Category — Wedding Rings

www.AndrewEnglish.com

I ran across these truly unique wedding rings, each engraved with the fingerprint of the lover, the other day at www.AndrewEnglish.com.  It got me thinking about the history of wedding rings, so I decided to see what I could dig up.

It seems the wedding ring dates WAY back to pre-Biblical times.  The wedding ring was likely first used as gifts for the wedding, then as part of the bride’s dowry (or the “please take my daughter” bribe.)

In Greece, two rings were required; a gold one for the groom and a silver one for the bride.  The greater value of the groom’s ring symbolized his “superiority.”

That’s why women deserve TWO rings these days, the engagement and the wedding band…somebody’s gotta make up for the past disrespect of our sisters!

The wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because of the ancient belief that a vein in the fourth finger led straight to the heart.  The Romans called this the “vena amoris” or “vein of love.”  (Finally, a little romance enters the picture.)

Only women wore wedding rings for a while, though it became more popular for men to wear them as well after World War II, as a soldier’s remembrance of his spouse during separation.

Read this for a more detailed history of the wedding ring and Wedding Ring Symbol of Love.

Does your chosen wedding ring have special significance?  Leave a comment.