The History of Engagement Rings And Bridal Sets
August 172010
Engagement rings and bridal sets have the same source. The history of symbolic rings is shrouded in mystery as it’s not clear which culture first had the idea – some suggest it could be the Ancient Greeks, or the Romans, or the Egyptians. Betrothal rings were meant to symbolize a woman’s connection to the man who would become her husband, though the arrangement was more of a business proposition than a romantic union. The Greeks are believed to have originated the idea of wearing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand as they believed it had a direct connection to the heart, and the Romans initiated the wearing of an iron ring to represent enduringness and endurance.
During the ninth century, Pope Nicolas I endorsed the idea of engagement rings by making a gold ring a betrothal requirement to demonstrate the groom’s wealth and ability to care for a wife. This was further endorsed in the thirteenth century by Pope Innocenet III.