Wedding Ring History

Wedding Ring History

Take a whirlwind tour of wedding ring history. What would a wedding be without a ring, that classic symbol of connubial bliss and fidelity? They've been a part of Western marital tradition for several thousand years at least, and probably much longer.

"With This Ring I Thee Wed" -- The History of Wedding Rings

In modern America, rings are as much a part of the standard wedding ceremony as flower girls, Wagner's Wedding March, and the best man's embarrassing toast at the reception.

They've got a fairly lengthy pedigree, too: although wedding rings are never mentioned in the Bible, it's rumored that Mary, mother of Jesus, was given an amethyst or onyx wedding ring by Joseph. Actually the tradition extends even further back -- to the days of the ancient Egyptians, who twisted reeds and hemp into rings for their beloveds to wear. This was a far cry from today's diamond-crowned platinum and titanium wedding rings, but the sentiment was there: they considered the circle a symbol of their unending love.

Home, home on the vein

Thousands of years later, the ring just may be the most important part of the wedding, aside from all the kissing. This change, however, evolved somewhat slowly. The tradition of exchanging metal rings along with the vows appears to have derived from the ancient Greek practice of exchanging no-strings betrothal rings, and the later Roman tradition of the man giving his bride-to-be a ring with a carved stone key on the face (before you romantic types conclude dreamily that this was "the key to his heart," let it be known that it was actually the key to the place where he kept her half of his fortune). The wedding ring itself was made of iron (the same material slave rings were made from), and Roman men often considered them tokens of purchase. Later, twined metal "puzzle rings" were imported from Asia for use as European wedding rings. All these rings, from Egyptian to Roman to European, were placed on the fourth finger of the left hand, where it was believed that there was a "love vein" that connected straight to the heart.

What's in a ring?

At first, men's wedding bands were much less common than women's rings, but this changed abruptly during the reign of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). One of the Pope's first edicts was that all weddings in the Catholic Church required wedding rings. This tradition quickly took hold in Europe, since all weddings had to be Catholic to be recognized. By the mid-15th century, Celtic and Claddagh wedding rings had become popular in the British Isles. Claddagh rings (named after a seashore village in Ireland) consist of a simple band decorated with pair of hands either clasping each other, or holding between them a single heart; Celtic rings display a Celtic knot symbolizing the inviolability of the love-bond. Both varieties have become popular again in the last decade. By Shakespearean times, silver "poesy" rings were all the rage.

The Puritans of New England renounced wedding rings as fripperies, and a newlywed woman was lucky to get a thimble with the bottom cut off to wear, if she got a wedding ring at all. However, the tradition soon crept back into style in America (much to the despair of impoverished young men everywhere). Victorian rings were particularly lavish, and make up the majority of the antique rings that have recently become fashionable. Ours is the era of specialty rings: one need only look at the multi-carat giants dragging down celebrity fingers to be aware of this. Need a special ring engraved with a pattern of grape leaves, or an inch-wide platinum band crusted with diamonds? No problem, as long as you've got the money.

Nothing can beat the 21st century for bling!

Published with permission (FCDMInc)

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