamonds, rubies and emeralds. These incredible items of jewellery are likely to remain as popular as ever as the centuries go by, and even as the rest of the world advances in to a futuristic and technological age, it's hard to imagine a day where a beautiful diamond engagement ring doesn't melt the heart of its recipient.




Reno Charlton is an award-winning author and freelance writer from the West Midlands, England. She has written many articles providing consumer information on such topics as jewelry boxes, and promise rings.





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2012年7月14日 星期六

The History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands


These days, many people take wedding bands and engagement rings for granted, and although they give these beautiful items of jewellery with integrity and love, they are often given with no real knowledge of the meaning behind them.

Both wedding bands and engagement rings are very special items of jewellery; in fact, they are more than just jewellery - they are the symbols of many emotions and promises such as:


Love
Commitment
Fidelity
Eternity
Honour

But where - and why - did these popular and sentimental pieces of jewellery stem from?

The History Of Wedding Bands

These items of jewellery have a history that spans many centuries and passes through many countries from all around the planet. Below, you will find a brief history of the wedding and engagement ring, as reported from country to country.

EGYPTIANS

The now-famous wedding band is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt, where it is said that plant sections were fashioned in to circles to signify never-ending and immortal love. It was thought that the fourth finger (which we now know as the ring finger) contained a special vein that was connected directly to the heart, and therefore this became the official finger for the wedding band.

ROMANS

The Romans also agreed with the Egyptians with regards to the wedding ring finger and its meaning, but rather than offering wedding bands as a symbol of love, they awarded them as a symbol of ownership. Roman men would "claim" their woman with the giving of a ring.

ASIANS / ARABS

Puzzle rings were a complex type of jewellery that were once popular in Asia, and these jewels had the charming knack of being able to fall apart and put back together again - if you knew how to do this, of course. Wealthy Middle Eastern men then began to use these rings as wedding bands for their wives, who were often forced to wear a puzzle ring when their husband was away. The husband would know upon his return whether any of his wives had been disloyal by removing the ring whilst he was away, because the ring was designed to collapse upon removal and could only be put together again if you had the skill and knowledge required.

EUROPEANS

Several centuries ago, the Europeans became rather taken with what we would class as an engagement ring, but was then called a Poesy Ring. This ring was given to a loved one as a form of promise, and signified fidelity and love. The Poesy Ring was offered as a pledge of eternal togetherness, much as today's engagement rings are offered as a promise of eternal marriage.

AMERICANS

During Colonial times, all items of jewellery in America were prohibited due to their apparent moral worthlessness. Instead, a more practical thimble was given as a token of love and as a pledge of eternal togetherness. However, after they were married, the women tended to remove the bottom of their "engagement thimble" to form a type of ring.

History Of Engagement Rings

The engagement ring of today also has its own varied and interesting history, some of which is explored below. Engagement rings have been known by many different names, have symbolised a variety of different things and have not always been made of precious metals and stunning gems!

GREEKS

The ancient Greeks are thought to have been the forerunners in the rising of the traditional engagement ring. Given as a token of care and affection, the rings used by the Greeks were known as betrothal rings and were given before marriage. However, the giving of these rings was not always a pre-requisite to marriage and was often given in the same way as a friendship ring might be given today.

ROMANS

As seen by their use of the wedding ring, ancient Romans weren't the most sentimental of people, and the early version of their "engagement ring" were thought to have carved keys on them. It has been debated that this could have been to symbolise the woman's right to access and own half of everything following marriage. However, the more sentimental like to think that the key may have been a key to her husband's heart.

ROYALTY AND THE AFFLUENT

Engagement rings as we know them today - stunning gems encased in precious metals - became popular in around the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the affluent and the royals began to exchange and wear these jewels. However, these items were so expensive that nobody other than the royals and the rich could afford to exchange them. It was to be many centuries before these engagement rings would become more popular or traditional.

Why a ring?

The purpose of engagement rings and wedding bands is to convey deep emotions of eternal love, eternal happiness, eternal commitment, and eternal togetherness. In fact, these rings signify eternity - between the giver and the recipient. A ring, of course, is a complete circle with no break and no end or beginning, which means that it just goes on and on - it is eternal.

And, since folklore has it that the fourth finger of the left hand has a vein leading directly to the heart, it is only natural that both engagement and wedding rings would be worn on this particular finger, which was once reputed to be a direct route to the heart.

Summary

In short, it is clear that the giving of a ring in honour of a union, betrothal, and marriage has been going on since ancient times, and although it may not always have been as glamorous and romantic as it is today, it was still a way of exchanging a contract of betrothal or marriage.

Thankfully, today's wedding bands and engagement rings are not made of hair, grass, plants or twine as they may have been in ancient times, but of beautiful metals set with stunning gems, such as platinum, titanium, white gold, gold, sapphires, diamonds, rubies and emeralds. These incredible items of jewellery are likely to remain as popular as ever as the centuries go by, and even as the rest of the world advances in to a futuristic and technological age, it's hard to imagine a day where a beautiful diamond engagement ring doesn't melt the heart of its recipient.




Reno Charlton is an award-winning author and freelance writer from the West Midlands, England. She has written many articles providing consumer information on such topics as jewelry boxes, and promise rings.





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2011年12月28日 星期三

Going Through the History of Engagement Rings


Engagement rings are always indicating the beginning of a new relationship. It is kind of opening of a new threshold of life. Engagement was a ritual of a long time ago. In history it was seen as a ritual which indicates the sign of marriage before the exact or finale celebration or ceremony was held. The man and the woman exchange their rings to each other in order to convey that they are engaged to marry each other. Till now this equation of engagement is followed and maintained. You must not mistake an engagement ring with a wedding ring or a wedding band. These two are totally different things. Someone wears a wedding ring or a wedding band and an engagement ring in the same finger or may wear in different finger.

Engagement rings are mainly worn in the fourth finger that is called ring finger. This tradition came from Greek mythology. In a fable the reason was explained. It was said in that fable that a vein i.e. vena amoris or vein of love in that finger is directly connected with heart. Therefore wearing ring specially wedding or engagement ring on that finger would mean long lastingness of your relationship. But in the present age of scientific research and discovery this theory of love has been disqualified by medical researchers and scientific school of thought. But now wedding rings and engagement rings are worn in ring finger side by side or they are separately worn in the lest hand finger and in the right hand finger.

In ancient days in Rome and Egypt the tradition was that when you will give a girl your engagement ring she will be bound to marry you. There was a hint of legalization of that girl to the male member. Though it was said that this ceremony was a symbol of love and respect to each other prior marriage but the claiming of property before marriage was remarkably right. In Rome that is why engagement rings were made up from iron as it stands for strong ness and hardship. The girl after this ceremony will not be able to commit any kind of relationship to other man. She became bound to marry that particular person with whom she exchanges her engagement ring. But gradually concerning the beauty and durability they started to make their wedding ring with gold and silver with precious stone embellishments. This practice of ownership continued through ages in Greek also. Later this custom changed with time and now there is sign of property related with it.

Now the whole picture has been changed with a tone of sharing same feeling for each other prior marriage. Equal respect and equal love are now the theme of this ceremony. Before marriage this particular ceremony of love has therefore been treated with great significance and importance. So embellish your engagement ring or engagement rings for you two both with care and love. There are various kinds of variety which you can find in internet or in any shop.




The engagement ring and wedding ring set you can get here with attractive price.





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2011年12月17日 星期六

Engagement Rings - Tradition and History


Engagement rings are steeped in both history and tradition. They represent the most romantic gesture that a man can make, the commitment to his partner to love them for life. Visit any jewellery store and you will be dazzled by an almost endless display of ring styles and combinations, from solitaire engagement rings to fancy diamond clusters. Just where did the engagement ring begin though? Just how did it become the essential accessory for a proposal of marriage?

The story of the engagement ring is one that is largely cross-cultural and stretches across an enormous span of time. For anyone researching engagement rings either for additional information or for a background knowledge on the subject, a little history will provide some extra detail to one of our most fascinating traditions of jewellery.

With today's focus on "green" issues, it is interesting to discover that amongst some ancient settlers, perishable materials or plant material or leather were laced and used in a similar way as a symbol of a couple's commitment. Only lasting a short time, these could be replaced with wear, something that fortunately does not have to be done with the modern engagement ring.

Less precious metals were commonly used and the Roman's were well known to use Iron for such rings that marked the longevity and endurance of the relationship. Nowadays, we have more precious metals, carefully purified and alloyed to make sure that the finish is exceptional, that they are functional, enduring and more importantly, to make sure that they withstand everyday wear. Most rings are also hypoallergenic, an important consideration today. Gold came into play as the metal of choice, within many cultures carrying wealth in the form of gold. Being used as a form of currency, it made sense to also wear some of this wealth in the form of rings and jewellery. It was once a payment towards the bride that the prospective groom purchased the gold ring with his intention to marry.

The tradition of wearing the ring on the third finger is thought to have originated from the Greeks, who believed the vein that led to the heart, flowed from the third finger of the left hand. This began the tradition of using this as the ring finger and even today, we still wear the engagement ring on this third finger of the left hand.

The use of a singular ring has not always been the sole tradition. Religion has played a central role in culture through the ages and within Christianity, the aspect of the Holy Trinity lead to the adornment of three individual rings on separate fingers. Today, we find the trilogy ring, or three stone diamond engagement ring that can serve a similar function, although for most people, it is purely a design element that is the motivation for the three stone engagement ring, or the personal significance of three diamonds within the engagement ring.

The very first diamond engagement ring that is in the historical record was that owned by Mary of Burgundy given to her by Archduke Maximillian of Austria. This was believed to be in 1477. Who would think that the diamond engagement ring would have such rich and lengthy history. From these individuals, a tradition was born that has been running ever since. With the increase in mining and discovery of rich sources of diamonds in South Africa in the late Nineteenth Century, diamonds became more commonplace for engagement rings amongst wealthier individuals.

Today, it is very popular to have engagement rings engraved with a short message on the inside. This was something as popular in Victorian times, if not more so.

We have been subject to a wealth of marketing for diamond engagement rings and many of the advertising campaigns have become iconic over the years. N. W. Ayers working on behalf of DeBeers produced one of the most memorable strap-lines produced. "A Diamond is Forever," became synonymous with diamonds and DeBeers and has been used ever since. Carrying with it the notion of permanence and endurance, what better gem is there to symbolise eternal love between two people.




M Johnson

Managing Director of http://www.serendipitydiamonds.co.uk

mark@serendipitydiamonds.co.uk





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2011年12月14日 星期三

Antique Engagement Rings: One of a Kind Jewels With Colorful History


Antique engagement rings are one of a kind jewels with colorful history. They are a rare breed of precious metal and stone commodities that you can only find in the right places. Precious things from the past can be valuable family heirlooms. These unusual jewelries can be passed on from generation to generation. Its value is greatly enhanced if the rings were formerly owned by celebrities and famous people. Honoring and appreciating the past as well as the intrinsic potential high value of genuine antique jewelries are some of the rationale of couples who want to invest in these kinds of engagement rings.

There are top caliber jewelry shops with wide inventory of genuine antique rings of the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco circa models. So if you have the logistics and are truly persuaded to invest in high quality, genuine antique engagement rings, it is to your best interest to deal only with reputable antique dealers and to have some basic knowledge about antique rings.

Just a short overview of antique Georgian rings circa 1714-1830s, they are handcrafted and simple. The traditional style of the ring has a large stone in the center surrounded by multiple precious stones, woven gold or silver or pearls with engravings. Moonstone, topaz, tourmaline, pearl and ruby are the favorite pieces during this era.

During the time that Queen Victoria ruled Britain in the middle of the 1800s up to the beginning of the 20th century, this is the Victorian era (1835-1900). Victorian rings have unique styles. Old mine diamond cut, cushion cut, cluster ring, yellow gold and serpent shaped rings like the one worn by Queen Victoria were the trend. Solitaire and prong settings were also the popular choices.

In the Edwardian era of the 1900-1920s, the styles have pierced filigree patterns and intricate designs with center stones and multiple accent stones. The pave, pronged and bezel settings with contoured rings and arches were popular. Etchings were crafted for added texture to the ring's metal. Round, cushion or emerald cut were common choices. White or yellow gold, silver, platinum, sapphires, rubies, aquamarines were the trend.

To give you an idea about art deco engagement rings, their structural look was conceptualized during the period of 1920-1930s. The art deco name was derived from the exposition of decorative arts and modern manufactures held in Paris in 1935. The art deco rings boast of coordinated use of geometry and symmetry in crafting the shapes of the rings. During this period, platinum, old European cut diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, turquoise and other gemstones were the "in" things.

In dealing with a trustworthy antique jeweler, request for a written product description of the ring you are interested in. A sample product description of an antique engagement ring is as follows: "Antique Art Deco Platinum Diamond Engagement Ring containing a prong set Old European Cut Diamond measuring 6.30 x 6.30 x 4.00mm, and weighing approximately 1.05 Carats, Color N, Clarity VVS-2, Six (6) single cut diamonds measuring 2.20 mm in diameter, approximate total weight of 6 stones = 0.12 Carats, Color H-I, Clarity SI-2 to I-1, Eight(8) square shape blue sapphires, approximate total weight 0.08 Carats, total approximate weight ring of 1.17 Carats and total approximate weight of sapphires 0.08 Carats with a tapered hand engraved shank, Size 5, Circa 1920-30s."

You can also request for a certified appraised value of the ring you plan to purchase. If you need a GIA or EGL certification, your trusted jeweler can provide you the document. When it comes to getting an antique engagement ring, you can select from many available collection of unique, elegant, classy, beautiful authentic antique engagement rings. Do your homework diligently to make sure that you are not getting cloned replicas but the true and precious antique engagement rings.




My name is Jan Soriano and I thoroughly research and write about pearl engagement rings. Please visit my site at http://www.pearl-engagement-rings.net to find the best engagement ring for your bride-to-be that fits your budget!





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