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History of Wedding Rings
The tradition of young men giving their would-be bride an engagement ring has evolved over thousands of years.It started with grass ring during the cavemen period . In due course the grass gave way to more durable materials - leather, amber, flint, ivory and these in turn gave way to still more lasting materials - iron, bronze, copper, silver, gold and today platinum.
Historians seem to agree that engagement rings were used long before the wedding rings. Also agreed is the fact that Romans used engagement rings atleast as far back as the second century B.C. It was not until the English reformation that the bride received two rings - engagement ring at the time of plighting the troth and wedding ring at the wedding ceremony.
In America, a number of styles have favored over the years. During colonial times, the most popular engagement ring was the cluster ring, composed of rose-cut diamonds set around a larger stone. Hoop rings, also popular as engagement rings in colonial days, looked like the wedding rings of the present days, because they had small diamonds all around the finger. Like ring guard, they were meant to keep the wedding band in its place.During victorial era, rings became fancier, and were often made of yellow gold elaborately decorated with enamel.
In late 1800s, the favorite wedding ring was a plain wide gold band. At the beginning of 20th century, platinum became the vogue as a setting for the diamond solitaire engagement ring. A companion ring to the wedding band is the wedding guard ring, originally worn to keep the wedding band from slipping off the finger, but now popular as an additional adornment worn along with the wedding ring.
Getting started guide to buying your perfect Black Hills Gold Diamond Ring
Diamonds are valued according to the 4 C's - cut, color, clarity and carat.
- Cut - A stone's cut referes to the number, placement and shape of the facets that create a finished diamond.
- Color - Diamond rings vary widely in hue, from the blue of Hope Diamnd to starting shades of violet, red, pink, amber, orange and canary yellow. Color grades developed by Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for the vastly more common yellow diamond range from D(color less diamond) to Z (light yellow diamond). Other colors are called Fancy.
- Clarity - The clarity of a diamond depends on how clear or clean it is, in otherwords how free it is of imperfections on the outside and inside when viewed with the naked eye and with a 10x magnifying glass.
- Carat - A carat is unit of weight to measure diamonds( not to be confused with the Karat which indicates the purity of gold). The carat is standardized at 200 milligrams. Diamond weights are also referred to in points. One carat equals 100 points.
Diamond shapes and cuts
Shape :- Indicates the actual outline of the stone.
Cut :- Relates to the craftmanship and faceting of the stone.
The following are the popular styles of cutting a diamond.
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Round - The most common brilliant-cut diamond, it has 58 facets.We carry a variety of Black Hills Gold diamond rings with round cut diamonds. |
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Oval - Oval cut diamond rings are perfect for those who like the concept of round cut, but are looking for something a little different. |
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Pear - Cutlike a round stone but with an extra little bit at the top. Black Hills Gold diamond rings with Pear cut diamonds are for brides who prefer not to follow the convention. |
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Princess - A newer cut, the square-shaped princess has intricate faceting for extra sparkle. |
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Emerald - While this rectangle shape may not have the same brilliance as other shapes, emerald cut diamond rings' quiet elegance appeals to many brides |
Each piece of our Black Hills Gold Wedding Rings is handcrafted by highly skilled and talented artisans. All jewelry comes with manufacturer's lifetime warranty and guarantee against defects in material and workmanship.
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