Go To: >	Manufacturing Techniques   History of Bridal Jewelry    Your Golden Education   Precious Platinum What's the Deal with Diamonds?   Care and Cleaning
	The history of the wedding and engagement ring, from its meaning to the metals and stones used to create it, has been written across culture and time fashioning an indelible thread in the fabric of western society. When the Romans began to wear a plain iron band to symbolize marriage, they started a tradition that has remained virtually intact over the past two millennia. As early as the 2nd Century AD, gold replaced iron and the traditional wedding band was constructed. Almost 1300 years afterward the first diamond wedding ring was adopted into ceremony. Coming even later, arriving around 1900, platinum became an alternative metal to the traditional styles that existed. Today, as few of us question our bridal traditions, we leave history to describe how and why we have come to take for granted these universal symbols of love. As a symbol of the cycle of life and an arresting image for all to see, the wedding band was adopted into the Christian marriage ceremony and has thus survived today. But, why gold? We have all heard tales of obsession and devastation, simply to possess the lustrous, rare metal whose history continues to fascinate people across cultures. The Egyptians, who produced gold on a massive scale, limited its audience to the pharaohs. After all, who else could be worthy of wearing a symbol of the sun, the Egyptian source of life? Almost all ancient civilizations, at least those with access to gold, began to use gold in the most important aspects and rituals of their culture. The ancient Greeks, aided by their extensive developments in trading developed similar uses of gold as their contemporaries, the Egyptians. Both cultures reserved their greatest artisans to craft gold jewelry and both civilizations left gold adornments with their dead, to be continually regaled in the afterlife. Throughout Asia, gold was implemented into jewelry making and religious ceremonies in similar fashion to its Western counterparts. Africa saw tribal conflicts and the introduction of Westerners all in the name of their gold. Unfortunately, many Central and South American indigenous tribes were eradicated as a result of the European passion for gold. But, why has gold become the staple of modern bridal jewelry? Gold combines the elements of elegance, authenticity, durability and workability. Experts estimate that approximately 100,000 tons of gold have been extracted from the earth in recorded history. And, because its mining and extricating are so time-consuming and expensive (several tons of ore are necessary in order to produce a single ounce of gold) gold has always been precious. Yet, the skilled artisan and the experienced metallurgist have, over the centuries, mastered the subtle shades of gold by combining it with trace amounts of other elements. Goldsmiths can create yellow, rose, green and white shades that have allowed gold to expand its purpose and appeal. In the same vain, gold can be strengthened or softened, through combination, creating durability or workability. With the countless sculpted and color possibilities that gold offers, combined with the history that follows it, it is no wonder why gold became and remains the medium to display the symbol of unity. Yet, before the 15th century the modern symbol of conjugal fidelity was not introduced in combination with the gold band. The diamond, whose Greek etymology is derived from unconquerable, has mystical cross-cultural roots, but today its meaning is universally accepted as the badge of eternal partnership. Large-scale diamond mining wasn't introduced until the 19th century, but early man, with his limited contact with diamonds began an affair of intrigue and superstition. The first diamonds were discovered in India and the inhabitants valued them because they were thought to protect the possessor from illness, thieves, dangerous animals as well as other hazards and evils. The populace of India also used the clarity of diamonds to reflect the casting system, the clearer the stone the more noble the bearer. The Chinese adored the diamond because of its deftness in engraving. In Italy, it was thought to protect its proprietor from the influence of poison. Although, the earliest known example of a ring combining diamonds and gold comes from Rome in the third century, it wasn't until 1477 that a diamond/gold ring became the cornerstone in a betrothal ceremony. When Mary of Burgundy received a diamond betrothal ring from Archduke Maximilian of Austria, tradition was reinvented. The diamond was chosen to become part of ritual marriage because of its resistance to fire and steel. The new wedding ring was to be placed on the fourth finger of the left hand, according to ancient Greek belief, to be in contact with the vein of love that ran from that finger directly to the heart. Diamonds replaced the colored stones that sheltered the vena amoris but, why did the diamond remain when the rest were discarded? The rarity and durability of diamonds is often documented and universally known. Each diamond, as distinctly unique as its owner, takes over 250 tons of ore to be blasted, crushed and processed to yield one carat of rough diamond. Of these, approximately one out of five is suitable to be cut. Its beauty and wonder, never questioned, leave little doubt as to why the diamond has remained today in the marriage ceremony. Still, it would take centuries of exploration and excavation to allow tradition to become substantive to the average person. Techniques in diamond cutting and new technologies afforded the medieval jeweler opportunity to experiment with different styles and cuts of the gold/diamond wedding ring. And, as society's tastes changed, so did the wedding ring. Christian dictates reinvented the reason for wearing the ring on the fourth finger, the priest touching the three fingers of the left hand, The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, ending with the fourth finger. But, the diamond wedding ring was only available to the most elite until the mid 19th century and the mining of Africa. This event offered the popularization of the diamond engagement ring Before the discovery and excavation of the African diamond mines, a woman could only expect a diamond on her wedding day. The increasing demand for diamonds, met with mass importation, created the tradition of the engagement ring. Technologies continued to offer better ways of mining and diamond cutting, as well as improvements in ways to use gold, but the last step in molding modern tradition was the introduction of platinum. Around 1900 platinum was universally adopted because of its untarnishable whiteness, strength and durability. The jeweler could afford to use a far smaller setting and display the stone more prominently. Platinum was used in Ancient Egypt; it was mined by the Incas, and introduced into Europe around 1780. Cartier and Faberge loved platinum and even the Hope diamond is set in it. Tiffany, the famous New York jeweler, invented revolutionary designs in platinum settings that exposed the stones from a variety of facets, making the mounting a test for the ring's quality. Platinum is renowned for its purity, containing anywhere from 85 to 95% pure platinum. 18kt gold contains only 75% pure gold. If a piece of jewelry is branded "platinum" then it contains at least 95% pure platinum. Jewelry marked 850 Plat or 950 Plat contains 85% platinum and 95% platinum. Other grades are arranged accordingly. Platinum is quite popular today because of its rarity and durability. There are only a handful of platinum mines worldwide and it takes 10 tons of ore to produce one ounce of platinum compared to three tons of ore to produce an ounce of gold. Platinum retains its white luster long after it has been crafted and its recent revival after a short period of negligence has restated custom. Today couples not only adorn a wedding band whose symbol remains constant since its inception almost two thousand years ago, but advances in metallurgy and stone cutting make the tradition of buying an engagement ring or even the more modern anniversary band, and exciting prospect. Whether you wear a white gold wedding band or a diamond platinum engagement ring, the symbol you model represents more then emblem of your love; it marks the evolution of culture and desire into a time-honored tradition.