An Ancient Tradition
Many a girl has smiled as she watches her new engagement ring scatter rainbows on the ceiling of her car as the bright sunlight hits her hand on the steering wheel. Though they may have been riding on a horse or driving in a cart instead of a car, girls have been enchanted by the spectral sparkle of their diamond engagement rings since the medieval times.
A Diamond for a Duchess
Recorded history tells that in 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy as a symbol of their love and betrothal. Some say this is the first recorded occurrence of a diamond being presented as an engagement ring, an event that has evolved into a modern tradition.
A Symbol is Born
Because of its extraordinary hardness, its alleged resistance to fire and ability to “withstand hammer and anvil”, by the fifteenth century, the diamond had come to be acknowledged as a symbol of fidelity. No sixteenth-century royal marriage was complete without a diamond ring. In 1518, even 2-year-old Princess Mary (daughter of Henry VIII) had a tiny diamond ring placed on her finger when she was married, by proxy, to her bridegroom, the baby Dauphin of France.
Marriage Verse
A romantic marriage verse of the times reads:
Two torches in one ring of burning fire,
Two wills, two hearts, two passions,
Are bonded in marriage by a diamond.
The symbolism of this verse is so powerful, it is no wonder the diamond ring continues to be given to pledge one’s love and commitment of marriage.
Tags: Dauphin of France, diamond, diamond ring, engagement ring, Henry VIII