The Unique History of the Engagement Ring

For as long as humans have been around, we have been decking ourselves out in jewellery. One of the most important pieces of jewellery that a woman wears today is her engagement ring, a piece that’s admired and cherished for the rest of her life. Check out this slick infographic from Vashi to learn fun facts about the origin of the engagement ring and how designs have evolved throughout the years. From ancient man to the Egyptians, Romans, and beyond, rings have been used to symbolize eternal love for millennia. The first rings were believed to have been fashioned out of braided grass by a man to mark ownership of his lady, a theme mirrored by the trend in Ancient Rome of wearing rings attached to small keys.

So when did engagement rings start to resemble the ones we wear today? Diamonds first came into play when Archduke Maximillian of Austria is believed to have commissioned the first diamond engagement ring on record for Mary of Burgundy, his intended bride. Cleverly spelling out her initial, M, in diamonds, this sparked a hot trend for diamond rings amongst the nobility in Europe. The Victorians took the trend to a new level, creating Dearest rings decked out with diamonds, emeralds, amethysts, rubies, emeralds again, sapphire, and topaz – truly a masterpiece of bling! You can learn more about the engagement ring meanings and trends throughout the ages in the infographic below.