The Ring Doesn't Mean A Thing!... Or Does It?

Greetings!

American society seems to be very fascinated by wedding and engagement rings. According to Queen Bey, "If you liked it, then you should of put a ring on it" and our favorite vanilla ATL housewife, Kim Zolciak, throws in " The ring don't mean a thing". But, does it?? Where did this tradition begin and why do all the single ladies want one so bad? Fun facts on rings...

Wedding Bands:

Ancient Egyptians

Though the exact origin is unknown, historians primarily believe ancient Egypt started the tradition most like our modern wearing of a wedding band. Archeological discoveries, some dating back more than 3,000 years ago, led them to this conclusion. Imagery on artifacts, such as papyrus scrolls, reveal an ancient culture that exchanged rings braided from reeds and hemp. Through translated hieroglyphics, experts learned how this society viewed the circle as a symbol of endless love between a man and woman. Additionally, Egyptians wore wedding bands on the ring finger of their left hands. They believed this finger held a special vein directly connected to the heart. The concept was passed down to other cultures, and centuries later, it was coined by the Latin term vena amoris or vein of love.

Ancient Romans

In ancient Rome, there were several types of recognized marriages, categorized by social class. They included Usus, Coemptio, and Confarreatio. Usus was an informal union reserved for the lowest class. It is often compared to today's common law marriage. Coemptio was a marriage that involved purchasing one's bride. While historians believe this was symbolic and not a true sale, fathers were paid for the hands of their daughters. Confarreatio was reserved for the elite class and was the only legal form of marriage at the time. This union was officiated with the groom presenting a ring to his bride. Most rings were made of iron, which led to the tradition of metal wedding rings. Unlike the Egyptians' symbols of love, however, historians believe the Romans viewed these bands as symbols of possession. The wife now belonged to the husband. http://www.jtv.com/library/wedding-ring-history.html

History of Engagement Rings:

Pre-History: The caveman tied cords made of braided grass around his chosen mate’s wrists, ankles, and waist, to bring her spirit under his control.

Circa 2800 BC: Egyptians are buried wearing rings made of a single silver or gold wire on the third finger of their left hands, believed to be connected directly to the heart by the vena amoris.

2nd Century BC: According to Pliny the Elder, the groom gives the bride first a gold ring to wear during the ceremony and at special events, then an iron ring to wear at home, signifying her binding legal agreement to his ownership of her.

1st Century BC: Puzzle rings first appear in Asia, where sultans and sheiks use them to tag each of their wives.

1217: The bishop of Salisbury puts an end to the popular practice of seducing girls into mock marriage with rings made of rushes. His solution? Declaring a marriage with a rush-ring legally binding.

1456: The Gutenberg bible is published. There is no mention of betrothal or marriage rings in this or any other edition of the bible.

1477: In one of the first recorded uses of a diamond engagement ring, Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposes to Mary of Burgundy with a ring that is set with thin, flat pieces of diamonds in the shape of an “M.”
1700s: Silver “poesy rings” engraved with flowery sayings are in vogue in Europe. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Puritans give their betrotheds useful thimbles instead of rings, which are derided as frippery. Eventually, however, many thimbles get their tops sliced off and are worn as rings anyway.

1800s: The highly sentimental Victorians make jewelry from human hair, and use gemstones to spell out names or endearments, such as a D-E-A-R-E-S-T ring set with a sequence of diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald, etc.

1867: Diamonds are discovered in the Cape Colony (now a province in South Africa), the beginning of a huge increase in the diamond supply.

1880: Cecil Rhodes, who arrived in South Africa in 1873, founds the DeBeers Mining Company with other investors. Within the decade, they will control 90 percent of the world’s diamond production.

1886: Tiffany & Co. introduces the “Tiffany setting,” a six-prong ring designed to maximize a diamond’s brilliance by raising it up from the band.

1890s: Affordable wedding rings and diamond engagement rings appear in mail-order catalogs, such as Sears & Roebuck.

1918: Cartier creates the Trinity Ring—intertwined hoops in pink gold (love), white gold (friendship), and yellow gold (fidelity)—for Jean Cocteau, who gives one to his lover, poet Raymond Radiguet. It is still a traditional wedding ring in France.

1920s: Manufacturers and retail jewelers try to launch the concept of men’s engagement rings, which sinks like a lead balloon.

Early 1940′s: Engagement rings become the leading line of jewelry in most department stores.

1944: A Catholic priest queries The American Ecclesiastical Review as to whether he’s permitted to marry a couple in a “double ring” ceremony, and, if so, how to go about it. (The Roman Ritual calls only for the blessing of the bride’s ring.) The Review OKs the practice.

1946: Humphrey Bogart chooses to wear his first groom’s ring when he is married—for the fifth, and final, time—to Lauren Bacall.

Read more here: http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/the-history-of-engagement-rings/#ixzz2e6SO2tiI

Married women, do you wear a wedding ring or your engagement ring? Single ladies do you want one? Leave a line below!

Peace ~Sis.DeAndrea