Diamond Rings

Diamond Rings: Engagement Rings For Men

Men have always worn rings. Royal personages wore ornate rings made of precious metals set with precious stones, rings with the State coat of arms or signet rings carved with special insignia and often used as a seal. Men wore these rings from time to time, perhaps for ceremonial purposes or perhaps for an occasion. Rings with sacred or religious symbols were worn more often as amulets for protection.

Diamond Rings – the Earliest Engagement Rings

Betrothal rings as tokens of intent started coming into use after 1215. Pope Innocent III, presiding over the Fourth Lateran Council issued seventy canonical decrees. One of the Canons related to marriage and decreed that couples wishing to marry must publish banns in their parishes. The waiting period before the couple could marry was any time from two weeks to six months. Thus began a custom of exchanging a token of betrothal, usually in the form of a ring. Gemstones not being common at the time, a metal band sufficed, with the affluent using precious metals. Members of Royal Houses were exempt from this decree, so the first record of an engagement ring comes from 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy on the eve of their engagement.

Diamond Rings – the Earliest Diamond Rings

Around 150 years ago, with the advent of the industrial age, jewellery became available to the masses. Machinery made mining for metals and gems faster and easier. Jewellery that was once painstakingly handmade was now machine made, easily obtainable and affordable for ordinary people. The newly affluent classes found precious metals and gemstones, once the perquisite of royalty, the perfect vehicle to flaunt their wealth.

And then, in 1901, the era of Edward VII ushered in style, elegance, beauty and fashionable clothes. The silks, satin and lace worn by men and women of the time complemented fine jewellery and King Edward's love for extravagant clothes and splendid jewellery set a trend, making jewellery acceptable on a man. The gentry often sported gold pocket watches with vest chains, bejewelled monocle cases, diamond cufflinks and gold signet rings with diamonds set in them. The Edwardian man was often referred to as The Peacock!

Diamonds Rings – Diamond Engagement Rings

Today, there is a wide variety of rings available for men - all the designs of the past - Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Retro are available, as well as a wide range of modern designs. It is perfectly acceptable for men to wear engagement as well as wedding rings, and they are available as matching sets with the bride's, if that is one's preference. Tungsten, platinum, titanium and palladium are all strong metals and diamonds set in any of them have a rugged and masculine aura. The hardest natural substance on earth, matched with the toughest metal – a perfect combination.