(Looking for our first article about engagement rings?)Much like we do today, people from cultures throughout history have paused before saying "I do" after saying "Yes, I will." For thousands of years, couples were betrothed before tying the knot. Sometimes the bride and groom were promised to one another by parents long before the wedding... sometimes before they were even born!
Whether the marriage in questions was an arranged marriage or a marriage of choice born out of love or convenience, the engagement provided time for the members of the larger tribe or community to react to the betrothal and to plan the wedding.
Engagement rings, however, didn't hit the scene until much later, and in fact, historians aren't even sure when the practice came into vogue! Yes, engagements were almost always marked by an exchange of some kind of wealth, whether in the form of oxen or precious metals or money, but the practice of giving a gift to the bride-to-be, rather than to her family, is fairly new. But of course once grooms started giving their brides engagement rings, a new tradition was born.
Many different types of engagement rings were given as symbols of binding promise, including rings made of every metal from gold to iron, set with no gems at all, or emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and of course diamonds. Yet diamonds weren't always a girl's best friend -- for quite a long time, they were considered inferior to gems like sapphires and pearls.
The prevalence of the tradition of diamond engagement rings dates to the 1800s in Europe and America. Diamonds were at first exceedingly rare, and their hardness, brilliance, and value lent an extravagant air to the act of proposal. As the 1800's unfolded, more diamond veins were discovered and the gem became more widely accessible. Smaller diamonds became relatively affordable even among less wealthy members of society. The near-indestructibility of diamonds, combined with their crystalline purity and light-reflecting dazzle, makes them the perfect stone to symbolize the serious commitment to marry.
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