As the holiday season passes us by and the year is coming to an end, you probably know of somebody recently engaged! Every year this continues to be the most popular month for engagements!
The history of the engagement ring can be reliably traced to the ancient Romans, although tradition was also adopted by the Greeks and Egyptians. They believed an vein ran directly from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart, Vena Amoris, meaning 'vein of love'. Roman brides were given two rings, one made from gold and another made from iron to be worn while performing household duties.
The tradition of giving a ring for betrothal declined during WWI through the Great Depression with only 10% of Americans wearing engagement rings. Around 1939, in an effort to promote sales, De Beers, the famous mining and trading company, started a campaign to educate the public about the 4 "C's" of diamond grading: cut, carat weight, color, and clarity. Their goal was to make the diamond exclusive for enagement rings. In fact, they coined the phrase "A Diamond is Forever" as part of their strategy in 1947.
The diamond engagement ring has exponentially grown in popularilty over the years and today remains the most favored choice! There are those that choose break with tradition of having a diamond. In recent times and over the history of engagement rings, we've witnessed famous stars choosing beautiful but less traditional gemstones as the center stone in their engagement rings. For example, Gwyneth Paltrow had a round cut sapphire, Emma Stone wears an 8mm round pearl, Anna Paquin wears a moonstoone with diamond accents, Princess Diana and later Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge proudly wearing a blue sapphire, recently Ariana Grande showed the world pictures of her diamond and pearl engagement ring!
Whether keeping in line with tradition is more your speed or adding a bit of color to create a unique style is what you desire, we are happy to assist you here at The Hills Jewelry. To start your search, visit our ring designer online (Ring Settings - Design Your Engagement Ring) or come to the store with any pictures you may find (even pinterest)!
The history of the engagement ring can be reliably traced to the ancient Romans, although tradition was also adopted by the Greeks and Egyptians. They believed an vein ran directly from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart, Vena Amoris, meaning 'vein of love'. Roman brides were given two rings, one made from gold and another made from iron to be worn while performing household duties.
The tradition of giving a ring for betrothal declined during WWI through the Great Depression with only 10% of Americans wearing engagement rings. Around 1939, in an effort to promote sales, De Beers, the famous mining and trading company, started a campaign to educate the public about the 4 "C's" of diamond grading: cut, carat weight, color, and clarity. Their goal was to make the diamond exclusive for enagement rings. In fact, they coined the phrase "A Diamond is Forever" as part of their strategy in 1947.
The diamond engagement ring has exponentially grown in popularilty over the years and today remains the most favored choice! There are those that choose break with tradition of having a diamond. In recent times and over the history of engagement rings, we've witnessed famous stars choosing beautiful but less traditional gemstones as the center stone in their engagement rings. For example, Gwyneth Paltrow had a round cut sapphire, Emma Stone wears an 8mm round pearl, Anna Paquin wears a moonstoone with diamond accents, Princess Diana and later Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge proudly wearing a blue sapphire, recently Ariana Grande showed the world pictures of her diamond and pearl engagement ring!
Whether keeping in line with tradition is more your speed or adding a bit of color to create a unique style is what you desire, we are happy to assist you here at The Hills Jewelry. To start your search, visit our ring designer online (Ring Settings - Design Your Engagement Ring) or come to the store with any pictures you may find (even pinterest)!