Wedding Ring Slideshow - Sharonlathanauthor

Sealed  With  a  RingA  visual  histor4  of  wedding  and  engagement  ring  histor4. Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

ANCIENT EGYPT3000 BCAncient Egyptian hieroglyphics depict eternity as an unending circle. The ring as a symbol derivesfrom the custom of two people pledging a bond inside a sacred circle of stones. The circlesymbolized a never ending cycle and the space in the middle represented the gateway to thefuture.!Plants such as hemp and reed were twisted into circles for a ring. Also leather, bone, ivory wereused, and later metals. The wealthier the person, the higher quality the material and design.!Rings were exchangedat the wedding ceremony,meaning both men andwomen wore weddingrings. An engagement ringwas not given in advance.band c. 2000 BC!Rings in the shape of aserpent weresignificant in theEgyptian culture.Mesopotamianwedding ring2600 BC Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

ANCIENT GREECE & ROME!300 BCA circle held the same meaning of eternity, as well as beingsymbolic of the sun and moon. To the early Romans, a ring wasa sign of ownership more than romance. Iron was preferred toindicate strength and permanence. Wealthy wives were givenan iron ring to wear indoors and a gold or silver ring forpublic display.“hand clasp” rings a common style!!!!200 BCiron ringGreek 5th c. BCsized for a man’s finger1st c. ADEtruscanweddingring, 4th-6thcentury BC3rd c. AD3rd-2nd c. BCRing features Hymen, god of weddings,crafted onto the garnet. Size of gold ringsuggests it belonged to a man. Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

MIDDLE AGES500 - 1500 ADRise of the Engagement RingIn the 8th c. Christian’s adopt custom of bridal rings.In the 9th c. Pope Nicolas I required a gold betrothal ring to prove the groom’s ability to care for a wife.In 1215 Pope Innocent II set a long waiting period for couples to prove serious intent and compatibility.5-6th century7-8th century13-14th century9-10th century15th century Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

E n g a g e m e n t R i n g F a d s & D e s i g n Tr e n d sPosy rings has inscribedlove poems and messages onthe inner and sometimesouter band.Gimmel or twin rings were popularfrom the Renaissance onward. Parts ofthe ring were worn by both the brideto-be and groom-to-be, and sometimesby a third party. The parts were unitedon the wedding day to become thewedding ring.Heart-Shape rings werepopular in 17-18th centuries.Acrostic Ringswere designed with gemstones specific to spell a message.For example: ADORE: amethyst, diamond, opal, ruby, emerald.ADORE RING Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

The “Vein of Love”!Some sources give credit to the Greeks, but most authorities cite the Egyptians for firstsettling on the third-finger of the left hand as the designated position for a wedding ring.Both ancient civilizations believed the vena amoris — “vein of love” — ran from the thirdfinger of the left hand directly to the heart. Romans held the same view. This is untrue, bythe way, but was believed for many centuries.!The left hand, typically, is less used than the right, thusless chance of a ring being damaged or causing injury tothe hand.In 1500s Henry VIII established Church of England withthe Book of Common Prayer wherein the left hand isdesignated officially in the wedding solemnization.Ritually in Christian marriages, the rector or priest recitedduring the binding, ”In the name of the Father, the Son,and the Holy Spirit,” while touching first the thumb, thenindex finger, and then middle finger. Lastly, while uttering“Amen” he would seal the marriage by placing the ring onthe ring finger.Not all cultures keep this tradition, orwear rings at all. Roman Catholictradition is for the right hand, andmany European countries follow thistrend. Jewish tradition is the indexfinger or thumb. Chinese coupleswear their rings on opposite hands(woman right, man left). Bottom lineis that the customs vary widely. Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Wedding Rings for menVIKINGS / NORSELittle is known of Viking marriage rituals, but as aculture marriage was esteemed, monogamous, andbased on love. Swords were exchanged first, thenfinger-rings. The latter mirrored the sacred arm-ringof Thor upon which all Vikings swore oaths. Beloware man-size rings uncovered in Scandinaviancountries dating 8th-11th c. AD.!! rings, or other jewelry, had never been rare. GenerallyMen wearing!speaking, however,a groom being given a ring on his wedding day has notbeen a historic! custom. One notable exception are the Greeks, as mentionedpreviously. In the 1300s it became a standard in the Greek Orthodox Church.Archeologist have uncovered rings in sizes, styles, and with inscriptionsindicating they belonged to men in many parts of the world and various dates.186018921904188018991917Despite the evidence ofwedding rings for menexisting in the far past, itwas uncommon untilWWI, and then WWII.The desire to adorn witha constant reminder oftheir wives and life backhome led to men donningrings as a standard. Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Diamonds are a Bride’s Best Friend!The earliest references to diamonds are from 300 BC. Not until much!later were diamonds mined in significant quantities, in the mines ofGolconda in India. Many of the world’s most famous diamonds camefrom Golconda. As the Roman’s trade routes spread into the east,diamonds appeared in Europe. In the 12th century the first use ofdiamonds was seen in royal jewelry, in the Crown of St. Stephen ofHungary.!For centuries only royals were allowed to wear diamonds. By the 15thcentury diamonds were popular gemstones in royal wedding jewelry.!! Napoleon’s diamond &!sapphire engagementring to Josephine, 179615th centuryTwotorches in onering of burning fire.Two wills, two hearts,two passions,all bonded in marriage by a diamond.In the 18th century diamonds were discovered inBrazil, becoming more plentiful and affordable. Othergemstones remained popular and valuable, withdiamonds entering the possible choices. The extremehardness of a diamond increased the attraction as awedding gemstone as much for the symbolism as theappearance.Archduke Maximilian isrecorded as the first to gifta diamond engagementring to his intended, Maryof Burgundy, in 1477.!1475 poem by ConstanzoSforza to brideCamillad’Aragona Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Wedding & Engagement Ring TriviaSome ancient cultures — Jewish,Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian —gave bracelets and armlets aswedding tokens, the samesymbolism attached.During the colonization of America,wearing jewelry was frowned upon bythe Puritans and seen as ostentatious.Instead, thimbles were given as a signof love and promise to marry. Oftenthe women would cut the tops off andwear them as a ring.Colored stones were the gem ofchoice for engagement rings inthe 18th and 19th centuries.!!In the late 18th century theChurch of England made it arequirement for the groom togive his bride a ring during thewedding ceremony as a symbolof his love and devotionThe smallest engagement ring onrecord was given to two-year-oldPrincess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII,on the event of her betrothal to theinfant Dauphin of France, son of KingFrancis I, in 1518.The “Tiffany” - or solitaire setting was introduced in thelate 19th century.American jeweler De Beer’s launcheda marketing campaign in 1930 toconvince men that a diamond was theonly way to truly show your undyingcommitment to the woman of yourdreams. It worked!In The Merchant of Venice (1596) Shakespeare wrote of Portia and Nerissagiving engagement rings to Bassanio and Gratiano, charging the men to neverremove as a sign of their commitment.!”I give them with this ring, Which when you part from, lose, or give away, Let itpresage the ruin of your love And be my vantage to exclaim on you" Sharon Lathan, Novelist. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Plants such as hemp and reed were twisted into circles for a ring. Also leather, bone, ivory were used, and later metals. The wealthier the person, the higher quality the material and design. ! Rings were exchanged at the wedding ceremony, meaning both men and women wore wedding rings. An engagement ring was not given in advance.!