I was just sitting here at my PC wondering what I would write and the question popped into my head :why diamonds., why not opals or rubies or saphires. I need to find out. Have you ever wondered about this question too? Diamonds have been the gem stone of choice for many years. They were revered as the ultimate symbol of love and were traditionally given to the woman by her lover when he asked her to marry him. They would settle on a date to make it publicly known and she would wear the ring as a token of his love and affection for her. But that still has not answered the question why diamonds as opposed to other stones?
It is a metaphorical reason. Diamonds are very hard, almost indestructible while at the same time they always keep their beauty and charm, and they are intrinsically strong. This is all symbolic of what a marriage is intended to be, strong and everlasting remaining beautiful no matter what it went through.
This practice of giving a woman a special ring featuring a diamond dated back to the mid to late 1400's when Mary of Burgundy was given a ring showcasing a diamond at its center..
The idea was taken up and before long became the accepted practice especially among the wealthier people in society at the time.
By 1870 diamonds became more affordable to the ordinary people following the discovery of some significant diamond mines in South Africa.
With the great depression in the 1930's diamonds became less affordable and sales plummeted in the lead up to the second world war.
It was the Americans who held on to the symbolism of diamonds lasting forever that kept a market open for them and so diamonds remained the stone of choice. The ring was placed on the left hand on what we know as the ring finger. This positioning was chosen because it was believed a vein which leads directly to the heart was in that finger.
There have been many and varied traditions around the giving of a ring over the centuries. One of these was the tradition during the Middle Ages where a man would keep a ring tied to his hat in readiness for his bride to be when he found her.
These rings would very often be inscribed with some poetic verse or other message relating the love the man felt for the woman.
I rather like the idea of the gimmel rings which were the chosen style of the Renaissance. These rings could be two or three which would be worn by the groom and his bride until marriage and then on their wedding day they would be joined together to form the wedding ring. There are many instances of royalty during the period, doing just that.
Over the years there have been many different ways of expressing meaning and love through the gift of a ring. Sometimes, among the very wealthy they would choose several different precious stones to spell a word such as dear, diamond, emerald, amethyst and ruby, taking the first letter of each stone to spell out what was being conveyed.
Diamonds however have remained the traditional stone for engagement rings to this day and jewellers will go to great lengths to design a ring which highlights the beauty of the diamond as well as being a piece of art.
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It is a metaphorical reason. Diamonds are very hard, almost indestructible while at the same time they always keep their beauty and charm, and they are intrinsically strong. This is all symbolic of what a marriage is intended to be, strong and everlasting remaining beautiful no matter what it went through.
This practice of giving a woman a special ring featuring a diamond dated back to the mid to late 1400's when Mary of Burgundy was given a ring showcasing a diamond at its center..
The idea was taken up and before long became the accepted practice especially among the wealthier people in society at the time.
By 1870 diamonds became more affordable to the ordinary people following the discovery of some significant diamond mines in South Africa.
With the great depression in the 1930's diamonds became less affordable and sales plummeted in the lead up to the second world war.
It was the Americans who held on to the symbolism of diamonds lasting forever that kept a market open for them and so diamonds remained the stone of choice. The ring was placed on the left hand on what we know as the ring finger. This positioning was chosen because it was believed a vein which leads directly to the heart was in that finger.
There have been many and varied traditions around the giving of a ring over the centuries. One of these was the tradition during the Middle Ages where a man would keep a ring tied to his hat in readiness for his bride to be when he found her.
These rings would very often be inscribed with some poetic verse or other message relating the love the man felt for the woman.
I rather like the idea of the gimmel rings which were the chosen style of the Renaissance. These rings could be two or three which would be worn by the groom and his bride until marriage and then on their wedding day they would be joined together to form the wedding ring. There are many instances of royalty during the period, doing just that.
Over the years there have been many different ways of expressing meaning and love through the gift of a ring. Sometimes, among the very wealthy they would choose several different precious stones to spell a word such as dear, diamond, emerald, amethyst and ruby, taking the first letter of each stone to spell out what was being conveyed.
Diamonds however have remained the traditional stone for engagement rings to this day and jewellers will go to great lengths to design a ring which highlights the beauty of the diamond as well as being a piece of art.
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