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Wedding
ring
Item # 6786 |
| A wedding
ring or wedding band consists
of a precious
metal ring, usually worn on the base of the left ring
finger– the fourth finger (with the thumb counted
as the first finger) of the left hand. In some parts of
the world it is worn on the right ring finger. Such a
ring symbolizes marriage: a spouse wears it to indicate
a marital commitment to fidelity. The European custom
of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond Europe. |
Traditional
customs
Item # 6793 |
Pre-wedding
customs
According to some customs, the wedding
ring forms the last in a series of gifts, which also
may include the engagement
ring, traditionally given as a betrothal present,
and the promise ring, often given when serious courting
begins.
Other more recent traditions, and the jewelry
trade, seek to expand the idea of a series of ring-gifts
with an eternity ring, which symbolizes the renewal
or ongoing nature of a lasting marriage, sometimes given
after the birth of a first child; and a trilogy ring,
usually displaying three brilliant-cut round diamonds
each, in turn, representing the past, present and future
of a relationship.
A European tradition encourages the engraving of the
name of one's intended spouse and the date of one's
intended marriage on the inside surface of wedding rings,
thus strengthening the symbolism and sentimentality
of the rings as they become family heirlooms.
|
Wedding
ceremony customs
Item # 6851 |
The best
man has a traditional duty of keeping track of a marrying
couple's wedding ring(s) and to produce them at the symbolic
moment of the giving and receiving of the ring(s) during
the traditional marriage ceremony.
In more elaborate weddings, a ring bearer (usually a young
boy that is part of the family of the bride or groom)
may assist in the ceremonial parading of the ring(s) into
the ceremony, often on a special cushion or pillow(s).
Traditionally, at least in some European countries, the
wedding ring is the same as the engagement ring and changes
its status through engraving and the change of the hand
on which to wear it. If the wedding ring is different
from the engagement ring, the question whether or not
the engagement ring should be worn during the ceremony
leaves a few options. The bride may wear it on her left
ring finger and have the groom put the wedding band over
it. She may also wear it on her right ring finger, although
that may surprise the groom. The bride may also continue
wearing the rings on different hands after the wedding
– this may prevent the engagement ring from scratching
and scuffing. Another option is to have the main bridesmaid
keep the ring during the ceremony – there are a
variety ways to keep it: in a pouch, on a plate, etc.
After the ceremony, the ring can be placed back on either
the left or the right hand. |
Post-wedding
customs
Item # p6896 |
Before
medical science discovered how the circulatory system
functioned, people believed that a vein of blood ran directly
from the fourth finger on the left hand to the heart.
(This belief allegedly dates to the 3rd century BC in
Greece.) Because of the hand-heart connection, people
named the putative vein descriptively vena amori, Latin
for 'the vein of love'. Due to this tradition, it became
acceptable 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 most Western cultures, the wedding ring is worn on
the left hand. In some countries such as Germany and Chile,
however, it is worn on the right hand. Orthodox Christians,
Eastern Europeans and Jews also traditionally wear the
wedding band on the right hand. In The Netherlands, Catholic
people wear it left, all others right.
Etiquette frowns severely on the making of sexual overtures
to a man or woman wearing a wedding ring. |
Contemporary
usage
Item # 6966 |
In the
United Kingdom and the United States in past generations,
women wore wedding bands much more commonly than men did.
Today, both partners often wear wedding rings, but where
occupations or professions forbid or discourage the wearing
of jewelry (as in the cases of actors, police, military
pilots and electrical workers), either marriage partner
may not wear a ring. In addition, people often remove
wedding rings for comfort or safety. 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. |
Materials
Item # 6862
|
Most
religious marital ceremonies accept a band of any material
to symbolize the taking of marriage vows, with unusual
substitutions permitted in marriages under unusual circumstances.
When people cannot obtain or adjust a metal ring of appropriate
size, substitutions such as rubber bands may be used.
To make wedding rings, jewellers
most commonly use a precious yellow alloy of gold, hardened
with copper, tin and bismuth. Platinum
and white alloys of gold,
equivalent to or superior than gold, are also used. 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 is more durable
than platinum or gold and can accept a finer finish than
titanium. Silver, copper, brass and other corroding metals
do not occur as frequently because they stain the skin.
Aluminum or poisonous metals are almost never used. |
Styles,
patterns, fashions
Item # 6658E
|
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 "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.
Men in Greek, Italian and Anatolian 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. Women wryly give them as a test of
their man's chastity. Even when the man masters the puzzle,
he still cannot remove and replace the ring quickly.
In North America, 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.
Engraving Wedding Bands is also becoming very popular
in the United States. |
Quotes
Item # p6952
|
"Until
death do us part." —common ending words of
a Christian wedding vow
"With this ring I thee wed." —from the
traditional Church of England marriage-ceremony formula.
"With this ring, you are consecrated to me according
to the law of Moses and Israel." —translated
from the Hebrew words said by both bride and groom at
a Jewish wedding
"N., take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit." —from the Roman Catholic Rite
of Marriage |
Item # p5721
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| View our beautiful Cubic
Zirconia CZ Platinum Jewelry Wedding rings collection |
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