Wedding Favors

The Engagement Ring



A Friend In Need
Heres the scenario: Julie, a hardworking secretary, lent money to her good friend Ray; $1300 to be exact. Ray had just moved to a new town and claimed that he needed two new suits: one for .....


When a man wanted to get married, it was tradition for him to

give his beloved's family something of great value as a sign of

his wish to marry her. If the woman accepted his gift, it

signified their pledge to marry and it was considered a legally

binding transaction. In ancient times, the betrothal gift was of

a more practical nature, usually livestock, fabrics, herbs and

spices and even land. The Greeks are credited with beginning the

tradition of the betrothal (or engagement) ring. Here, the

groom-to-be presented a ring to his intended as a promise of

marriage.



Early Roman engagement rings were simple bands with a carved

key. There are two theories surrounding this particular style.

The romantic version states that the key was to 'unlock' her

husband's heart. The more practical version was that the key

represented the wife's ownership of her husband's estate. When a

Roman woman married, she received half of her husband's wealth.



In 860 A.D., Pope Nicholas I ordained that an engagement ring

was a requirement as a statement of nuptial intent. He insisted

that they be made of gold to show financial sacrifice on the

part of the prospective husband.



In Renaissance Italy, silver became a popular metal for

engagement and wedding rings. These rings were often very ornate

and inlaid with Niello, a method of decorating metal objects

with engraving techniques. An alloy of silver, copper, lead and

sulfur was rubbed into an engraved pattern on silver or gold and

then fired. Darkened areas remained in the crevices after the

object was polished.



Elaborate engagement rings of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and

other precious gems became commonplace among the wealthy. Many

rings would feature a group of stones to spell out a sentimental

word. For example, if one wanted to spell out LOVE on his ring,

he would use Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Verde Antique and Emerald. Some

husbands-to-be would have a ring fashioned featuring his and his

fiance's birthstones. Since the color blue symbolized purity

and fidelity, Sapphire engagement rings were quite popular,

especially during the Victorian era.



The ancient Greeks believed the fire of the diamond reflected

the flame of love, while the Romans thought diamonds to be

splinters from falling stars that tipped the arrows of Eros, the

god of love. In the Middle Ages, these gems were looked upon as

charms that had the power to enhance the love between a husband

and a wife. However, diamonds were quite rare and only the

wealthy could afford them.



The tradition of giving a diamond engagement ring began in 1477

with the Archduke Maximillian of Austria, who presented his

betrothed, Mary of Burgundy, with a simple gold band with a

diamond. Since diamonds are the hardest, natural substance in

nature, it was considered an appropriate symbol of enduring

love. From that time forward, the royal tradition of giving a

diamond engagement ring began to be embraced by people around

the world.



In the 1939, a brilliant advertising campaign by the De Beers

Company, the world's largest miner and marketer of diamonds,

made the diamond THE engagement ring as the only best option to

gift to your fiance.



About the author:

Tom Ttsatsos, write article and provide consultancy to The