Tradition has it that in ancient Egypt, an engaged woman would wear a plain ring on the fourth finger of the left hand. It was believed that the ‘vena amoris’ – the vein of love – ran directly from the tip of that finger to the heart. According to the prayer book from 1549, the similar Christian tradition did not come to be until the 16th century. Before that, the ring was to be worn on the third finger of the right hand. According to teachings of the time, the left hand was sinister.
From the poet Juvenal, we know that the Romans also wore rings that signified betrothal. Although often made of iron to denote strength and permanence, the rings could also be fashioned from copper or brass. Called ‘anulus pronubus’, which translates as ‘ring belonging to marriage, they sometimes carried etchings of lovers’ knots, two hands clasping, or declarations of love.

In c. 200 AD, the priest and ecclesiastical writer, Tertullian, spoke of the use of a form of engagement rings in the Church. Born in Carthage, the son of a Roman centurion, Tertullian was doubtless influenced by Roman customs.

Tertullian’s effect on the church can be seen by the fact that by 860 AD, the Church, under Pope Nicolas I, held celebrations called ‘espousals’ or ‘betrothals’, signifying the intent of marriage. On these occasions, the man would place a ring on the woman’s hand. It was stipulated that the ring would be made of gold. This may have been meant to indicate the solvent financial status of the groom to be.

The introduction of the engagement ring as we know it today can be traced to the Fourth Lateran Council, presided over by Pope Innocent III in 1215. At this time, it was determined that there should be a fairly long waiting period between betrothal and marriage. The ring was a symbol of the seriousness of the promise to wed, and in fact, put all would-be suitors on notice that this particular woman was spoken forhe tradition of a diamond engagement ring dates from 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria – later to become Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I – proposed to and was accepted by Mary of Valois, the Duchess of Burgundy. Diamonds, very rare at that time – and were therefore only affordable by royalty – were thought of as magical: having been created in flames of love. Royalty, of course, figured they had a lock on that emotion as well.

Just as a point of interest, the smallest engagement ring ever given was that presented to 2-year old Princess Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon at her betrothal to the Dauphin, infant son of Francis I of France. That marriage would never come to be and little Mary would become known to history as “Bloody Mary”, during her reign as Queen of England 1553-1558. With the discovery of the South African fields in the mid 19th century, diamonds became more available. However, it was not until the De Beers people conducted a huge marketing campaign in the 20th century that the popularity of the diamond engagement ring was secured.

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