Van Sipma Jewelers2011 Ridge Rd. Homewood, IL 60430 |
American Gem Society: The Power of Love
| In medieval days, the rich were married with rings set with gems. By the fifteenth century the diamond, then the acknowledged symbol of conjugal faithfulness because of its resistance to fire and steel, became part of the ritual of weddings. Indeed, the use of a diamond ring for betrothals seems to have been general towards the end of this century. A letter written in 1477 to Archduke Maximilian just before his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy declares: "At the betrothal, your Grace must have a ring set with a diamond and also a gold ring." | ||
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| At that time, the diamond was used in its natural crystalline structure. The octahedral or eight-sided formation, like two pyramids joined at the base, was mounted with the lower pyramid completely hidden in the ring setting and the upper half rising out of it. Light reflected from all four sides of this exposed upper point. The structure of this diamond mirrors the symbolism of the Egyptian pyramids. It was often believed that buried beneath the pyramid was a lower half- the evil half - of exactly the same shape and proportions. | ||
| Far from being constrained by the heavy, closed mounts, the late medieval goldsmiths used imagination and romantic vision in their designs to enhance the status of the diamond. Hog-backed diamonds were introduced and composed into even more elaborate settings such as rosettes, letters of the alphabet and the Virgin's symbol, the fleur-de-lis, an appropriate emblem for an innocent young bride. | |
| At the same time, posies (meaning little poems) were inscribed on the hoops of rings, often hidden inside. These secret words of love might be decorated with roses warmed by sun rays, all picked out in vivid enamels. There are many examples of such messages on rings. Anne of Cleves, who married Henry VIII in the sixteenth century, had this optimistic inscription on her wedding ring: "God send me well to kepe." But although so prevalent in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century rings, loving and pious inscriptions had also been popular in antiquity. An inscription cut into a Greek betrothal ring about 400 B.C. bears the single word, "Honey." | ||
American Gem Society: The Power of Love
