HISTORY OF DIAMOND RINGS

Diamond is one of the most precious stones in the world and hence it is equated with the most precious and invincible love. In the early days, people believed that diamonds have magical power to bless the kings with power and spirit. A few also thought that diamonds were the teardrops of God and had super powers. It was in the fifteenth century that gifting diamond rings came into vogue when Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented his fiancé with diamond rings. But even in ancient Egypt, people thought that love ran from the fourth finger where diamond rings are usually worn. The influence and popularity of the diamond rings grew all the more when the movie stars started wearing them. Now even the average man is able to afford diamond rings for his engagement or wedding as he regards the diamond rings to bring love, spirit, and strength to him.

And thus diamond rings have become the tradition in the modern world and it has become a very profitable business also. You are now able to get diamond rings in numerous shapes, sizes, and designs with different settings of your choice. It is estimated that more than seven billion dollars are being spent on diamond rings nowadays. There are very famous diamond jewelers like De Beers who have taken advantage of the situation and promoted sales of diamond rings to a great height. A few most famous diamonds in the world are The Blue Hope, Dresden Green and Star of the Africa. Giving diamond rings during engagement became a symbol of betrothal of two persons and this practice became more established with the commencement of diamond mines in Africa. During the World War II, the market for diamonds came down crashing and De Beers decided at this time to bring into America’s market the diamond rings which were not selling in Europe.

He established his market with the slogan “Diamond is forever” which captivated the minds of the Americans and the status of diamond rings started to soar high which till today has not come down. The habit of putting the engagement diamond rings on the fourth finger started with the Greek belief that a vein from that finger connected the heart. 2

Yet another interesting story from the history is that men in the Middle Ages had a betrothal diamond ring always ready to be given to the woman of their choice. The smallest betrothal diamond ring is the one given by Prince Mary to Dauphin of France for their engagement and it was a gold ring with a diamond set in it. Heart shaped diamond rings were very popular during the seventeenth century and a famous design known as The Tiffany or Solitaire setting was brought into the market by the end of nineteenth century.

During the early twentieth century, diamond rings with three to five large diamonds in a row was very popular in the United States. Though platinum was considered the most suitable metal, because of the restriction during world war, gold was used in diamond rings. Numerous are the stories told about the diamond rings and their survival in the world even during the most difficult times.