Braided from rushes, forged from iron or crafted from
fine gold, the wedding ring – that universal symbol of
unending love – has evolved over the millennia.
Rings plaited from rushes and reeds growing beside the
fertile Nile first adorned the fingers of ancient
Egyptians almost 5000 years ago.
But as rings made from vegetation required
frequent renewal, it became practical to use more robust
materials such as leather, bone and ivory.
They were worn on the third finger of the left hand
because Egyptians believed the vein in this finger
travelled directly to the heart.
In 332BC after conquering Egypt, the armies of
Alexander the Great adopted the notion of
vena amoris
(the vein of love) and passed it on to the Romans. (It
wasn’t until 1549, however, that King Edward VI of
England officially named the left hand the “Marriage
hand” in the Book of Common Prayer.)
Rings took on far greater significance for the ancient
Romans. At
the time of betrothal, the groom’s family gave an iron
ring to his prospective partner as a symbol binding her
to her future husband.
The act of giving a ring was also a show of the
groom’s goodwill and protected the bride-to-be from
other men.
The practice of wearing a ring is also thought to stem
from earlier, pagan times when a man would tie cords
around the waist, wrists and ankles of a likely mate to
ensure her spirit would remain under his command.
Although they discarded most pagan customs,
Christians continued the Roman practice of betrothal
rings.
By the Middle Ages, gold rings with gems had overtaken
iron pieces as the most fashionable statement of
unending love.
But it was not beyond the occasional lusty lad to
fashion a ring from grass or reeds in order to convince
a naive young maiden that marriage – and therefore
consummation – must take place immediately.
Ancient Fast Facts
AD200
The earliest known Christian betrothal rings,
found in the catacombs outside Rome, date from this
time.
1200’s
Pope Innocent
III decrees that a waiting period between the betrothal
and the marriage ceremony should be observed, creating a
market for the engagement ring.
1500’s Seeing
jewellery as frivolous, Puritans exchange wedding
thimbles.
1840 Queen
Victoria and Prince Albert hand out six dozen rings to
guests on their wedding day.
2000 The
worlds’ largest gold ring, using more than 56 kilograms
of gold is made in Saudi Arabia.
This weeks Zip or Zap
Perhaps wear a piece of jewellery which may have been
owned by a relative, family member, grandparent that
could not be with you to share your happy day.
Regards Annie,
Annie.
<<
Previous ||
Next >>
