The History of Diamond Engagement Rings

Everyone wants to experience that joyful feeling of being engaged. Whether you admit it or not, you have probably dreamed and romanticized this idea at least once or twice in your life. Maybe even countless times. Well, no one can dare blame you because who doesn’t want to be in love?

Other than the excitement of looking forward to marriage, engagement is really about that symbolic engagement ring. And when we talk about this symbolism, we mostly just rave over the ever so popular diamond engagement rings.

Indeed, donning a diamond ring (or thinking about it) on your finger, gives a very euphoric feeling.

But have you ever thought about what gave rise to this phenomenon? Are diamond engagement rings popular because of its undisputed beauty or is there more to it?

A Look Back Before Engagement Rings Became a Thing

Before jumping into the case of diamond rings, knowing a little bit more on the history of engagement rings is important. This may give a better insight as to why there is always a great demand for precious gemstones.

There have been conflicting theories and references regarding the true history of engagement rings. Some believe that it can be traced back as early as the ancient Egyptians. While others believe that the Greeks started this trend.

However, the most accepted seems to be the Romans.

According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), it was in ancient Rome where genuine evidence can be found. Ancient Roman women wore rings made of ivory, copper, iron, and even bones.

If today popular engagement rings symbolize love and commitment, ancient Roman rings signified a completely different meaning. For them, the rings meant ownership and obedience.

One can even argue that it was some sort of a business contract between two people. Not so romantic, eh? But some centuries and decades later on, engagement rings became somewhat official.

Pope Nicholas I set forth that an engagement ring symbolizes a man’s intent to marry a woman. And during that time, gold engagement rings were the most popular.

When Did Diamond Become Popular as Engagement Rings?

In comparison to other common engagement rings in the ancient times, diamonds came a little bit late to the party. But it definitely came the grandest.

According to historical records, the first major appearance of diamond as an engagement ring happened around 1477. The Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed marriage to Mary of Burgundy. The ring was described as resembling the shape of letter M.

The use of a diamond engagement ring by a prominent and influential person like Archduke Maximilian could have catapulted the gemstone ring to fame.

If you think about it, this could have started a trend. But surprisingly, this wasn’t the case at all. It took some centuries before diamonds became a top choice as the best type of engagement ring. To be exact, it was in the mid-1940s when the world went crazy over diamonds.

The popularity of diamond engagement rings that started during this period was thanks to a brilliant marketing strategy.

De Beers, a well-established diamond mining company, launched a marketing slogan that goes like “A Diamond is Forever.”

This iconic tagline catapulted the diamond industry to so much popularity that everyone has probably heard about it many times.

Diamond Engagement Rings in Hollywood

Even Hollywood was a big part of this brilliant marketing of diamonds as engagement rings. The most prominent Hollywood star associated with diamond rings is the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

Miss Taylor is known to have owned several expensive diamond jewelries all throughout her life.

The most famous among the Dame’s collection and also said to be her favorite, was the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.

Before it was put into auction after her death, the piece was called the Krupp Diamond. This engagement ring features an Asscher cut diamond with a large culet.

Other famous celebrities of Old Hollywood attributed to giving popularity to diamonds as engagement rings include Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Joan Crawford.

Since then over the decades and years, diamonds have become a top choice as a diamond engagement ring stone.

Hollywood stars of the present times who have made headlines for owning a precious diamond engagement ring include Jennifer Lopez with her 16-carat emerald diamond, Hailey Baldwin with her oval diamond ring, and rapper Cardi B with her 8-carat pear-shaped diamond.

But of course, you don’t need to be a celebrity or a millionaire to own a diamond engagement ring.

There are many jewel stores like Shira Diamonds that offer very good and reasonable prices for such jewel pieces.

Whether you want a round cut, oval, pear, marquise, emerald, asscher, or a cushion cut, or just any of these most popular diamond shapes, we can give you your dream engagement ring of the best quality.

Other Popular Engagement Rings

Although diamond remains the top engagement ring choice, there are other precious gemstones of lower price you can choose from.

If you are on a tighter budget, this will be great for you. And you should not worry about the quality because these stones are almost just as good as a diamond.

Sapphire with its very fine blue color can melt anyone’s heart into love. But if you want other colors, sapphires also come in purple and yellow.

And these are scratch-resistant!

Meanwhile, pearl is also a great choice for you since it is very unique and old-fashioned compared to other gemstones.

If you ever choose one, well, you will have the same gorgeous engagement ring like Ariana Grande!

And finally diamond green emeralds. Emeralds are a great choice for engagement rings because they signify new beginnings for love.

Likewise, this color will suit most styles of clothes that you own so pairing will not be difficult.

Whatever engagement ring you have, be it the popular diamond or an old-fashioned pearl, the most important thing is that it will symbolize the love you have with your partner. Contact us today to get the best engagement ring for your partner!

Check our post about buying an engagement ring the smart way.

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