You’ve finally met the one. Next step: engagement ring!
What’s more exciting than a beautiful piece of jewelry that represents your love and commitment? Here at LPJ we are always so excited to help people create their perfect ring. But have you ever wondered where exactly the custom of giving and wearing engagement rings come from?
Engagement rings and wedding jewelry date back centuries. In ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Greek times rings were worn to represent devotion and eternity. As time went on this tradition continued to evolve. The first diamond engagement rings started to show up in the 14th and 15th centuries. At this point diamonds looked a little different than the sparklers we love so much today. Diamonds were prized for their hardness and durability, and it wasn’t until centuries later that diamonds were cut to resemble the stones we know and love today.
Post-Medieval Tudor diamond ring. Credit: 1st Dibs
The first famous diamond engagement ring was given in 1477 by Archduke Maximillian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy. It was said to be made up of small flat diamonds spelling out the letter M. In the following centuries engagement rings and wedding jewelry used all kinds of stones, including rubies and sapphires. Diamond rings became more popular during the Victorian Era: Queen Elizabeth loved a good diamond.
Modern contemporary estate ring with rose cut diamond. Shop our Angeline Ring
For many years the tradition of giving someone a diamond was a custom reserved for the wealthier upper classes. In the early 1900s diamond engagement rings were still less common. Post WWII is when the tradition really expanded, and it became much more common for someone to be presented with a diamond engagement ring. After the war, the diamond industry was struggling and began marketing diamonds to the greater public. Celebrities like Marylin Monroe modeled diamond jewelry and diamonds grew much more popular. Soon everyone wanted to rock the hardest element on earth!
Edwardian Era (1901-1919) engagement ring featuring a platinum toi et moi design. Shop our Gracie Ring
And that takes us all the way to now! The history of the engagement ring goes all the way into the modern day, where these special pieces continue to represent a couple’s love and devotion. Modern day engagement rings come in so many shapes and sizes, all of them special in their own way. Feeling inspired by all this engagement ring history? Schedule an appointment to create your dream ring and carry on this century's old tradition in a way that’s meaningful to you!
