Wedding Bands

The history of the wedding bands and engagement rings has been written across culture and time fashioning an indelible thread in the fabric of western society. When the Romans began to wear a plain iron wedding band to symbolize marriage, they started a tradition that has remained virtually intact over the past two millennia.

As early as the 2^nd century, gold replaced iron and the traditional wedding band was constructed. About 1250 years afterward the first diamond wedding band was adopted into the ceremony. In the early 1900's, platinum became an alternative metal to the traditional styles that existed. Today, as few of us question these traditions, we leave history to describe how and why we have come to take for granted these universal symbols of love.

In ancient cultures it was believed that the third finger of the left hand, had a special vein called vena amoris, the vein of "love" that ran from the "ring finger" directly to the heart. There is, of coarse, no scientific basis for this romantic theory, but this custom has endured through generations. It was King Edward VI of England who decreed that the third finger of the left be designated as the "official" ring finger and, in 1549; the Book of Common Prayer sealed the deal with the designation of the left hand as the marriage hand. Despite the designations, in many European countries wedding bands are worn on the right hand.

The circle has always had significance in ancient cultures as a symbol of wholeness and of perfection. Its endlessness is the perfect symbol of oneness and unity without beginning that has no beginning or end. It is also the symbol of the sun, earth and universe, and represents holiness, perfection and peace. Even our earliest forefather, the caveman, bound himself to his mate with a cord of woven rushes as a symbol that their spirits were one. Ancient Northern European cultures believed that a lover's knot was a symbol of love, faith, and friendship. The woven knot was formed out of the hair of the beloved then worn as a ring. Among the Anglo-Saxons a part of the "wed" was a ring worn on the right hand. As a symbol of the cycle of life and an arresting image for all to see, the wedding band was adopted in the Christian marriage ceremony and has thus survived today.

What surely is true is that the wedding and the engagement bands are symbols of one's love for another, so their purchase ought to be one that is given due attention and consideration. Tradition, personal preferences, and budget will be taken into careful consideration.