The Rings
Christopher is going to get my mothers wedding set. My brother isn’t interested. So that would leave my boys. My mom would like them to be passed on in the family. They are the only grandsons.
Lauren she will get the ring Brian ""proposed" to me with. It is over 2 karats. The center Ruby is a little over 1 kt marquis cut. The diamonds surrounding are round.
Kathryn gets my opal. I love this ring. It was our 5 yr. anniversary gift. I know that she will love it as I have.
John gets my wedding set. The center is a .7 kt marquis cut blue diamond. The surrounding diamonds are 4 round and 4 baguettes. We had it appraised a few yrs back. It’s worth $6,500 and insured.
Talking to the kids the other day made me think about the meaning behind them. What they symbolize.
History of Egyptian wedding ring. As chance has it, the oldest recorded exchange of wedding rings comes from ancient Egypt, about 4800 years ago.
In early Egypt, the ring was linked with the supernatural, a never-ending band linked with eternal love. For the Romans later, the ring’s acceptance by a young lady was a binding, legal agreement and the girl was no longer free. Today we accept the ring as part of a religious ceremony when we marry in church.
Modern wedding traditions. As time passes traditions change and, today, it is not only the brides who wear rings as a symbol of their lasting affection, but the majority of men also choose to wear this badge of fidelity and commitment.
The ring’s band does not have to be gold. In early Roman times they used iron, for its symbolic strength. But that has been replaced in the third century with silver and gold because of its beauty while iron rusts. There are attractive alternatives for yellow gold, such as Silver or Electrum. You can also think about the hardness of the metal and the color of your wedding band.
But why the third finger of the left hand?
There are many theories as to why this particular finger came to symbolize marriage. Both the ancient Romans and Egyptians believed that a vein - called the vena amoris in Latin - ran directly from that finger to the heart.
In medieval England, a bridegroom would slide the ring part way up his bride’s thumb, index and middle finger, saying "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost" as he passed each one. He then put the ring on the next available finger - the third finger of the left hand. This practice was finally formalized in the 1500’s when Henry VIII’s son authored The Book of Common Prayer, which gives English modern Protestant wedding vows and decrees on which finger our wedding rings should go.
posted by Roo @ 2:47 PM
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