Engagement Rings

In Western tradition, an engagement ring is a ring worn by a woman indicating her engagement to be married.
In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, it is worn on the left-hand ring finger, while in other
countries, such as Poland, it is customary for the ring to be worn on the right-hand. By modern convention,
the ring is usually presented as a betrothal gift by a man to his prospective bride while or directly after
she accepts his marriage proposal. It represents a formal agreement to future marriage.

Similar traditions purportedly date to classical times, dating back from an early usage reportedly referring
to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or "vein of love".

In the United States & Canada today, it is becoming more common, but still quite rare, that a woman will also
buy an engagement or promise ring for her partner at the time of the engagement.

In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil, it is possible both the man
and the woman wear engagement rings, most often in the form of matching plain bands of white, yellow, or red
gold. In these countries the man's engagement ring often also eventually serves as the wedding ring.
Some men wear two rings, but this is rarer. The woman is occasionally given a diamond wedding ring.
In northern Germany, the tradition of engagement rings is not often followed and is often viewed as
an American import. In Spain, the woman sometimes buys an engagement wristwatch for the man after accepting
a marriage proposal.

History

The inception of the engagement ring itself can be tied to the Fourth Lateran Council presided over by Pope
Innocent III in 1215. Innocent declared a longer waiting period between betrothal and marriage; plain
rings of gold, silver or iron were used earliest. Gems were important and reassuring status symbols to the
aristocracy. Laws were passed to preserve a visible division of social rank, ensuring only the privileged
wore florid jewels. As time passed and laws relaxed, diamonds and other gems became available to the middle class.

At one time, engagement rings mounted sets of stones. One traditional sentimental pattern mounted six to
celebrate the joining of two families: The birthstones of the bride's parents and the bride (on the left),
and the birth stones of the groom and his parents (on the right). The parents' stones were mounted with the
mother to the left of the father. The bride and groom's birthstones would be adjacent in the center.
Another similar pattern, for four stones, mounted the birthstone of the parents' marriages, and the birthstones
of the bride and groom. These token rings often disassembled, to expose a channel in which a lock of the suitor's
hair could be treasured.

A Victorian tradition was the Regards ring, in which the initials of the precious gems used spelled out the word
"regards". Another Victorian tradition was the Dearest Ring, which spelled the word "dearest" using the first
letter of each jewel.

The origin of our custom to use diamonds in rings, and more recently, in engagement rings, can be traced back to
the Middle Ages and even the Romans. The Romans valued the diamond entirely on account of its supernatural powers.
Pliny wrote that a diamond baffles poison, keeps off insanity and dispels vain fears.The medieval Italians
copied these beliefs and added some to it: they called it the "Pietra della Reconciliazone" because it maintained
concord between husband and wife. On this account it was recommended as the stone to be set in wedding (or espousal)
rings. Note: not on account of its beauty therefore, which was described by Isidore of Seville as a small stone devoid
of beauty.

In more recent times a Parisian Oracle of mystic subjects, the Baron d'Orchamps, announced the diamond, if worn on the left (hand) warded off evil influences and attracted good fortune and since he had fashionable clients the word spread and the wearing of the diamond on the left hand became in itself a fashion.

One of the first occurrences of the diamond engagement (or wedding) ring can be traced back to the marriage of Maximilian I (then Archduke of Austria) to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.Other early examples of betrothal jewels incorporating diamonds include the Bridal Crown of Blanche (ca. 1370-80)and the Heftlein brooch of Vienna (ca. 1430-40),a pictorial piece depicting a wedding couple.

The diamond engagement ring did not become the standard it is considered today until after an extensive marketing campaign by De Beers in the middle of the 20th century, which came to include one of the most famous advertising slogans of the 20th century: "A Diamond is Forever".

In the early 20th century, the United States jewelery industry attempted to start a trend of male engagement rings, going so far as to create a supposed "historical precedent" dating back to medieval times. The attempt failed, although the industry applied lessons learned from this venture in its more successful bid to encourage the use of male wedding rings.