History of the Wedding Ring
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The
history of the wedding ring can be traced back over
4,000 years ago. Check below for a
quick timeline of this ancient tradition.
The Egyptians are credited with the origin of the wedding ring some 4,800 years. Twisting
plant material such as hemp into rings and bracelets, they believed, were linked to an immortal
love with no end. These rings were worn on the fourth finger of the left hand based on a belief
in vena amoris, or love vein. It was believed that this vein connected directly from that
finger to the heart, thereby linking the couple's destiny.
The Romans took a less romantic approach. Their iron wedding
bands were not a symbol of
love, but signified a binding legal agreement of ownership by their husbands, who regarded
rings as tokens of purchase. As with the Egyptians, the Romans believed in vena amoris and
wore the bands on the fourth finger of their left hand.
2,000 years ago in Asia, puzzle
wedding rings were very popular. This trend followed into the
early trade routes to the Middle East, where they were commonly used as wedding bands,
especially by sultans and sheiks who required each of their wives to wear one as a pledge
of loyalty while he was away. If the wife were to remove her ring, it would fall apart,
making it very difficult to put back together without knowing the solution.
Europe-Sterling silver poesy rings became very popular during the Renaissance and
continued to be so into the 17th century. Poesy bands were etched with verse and frequently
cited in Shakespeare's plays.
United States- The Puritans renounced wedding bands altogether, because
they considered all jewelry frivolous. Colonial Americans traded wedding
thimbles instead of rings, arguing that thimbles were acceptable because
they were practical. After marriage, women often sliced off the bottom
of the thimble, thereby creating a wedding band.
Why the fourth finger? There are two speculated reasons:
- Wedding rings were worn on the thumb in the 17th century, but the
4th finger was used during the ceremony. Some feel that during a Christian
wedding, the priest arrives at the 4th finger after touching three fingers
on the left hand "In the Name of the Father...Son...and Holy Ghost."
- The Egyptians and Romans believed that the ring finger follows the "vena
amoris" or vein of love which is directly connected to the heart.
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