Diamond Engagement Rings – A Long Tradition

Traditionally, in the West, engagement rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand as it has been believed from Ancient Egyptian times that a vein runs straight to the heart from this finger, thus strengthening love. At the wedding ceremony, wedding bands are placed on this finger with engagement rings placed after.

Recently, it has been suggested that diamond engagement rings are a product of an advertising campaign in the 1930s and that there is no historical basis for the tradition. A brief glance at the facts tells a different story. The first recorded exchange of a diamond ring as a promise of marriage was in 1477 from the Archduke Maximilian of Austria to the extremely wealthy heiress, Mary of Burgundy.

The marquise cut of diamond is reputed to have been devised in the 1740s for the Marquise de Pompadour, Louis XV’s famous mistress and it has been a popular choice for diamond engagement rings ever since. The most famous one of recent times being the 10 carat antique marquise diamond ring given to Catherine Zeta Jones by Michael Douglas.

The diamond engagement rings worn by royalty, celebrities and pop stars are often eye-wateringly splendid. Actress Elizabeth Taylor received a pear-shaped 69.24 carat diamond engagement ring from the actor Richard Burton.

Diamond engagement rings of whatever style, size or shape are part of the tradition of love and represent the lifetime commitment of two people. We at Marlows provide a sparkling array of diamond engagement rings to represent that commitment.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 3:29 pm.

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