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The term "vintage wedding ring" most often refers to estate pieces from the 19th
and early 20th centuries. Bridal and engagement ring history, however, dates
back much farther. Notable historic facts about wedding rings include:
1st - 2nd Centuries
The Romans were the first to use finger rings to tie people to
their marital partners. The groom gave a plain iron ring to the family of the
bride as a symbol of his commitment and financial ability to support her. In the
second century, the groom began to present the ring directly to the bride. Since
it was gold, it was only to be worn only in public, with a second, less valuable
ring to be worn at home.
6th Century
The first explicit description of the rings usage seems to come
from the Archbishop of Seville in 595. He wrote, “the ring is given by the
espouser to the espoused either for a sign of mutual fidelity or still more to
join their hearts by this pledge; and therefore the ring is placed on the fourth
finder because a certain vein, it is said, flows then to the heart.” Though this
is more superstition than fact, the practice endures in most Christian
countries.
13th Century
By the thirteenth century wedding rings were becoming more
recognizable in appearance and spiritual in meaning, described by one bishop as
“a symbol of the union of hearts.” In England and Ireland, they became an
indispensable part of the wedding ceremony. Grooms of that time were known to
rent rings if they could not afford to buy one. Rings were not always the sign
of a permanent commitment either. In Germany, for example, the ring might be
given pending the payment of the bride’s dowry.
16th Century
Perhaps the tiniest wedding rings ever used in a ceremony was
worn by Princess Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII in 1518. The bride
(the older woman in this alliance) was two years old. Her groom, the dauphin of
France (son of King Frances), was a mere
seven months. History records that the ring was made of gold and fit with a
valuable diamond.
16th - 18th Century
One of the most popular rings of the sixteenth through the
eighteen centuries was the Motto ring. Early rings were engraved in French or
Latin on the outside; later they were engraved on the inside in
English. The messages were often religious, though not always. One unique Posy
ring was present by a Bishop Cokes to his bride. Engraved with a mitre, hand,
heart, and death’s head, the inscription is said to have read, “These three I
give thee till the fourth set me free.” In England, rings were on a thumb before
the wedding and switched to the traditional third finger upon marriage.
19th Century
Christians did not use the ring in marriage ceremonies until
about 1870, but, even then, it was not the way we picture a simple circle ring.
Rather, it was ornately decorated and engraved with symbolic figures. The Church
discouraged the use of this pagan symbol for many years, noting that it was a
display of wealth, pride, and vanity. Despite this admonition, the clergy soon
began to wear bejeweled gold rings. This practice became so extreme that use of
finger rings was outlawed by ecclesiastical law — one that was soon all but
forgotten.
The Methodist Church first recorded the use of the wedding ring
in the ceremony in 1872. A year later, the Presbyterian Church followed suit. By
1881, all Protestant churches had adopted the practice. The Mennonites stood
their ground, taking a stand against the wearing of all jewelry, including the
wedding ring. It wasn’t easy, especially when rural families began to move to
cities. Increasing urbanization eventually made wearing a wedding ring common,
not only for women but for men as well.
Vintage Victorian wedding rings were also made at this time. >>
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