Thursday, February 26, 2009

Wedding rings: styles, patterns, fashions

A plain gold band is the most popular pattern. Medical personnel commonly wear it because it can be kept very clean. Women usually wear narrow bands, while men wear broader bands.

In France and French-speaking countries, a common pattern consists of three interwoven rings. They stand for the Christian virtues of "faith, hope and love", where "love" equates to that particular type of perfect disinterested love indicated by the ancient Greek word agape. Provocatively, this pattern slides off quickly, because the rings flow over each other.

Women in Greek and Anatolian (comprising most of modern Turkey) cultures sometimes receive and wear puzzle rings – sets of interlocking metal bands that one must arrange just so in order to form a single ring. Traditionally, men wryly gave them as a test of their woman's monogamy. However, with time and practice it takes little effort to re-make the puzzle and any intelligent woman can learn.

In North America and some European countries, many married women wear two rings on the same finger: an engagement ring and a plain wedding band. Couples often purchase such rings as a pair of bands designed to fit together. In addition, some women who have been married a long time wear three rings on their finger (from hand to tip): a wedding band, an engagement ring, and an eternity ring. This three-ring combination is especially common in the UK.

Engraving wedding bands is also becoming very popular in the United States.

Celtic-style wedding bands have become more popular in the U.S., Canada and other English-speaking countries with large numbers of people claiming Irish or Scottish descent. This style of wedding band will often be engraved or embossed with a Celtic knot design, which is meant to symbolize oneness and continuity. Sometimes a Claddagh design is also used to symbolize fidelity.

Russian wedding rings are traditionally three interlocking bands of rose, white and yellow gold, worn on the right hand.

Jewish wedding ring

Wedding rings

Most religious marital ceremonies accept a band of any material to symbolize the making of marriage vows.

To make wedding rings, jewellers most commonly use a precious yellow alloy of gold, hardened with copper and Silver or tin and bismuth. Platinum and white alloys of gold are also used, although the slightly yellow "white" gold alloys of the past have been largely replaced by a cheaper nickel-gold alloy, covered with a thin plating of rhodium which must be reapplied after some years of wear. Titanium has recently become a popular material for wedding bands, due to its durability, affordability, and gunmetal grey colour. Tungsten carbide, often with gold or platinum inlays, is recently being used as well. The least expensive material in common use is nickel silver for those who prefer its appearance or cost. Marrying couples are also beginning to use stainless steel, which has the same durability as platinum or titanium, and can accept a finer finish than the latter. Steel alloys are not used as often for a wedding ring because it is impossible to cut off in an emergency like precious metals can. Silver, copper, brass and other cheaper metals do not occur as frequently because they corrode over time and thus do not convey a sense of permanence. The slight toxicity of Aluminium and tin and carcinogenic nature of lead make them unsuitable metals. Wood, Stone and Organic materials can also be used but are more decorative and much less durable than metal.

In the United States in past generations, women wore wedding bands much more commonly than men did. Today, both partners often wear wedding rings, though for safety, personal comfort, or work-related reasons, a spouse may remove it from time to time. Others may object to the idea of precious metals, or dislike the idea of declaring their legal status through jewelry. Either partner may also wear a wedding ring on a chain around the neck, thus conveying the socially equivalent message to wearing it on a finger.

One interpretation states that the woman wears the wedding ring below the engagement ring, thus making it closer to the heart. Another practice holds that the woman should wear the wedding ring above the engagement ring, thus sealing the atmosphere of the engagement into the marriage. Still others prefer that the wedding ring should be worn alone. Further, modern ring sets in the United States are often marketed as a three-piece set, including the man's wedding band, the woman's engagement ring, and a slender band that is mounted to the engagement ring before the wedding, converting it into a single, permanent wedding ring.

Do you know...

In some countries, the wedding ring is worn on the left hand. This choice of finger relates to traditions purportedly dating to classical times, from an early usage reportedly referring to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or "vein of love".This developed from the Roman "annulus pronubis" when the man gave a ring to the woman at the betrothal ceremony. According to tradition in some countries (derived from Roman belief), the wedding ring is worn on the left ring finger because the vein in the left ring finger, referred to as the vena amoris was believed to be directly connected to the heart, a symbol of love.Blessing the wedding ring and putting it on the bride's finger dates from the 11th century. In medieval Europe, the Christian wedding ceremony placed the ring in sequence on the index, middle, and ring fingers of the left hand, representing the trinity — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit respectively. The ring was then left on the ring finger. In a few European countries, the ring is worn on the left hand prior to marriage, then transferred to the right during the ceremony. For example, a Greek Orthodox bride wears the ring on the left hand prior to the ceremony, then moves it to the right hand after the wedding. In England, the 1549 Prayer Book declared "the ring shall be placed on the left hand". By the 17th and 18th centuries the ring could be found on any finger after the ceremony - even on the thumb. At least in part due to this tradition, it became the norm to wear the wedding ring on this finger. By wearing rings on the fourth finger of their left hands, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. This has now become a matter of tradition and etiquette in these countries. An alternative explanation could be that because the majority of people are right-handed, wearing the ring on the left hand makes it less likely to be damaged or lost during everyday activities.

In other countries such as Colombia, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, and Venezuela, however, it is worn on the right hand. Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans (except for the Romanians) also traditionally wear the wedding band on the right hand. Jewish women wear the wedding ring on the left hand, even though it is placed on the right hand during the marriage ceremony. Men do not traditionally wear rings at all although in some of the "Modernist" movements it has begun to gain currency. In The Netherlands, Catholics wear it on the left, Protestants on the right and all others on the left; in Austria, Catholics wear it on the right. In Belgium, the choice of hand depends on the region of the country. Greek people, many being Orthodox Christians, also wear the wedding rings on the right hand in keeping with Greek tradition. A traditional reason to wear the wedding ring on the right hand stems from Roman custom. The Latin word for left is "sinister", which in addition to this sense also has the same senses as the English word. The Latin word for right is "dexter", a word that evolved into "dexterity". Hence, the left hand had a negative connotation and the right a good one.

Traditionally, in some parts of India among those practicing Hinduism, a toe ring or bichiya is worn instead of a ring on a finger, although this is only for women, and increasingly worn along with a finger ring. In the eastern parts of India, primarily West Bengal, an iron bangle, or 'loha' is worn by women. Increasingly, this bangle is given a gold or silver coating to improve its appearance.

Eternity rings are presented to the wife by the husband on the first anniversary or at the birth of the first child, whichever of the two comes first. This is generally a diamond ring of similar or greater value than the engagement ring.

In Romania spouses celebrate their silver wedding anniversary (25 years of marriage) by exchanging silver wedding rings, which are worn on the 4th finger of the left hand along with the original (usually gold) wedding ring.

About wedding rings


I like the personalized wedding rings. Mine is very, very personalized on the inside and outside too. (see older posts)

Your Real Wedding