Traditionally jewelry has been used to express your love for someone as well as to show people that you are married. There is a lot of symbolism that is involved in the jewelry that is given as a token of different stages of your relationship, but none is strong as the wedding rings.

Wedding rings have been used since before Roman times, when it is thought that they were made out of leather or plant fibers. In Roman times they were made of metal for the first time, since this was much longer lasting. The unbroken circle of the wedding band is meant to symbolize eternity and it is even thought that having a wedding band that is broken by filigree or stones could bring the marriage bad luck. The wedding ring has traditionally been worn on the ring finger of the left hand because this finger has a vein called the ‘vena amoris’, which leads to the heart.

In the ninth century engagement rings began to become popular following a decree from Pope Nicolas I. He demanded that men should provide their betrothed with a ring of gold in order to show their financial capacity to look after their wives once they were married.

Placing gems into engagement rings did not become customary until later on. The first diamond engagement ring was given to Mary of Burgundy in 1477 and it has been much lusted for ever since.

In the 19th century, when diamonds became more common, solitaire engagement rings began to become very popular. Since that time they have remained the number one most popular design of engagement rings. The diamond is considered to be a symbol of pure love and fidelity.

There is a lot of variety in the types of engagement rings that are chosen these days from big diamonds to modern designs and pink or champagne colored diamonds. The settings and cuts of the rings are also very different with princess cut engagement rings becoming very popular as a ring choice by men and women looking for their engagement ring.

The eternity ring is another marriage related item of jewelry that has a surprisingly long history. These days they are given mostly as wedding anniversary gifts, however as far back as four thousand years ago they were given by the Egyptians as symbols of everlasting love. In the past they were represented as a snake with its tail in its mouth, these days they tend to be a cluster of smaller gemstones that flatter the wedding and engagement rings.

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