A Brief History Of The Diamond Engagement Ring

It's a grand tradition—a man proposes to his intended bride by kneeling and offering her a beautiful diamond ring. If she accepts, he slips it onto her delicate finger and the engagement is official. She will then show it off to her friends and family as her fiancé looks on with pride and delight, his mission a success!

In this article, we briefly explore the historical origins and cultural significance of the enduring tradition surrounding the diamond ring, tracing its roots back through time to unravel this symbol of everlasting love and commitment.

No. 1

the Beginning Of A tradition

No one is completely sure about how the presentation of diamond engagement rings when proposing marriage started, but historians have a theory, and it’s not particularly romantic.

They suspect the custom's first incarnation was back in ancient Rome when husbands made their wives wear rings with small keys attached to them that signified their husband's ownership of her. Eventually, the key vanished, and later the ownership part faded away, too, but the ring remains to this very day.

No. 2

The First Diamond Engagement Ring

The very first diamond engagement ring on record was in 1477 when Archduke Maximillian of Austria commissioned one to show his undying love for his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy. The story was so romantic it caught on among the aristocracy and nobility of Europe, and the gift of diamond rings to one's intended became a trend that grew into a tradition.

No. 3

Victorian & Edwardian Influence

The Victorians of England were a particularly sentimental lot, and they embraced the idea wholeheartedly. They ordered particularly ornate engagement rings that added other precious gemstones and metals to the diamond to create a spectacular effect. These Victorian rings were fashioned to resemble flowers and so came to be known as 'posey rings'.

The following Edwardian era continued this tradition, pairing diamonds with other lovely jewels, all mounted in ornate filigree settings, much to the delight of their lucky recipients.

No. 4

A Diamond Is Forever

Then in the year 1947, the famed De Beers jewelers launched a slogan that became an instant classic—"A Diamond is Forever". The phrase was so popular they even named a James Bond film after it. The film included a theme song by the same name, a haunting melody performed by the brilliant Shirley Bassey, thus enshrining its place in the hearts of movie fans all around the world.

The De Beers cleverly played upon the physical durability of a diamond when they coined the phrase, conveying the idea that along with the stone, the marriage will last forever, too.

No. 5

A Symbol Of Love Is Born

The purity and sparkle of diamonds are now firmly entrenched in the public psyche as symbols of two lover's commitment to each other in nearly every corner of the globe. When De Beers opened its mines in Africa, diamonds became much more accessible and affordable to the public.

During the great depression of the 1930s, the demand for diamond rings naturally declined due to the extremely difficult economic times, but the clever De Beers knew that times would change again, so they started a new marketing campaign that employed photographs of the era's most glamorous movie stars wearing loads of sparkling diamonds. The gambit worked, and three years later the sale of diamonds had doubled.

Takeaway: The Tradition Endures

Diamond engagement rings continue to be offered by sincere young men bending their knee to their hoped-for brides-to-be, who are still as delighted as ever—perhaps it will be a tradition that does last forever.