History of the Wedding Ring
The wedding ring has a long and interesting history.
Why the third finger?
One theory is that King Edward VI of England designated the third finger of the left hand as the ring finger. Then in 1549 the Book of Common Prayer designated the left hand as the "marriage" hand, a tradition that is still observed today.
What about engagement rings?
ln the thirteenth century Pope Innocent III declared that a waiting period should be observed between the betrothal agreement and the wedding ceremony. To mark the betrothal a ring was given. In 1477 the first recorded diamond engagement ring was given by the King of Germany, Maximilian I, to Mary of Burgundy.
The wearing of diamond engagement rings only became widespread after the advent of South African diamond mining in the 19th century. Prior to this, engagement rings were simple bands of gold or silver, possibly entwined to form a knot. Today engagement rings are not as popular as they once were but the tradition continues. But while men now frequently wear weddings rings, cases of them wearing an engagement ring are unheard of, at least in Western tradition!
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THE RING OF LOVE
Pharaohs of Egypt first used the circle as a symbol of eternity, but the first record of rings being given as a token of love was in Roman times, in the 2nd century BC. These rings had names inscribed on the inside surface of the ring, and the marriage contract was generally signed in the presence of the Emperor's image. Later, Christians adopted the tradition of ring exchange, however they used a priest rather than the Emperor as the official presence.
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