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_400.png "History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands")
Some of the most time-honored and cherished traditions in history revolve around some form of a special event or another, and weddings are events that inspire more traditions than most. Between white dresses, flower girls, ring-bearers, and engagement and wedding rings, of course, there is no shortage of customs to choose from when deciding to analyze our cultural traditions. The jewelry experts at Goldfellow are most enthralled by, perhaps unsurprisingly, the history of engagement and wedding bands and have sought to get to the bottom of it!
History of Engagement Rings
The origin of engagement rings is still a bit of a mystery, but many believe that the history of engagement rings began in Ancient Rome. Roman women often wore golden bands around their fingers although, like most things related to jewelry history, the history of engagement rings and wedding bands is littered with exceptions to the material used and was often seen as a sign of devotion or love. These were seen as unofficial symbols until the 9th century when the rings started to be officially viewed as a symbol of intent to marry. It wasn’t until about 600 years later that we started to see diamonds begin to make their appearance in the history of the engagement ring, and from then on, the trend spread slowly until it exploded in popularity sometime in the late 1940s. The trend was likely due to the economic boom experienced following World War 2. The history of engagement rings and wedding bands is older than many people realize!
History of Wedding Rings
The history of the wedding ring predates that of the engagement ring by a few centuries. Ancient Egyptians were known to create lovely and extravagant designs in the form of rings, although they were not used as signs of devotion and love by the Egyptians themselves. It wasn’t until Alexander the Great conquered Egypt that Greek soldiers first discovered these rings and were inspired to present them to their wives back home. That is where ancient wedding rings were born.
Wedding rings remained more or less the same, a simple band made of gold or some other form of precious metal with little “flash” to it. This trend remained until the renaissance, when contact between cultures became more common, and the spreading and mixing of different traditions once again had the opportunity to develop. Gemstones began getting added to wedding rings. The tradition of wedding rings reached its peak popularity during WW2 when soldiers and military spouses would wear the bands as a way to remember each other while one was away. The history of engagement rings and wedding bands is one drenched in love and tradition, just like weddings.
Sell Your Jewelry at the Best Price
If you are ever looking to sell gold, silver, or diamond jewelry, be it to upgrade your wedding ring or just to offload some unwanted old jewelry, be sure to contact Goldfellow. We offer an ease of process and fairness of price that is unmatched by other gold buyers. Be sure to read some of our other articles to learn more about selling gold jewelry, the worth of antiques, and much more!
