Engagement Ring Doesn't Equal Love

A diamond ring on the left fourth finger is a symbol that is rarely mistaken. That symbol means that woman is engaged to be married and the man who asked for her hand in marriage gave her that ring as reminder to her and to others about what the future holds.

While my female friends became engaged and I started talking with other engaged women I began to wonder why so much prominence is put on the engagement ring. When my then-boyfriend proposed, I got a ring I had been eyeing for awhile I didn’t know he knew about. It’s an aquamarine surrounded by tiny diamonds. It’s not the traditional solitaire or three-stone ring but I love it. It’s unique like our relationship and it’s me because I love blue.

Of course some women aren’t so sentimental about their rings. Yes, the ring means a lot to them but I have heard women talk about their rings as more a symbol of status than a token of love from their husband-to-be.

A woman always has the vision of what her engagement ring should look like before she even has a man she wants to marry. But too much importance is put on the "perfect", large, shiny diamond. According to www.ADiamondisForever.com, a person who makes $35,000 per year should spend just under $6,000 on an engagement ring.

This seems excessive to me because this is roughly three months of income… for a ring. Yes, this ring will be worn, hopefully, the rest of the bride’s life but the meaning of the ring should come from the heart, not the wallet. The bigger ring doesn’t mirror how much love is in a relationship.

But how did this phenomenon of a diamond engagement ring begin?

The Vein of Love is an ancient Egyptian belief that there is a vein in the human body that runs from the fourth finger on the left hand, or ring finger as we call it, directly to the heart. Egyptians believed the circle shape of the ring symbolized the eternal bond between t he giver and receiver of that ring and the center of the ring is the pathway to the unknown future.

However, the rings the Egyptians exchanged weren’t fancy or shiny. They were originally made of hemp, bone, ivory or leather. Eventually they evolved into iron rings symbolizing durability and stability.

The first recorded diamond engagement ring was given to Mary of Burgundy by Archduke Maximillian of Austria in 1477. When the rings started to evolve the royal families of a society began to wear gems in their bands of metal. This was a symbol of status; an unattainable product for common-folk of the surrounding villages.

The modern image of a diamond engagement ring is largely connected to the marketing campaign conducted by DeBeers in the mid 20th Century. Their slogan is unmistakable; A Diamond is Forever. They promoted the modern version and important of a diamond ring through movies, celebrity endorsements and promotion of the British Royal Family using that symbol in their unions.

One thing is clear. An engagement ring means different things to different couples. Some get the classic solitaire on a white gold band, some get three stone rings. Others get different colored gems while a few just wear a band.

Whether it’s a 5 carat diamond or just a band, it symbolizes love and an unshakable bond between man and wife. But don’t get caught up in the hype of big diamonds. It’s not about the kind of ring your man gets you or how much it costs, it’s about how much love is given by that man.