Even if you’ve never been engaged or married, you’re probably still familiar with the symbolism associated with engagement rings
Along with indicating that the person wearing the ring will soon be married, engagement rings also symbolize the love a couple shares, and the promise they’ve made to each other to stay joined together forever as one unit.
The history of the engagement ring, however, tells us even more about the rather fascinating symbolism associated with this piece of jewelry. In some cases, the symbolism extends to the ring’s shape, and even its design.
If you’ve been looking at diamond engagement rings in Bucks County, we hope this article will help you begin to see them and understand them in an entirely new light.
The World’s First Diamond Engagement Ring?
Have you ever wondered where the tradition of the engagement ring comes from?
According to history, it was in 1477 when the Austrian-born Maximilian I presented his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy, with a diamond engagement ring.
This may not have been the first exchange in which the ring included a diamond, but it was the first to be officially documented.
Around that time, in the Renaissance era, plain metal bands served as engagement rings. Royalty and the wealthy wore gold or silver bands, while the average commoner wore a band made of iron.
So if you’re fortunate enough to be shopping for diamond engagement rings in Bucks County, keep in mind that historically speaking, you’re among very good company!
Interestingly, it’s believed that Roman women in the second century were given two rings upon their engagement, one made of gold and the other of iron.
The gold ring was meant to be worn in public, presumably to advertise the wealth and social status of her husband-to-be. (The more things change, you might say, the more they stay the same!)
As for the iron ring, it was worn at home, especially while attending to housework and chores during which the ring could be dinged or otherwise damaged.
The Symbolism of a Circle
It may be nothing more than a coincidence that the shape of an engagement ring—a circle—carries with it a deep and meaningful sort of symbolism.
Because the circle technically has no beginning and no end, some consider it symbolic of the infinite: Not only the infinite love an engaged couple has for each other, but also the idea that a married couple will remain as one for an infinite length of time.
Circles also symbolize the connection and oneness of all things, just as a soon-to-be-married couple is connected in a unique and special way.
And of course a circle can be symbolic of the earth, the sun, the moon, and the joining together of all life, just as an engagement represents the coming together of two lives.
Engagement Rings Around the World
Did you know that in some countries, the engagement ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand instead of the left?
This is a fairly common practice in some Scandinavian countries, including Denmark and Norway, and in some Eastern European countries, including Poland and Bulgaria.
In Brazil, it’s common for both members of an engaged couple to wear engagement rings, and to wear them on the ring finger of their right hands. After reciting their wedding vows, the rings are switched to the ring finger on the left hand.
The practice of wearing an engagement ring or wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand, by the way, comes with an interesting origin story.
In ancient Rome, there was a common belief that the left hand’s ring finger contained a vein that led directly to the heart, making it the ideal finger on which to wear a ring that symbolizes love eternal.
Diamond Engagement Rings in Bucks County
Now that you know a bit more about this very important ring’s history and the cultural customs surrounding it, we hope that looking for diamond engagement rings in Bucks County will be even more rewarding of an experience.
If you’re looking for a diamond engagement ring but you’re not sure where to begin, stop by Doylestown Gold Exchange.
As you prepare to make one of the biggest and most important purchases of your life, we’ll be happy to give you the diamond education you need in order to make a smart and informed decision.
