jewelry engagement rings : Another theory talks of the dowry and/or bride price. Once upon atime, marriages were arranged...for a price. This much is a fact,there are documents (marriage/sale agreements or contracts) that speakof this exact practice. A number of them list the exact terms of theagreement and include the livestock, fabrics and other items that weretraded for the bride. You can occasionally find some of these on Ebayif you are truly interested. It's thought that a ring may have beengiven as part of a bride price or dowry. Some of the documentsmentioned above do include jewelry, rings and/or gold. Yet adetermination of validity can't be based on this alone, especiallywhen you consider that it is the bride that receives the ring. Whichbrings us to another theory. A ring may have been given to bride,either as a symbol of unity or perhaps as a bribe...Roman rings have been found as well. Things are a bit clearer in thiscase. The earliest examples of Roman engagement rings might have beenrings with a carved key. There are two theories behind this particularstyle. The romantic version states that this key was a symbol thatallowed the bride to "unlock her husband's heart". This is romantic,but doubtful. The second theory is much more likely. A woman receiveda share of her husband's riches when they married. Most sources saythat it was 50%. Supposedly, the key allowed her access to her shareof the goods. Not as romantic, but certainly more practical andlogical...
jewelry engagement rings : Throughout history, diamond engagement rings did enjoy popularityamong those who were wealthy and those who were royalty. Many sourcesmention that Archduke Maximillian of Hamburg and Mary of Burgandy madethe wearing of diamond engagement rings popular in 1477. It is highlydoubtful that Maximillian and Mary started the trend of diamondengagement rings, though it is possible they started the trend amongthe wealthy or those who were royalty. After all, they were ratherexpensive and could not become common if the "common-folk" could notafford them. A true trend involves more than just a small section ofthe society and this is why I find the possibility highly doubtful. Asa matter of fact, diamond engagement rings were not to become"traditional" until hundreds of years later.The De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. was created in 1888 in order toprotect the investment of diamond mine investors. A new mine wasdiscovered in South Africa in 1870. Since only a small amount ofdiamonds had been found prior to this, the discovery flooded themarket and cut into the profits of investors. The De BeersConsolidated Mines, Ltd. was created in order to regain control of thesupply of diamonds. After they gained control of the supply, they thenneeded to control the demand for diamonds.
jewelry engagement rings : This attempt began when Harry Oppenheimer (son of the De Beersfounder) visited New York in order to meet with Gerold M. Lauck.Gerold was the president of N.W. Ayer, which was a leading advertisingagency at the time. You see, diamond sales had declined since 1919 by50%, and something had to be done to increase the demand for them.The year of the advertising campaign was 1939. That's right, thetradition of diamonds as THE engagement ring...as the only correctoption, started slightly over 60 years ago and was the main result ofan advertising campaign. While the diamond did enjoy periods ofpopularity in times prior to this (Victorian era for example), thiswas the factor that made the diamond engagement ring the ONLY choicethat was acceptable.SWMNBN dislikes diamonds (most diamond miners are slaves or very closeto it, and having just returned from Africa when we met, she was tunedin to that). Her ears are not pierced, either (not big on bodymodification at all). Neither of us have tattoos. We met when shewas very young, but she had some pretty strong opinions for an18-yr-old. Months later, when she agreed to marry me (through themail, no less), she specified that she had no interest in a diamond,and that she saw it as a badge of ownership. Similarly, she didn'ttake my last name (fine with me, I don't like it much, anyhow). Infact, we have long since lost our wedding rings (I have never wornmine, seeing as I dislike jewelry). I may get us new ones next year(for our tenth anniversary), and there are some places online you canget cool ones (that don't cost a fortune). I doubt, however that Iwill ever wear one much (even if I have one). I won't even wear awatch.
jewelry engagement rings : Instead of some diamond ring (I didn't need to buy one, I had severalpeople in the family to offer me one to give her), she and I decidedto buy a new car together (the INS specified that we needed to makejoint purchases and have a joint account). It was a good littleToyota, and it was our pride and joy until we had our first kid andneeded a four-door (and had to trade it in).Our wedding was essentially free. The judge (who reluctantly agreednot to use the word "God" in the ceremony at any time) waived thecourt costs, as he knew my family so well. We threw a party for ourfriends (no presents, no registry, no fleecing of the community) thatI paid nothing for (I know the owners of a restaurant), and a grandtime was had by all. We had no interest in taking part in the weddingindustry at all. They make the folks in the funeral business lookhonest by comparison. At least you can only die once...Recently, we got home owners' insurance (when we bought the house -duh). The agent asked us a BILLION questions about what we owned, andit doesn't amount to a hill of beans. No silver, no china, noantiques, no jewelry, no guns, no expensive clothes, no heirlooms,nada...after a while I could tell the lady was embarassed for us, butwe are so happy to be simple with our needs. Who needs all that sillycrap? Certainly not us. The most expensive stuff we own are myguitars (which are off the rack - not vintage) and her personal copiesof her dolls. I am currently embroiled in a long seige against thebudget for a new guitar. I found a used Tele for $250...
jewelry engagement rings : I am in the process of starting to look for an engagement ring (This isfrom a guest account so she will not know it is me, whomever that is!).I was wondering a few things:1) I know there is no 'normal' size, but is a 1-carat (or close to it)engagement ring too much? Is it too cheap? I don't want to be a cheapskate or get junk, but then again, I am not rich! What are some of thecommon types/sizes you know about/have?2) I am no gemologist; what would one expect to pay, about? I am awarethere are various grades (the 4 C's), but I've seen prices ranging up tofour thousand! That's insane to me. I know I will have to do my homework before I purchase one, but I wouldappreciate any hints and things to watch out for and general info before I start out.Thanks!! Soon-to-be-engaged! (replies to me, or on the net would be perfect!)There is no such thing as the right size, or anything. You might wantto ask her what she wants (as far as shape, etc.), and then buy whateveris in your budget. You can get something beautiful for way under 1000,and even less if it's not a diamond (some women *prefer* other stones).If this is all a surprise, you might want to propose without a diamond,and then go together to pick something out (keeping your own budget inmind), or pick something out, but if she has her heart set on somethingelse, you can probably arrange to exchange it. It is usually a betteridea to buy the diamond separately from the setting, and to avoidjewelry store chains which tend to be quite expensive/overpriced. Inany case, it's not the ring that matters, it's the rest-of-the-lifecommitment that you are making. An advanced "Congratulations" and"Best always" to you and your <hopefully> future bride! Let us knowabout the proposal in all its details :-)
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