Wedding bands and engagement rings have become so commonplace and most brides and grooms do not know the history of the engagement ring. Wedding bands and engagement rings are very special jewelry pieces. They also symbolize love, integrity, commitment, compassion, fideltiy, honor, dignity, and respect.
Wow! Wedding rings and engagment rings say a lot! But did they always have these meanings. And why are they an expect symbol for marriage?
The History Of Wedding Bands
The wedding band have a history that spans the globe. Although much of the history was not written, it is safe to say that this symbol of marriage has been around for thousands and thousands of years in original continents like Africa where the first civilizations were located.
EGYPTIANS
In ancient Egypt, wedding bands were very popular. Royalty received gold bands and common people used plant sections to twist into circles signifying never-ending and immortal love. The ancient Egyptians, who used many African tribal principals, often connected spirituality, science and art to express their spiritual selves. 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 who learned quite a bit from the Egyptians took this principal from the Egyptians and instead of offering wedding bands as a symbol of love, it was a sign of ownership. Roman men would “claim” their woman by giving a ring.
ASIANS / ARABS
Puzzle rings were able to fall apart and put back together again and were very popular in Asian. Wealthy Middle Eastern men gave these wedding bands to their wives who were forced, or it was accepted by the women, to wear a puzzle ring while the husband was away. The husband would know upon his return whether any of his wives had been disloyal because the ring was designed to collapse upon removal and could only be put together again if you knew how to do it.
EUROPEANS
Europeans called engagement rings 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, women received a thimble to signify the engagement. Jewelry was not very pratical. But after marriage, man wives would remove the bottom of the “engagement thimble” to for a ring.
