Luxury and Life behind Diamond Engagement Rings

An engagement ring, they say, is the foremost step behind the basic premise of a couple's pledge to build a future together. Typically, an engagement ring is presented as a man's betrothal gift to the woman whom he chooses to marry. The woman, in acceptance of the marriage proposal, proudly wears the engagement ring. It essentially indicates the agreement of the couple to a get married.

Luxurious as they are, engagement rings have their origin. It was said to have been introduced to society in 1215 when Pope Innocent III declared that couples observe a "waiting period: toward marriage.” Believers determined that it was necessary to wear an engagement ring to specify the change in their status. Meanwhile, the first recorded formal use of the engagement ring is in 1477, when an Archduke Maximilian of Austria expressed his intent to make Mary of Burgundy his lifetime partner. The engaged couple was wed 24 hours later.

Way back during the 15th century, ancient Roman men offered rings to their loved ladies. The engagement rings were called "truth rings," which men eventually opted to engrave or inscribe with the name of the women.

Couples in the Middle Ages had used diamonds as a symbol for blessed union. Being the strongest of all minerals, it became the ideal material to represent an indestructible bond that marriage brings to the life of couples. This gesture was deemed extravagant and was only practiced by wealthy Europeans royalties.

It was during the 19th century that diamonds became more accessible to common folks, and men would purchase them to profess love to their women. Eventually, the trend in buying engagement rings made a full turn as people began discovering that birth stones do not need to be exclusively adorned with diamonds. They swapped diamond engagement rings to those embellished with unique birth stones or other precious gems such as emerald, sapphire or ruby.

The gestures of presenting and wearing engagement rings have also evolved. In the United States, Finland, Denmark Sweden, Germany or Norway, many men and women wear engagement rings to symbolize an upcoming marriage. In this case, men’s engagement ring doubles as the wedding ring to seal the marriage, while women generally receive a separate wedding ring.