Vintage Wedding Ring History

The term "vintage wedding ring" most often refers to estate pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Bridal and engagement ring history, however, dates back much farther. Notable historic facts about wedding rings include:

1st - 2nd Centuries

The Romans were the first to use finger rings to tie people to their marital partners. The groom gave a plain iron ring to the family of the bride as a symbol of his commitment and financial ability to support her. In the second century, the groom began to present the ring directly to the bride. Since it was gold, it was only to be worn only in public, with a second, less valuable ring to be worn at home.

6th Century

The first explicit description of the rings usage seems to come from the Archbishop of Seville in 595. He wrote, “the ring is given by the espouser to the espoused either for a sign of mutual fidelity or still more to join their hearts by this pledge; and therefore the ring is placed on the fourth finder because a certain vein, it is said, flows then to the heart.” Though this is more superstition than fact, the practice endures in most Christian countries.

13th Century

By the thirteenth century wedding rings were becoming more recognizable in appearance and spiritual in meaning, described by one bishop as “a symbol of the union of hearts.” In England and Ireland, they became an indispensable part of the wedding ceremony. Grooms of that time were known to rent rings if they could not afford to buy one. Rings were not always the sign of a permanent commitment either. In Germany, for example, the ring might be given pending the payment of the bride’s dowry.

16th Century

Perhaps the tiniest wedding rings ever used in a ceremony was worn by Princess Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII in 1518. The bride (the older woman in this alliance) was two years old. Her groom, the dauphin of France (son of King Frances), was a mere seven months. History records that the ring was made of gold and fit with a valuable diamond.

16th - 18th Century

One of the most popular rings of the sixteenth through the eighteen centuries was the Motto ring. Early rings were engraved in French or Latin on the outside; later they were engraved on the inside in English. The messages were often religious, though not always. One unique Posy ring was present by a Bishop Cokes to his bride. Engraved with a mitre, hand, heart, and death’s head, the inscription is said to have read, “These three I give thee till the fourth set me free.” In England, rings were on a thumb before the wedding and switched to the traditional third finger upon marriage.

19th Century

Christians did not use the ring in marriage ceremonies until about 1870, but, even then, it was not the way we picture a simple circle ring. Rather, it was ornately decorated and engraved with symbolic figures. The Church discouraged the use of this pagan symbol for many years, noting that it was a display of wealth, pride, and vanity. Despite this admonition, the clergy soon began to wear bejeweled gold rings. This practice became so extreme that use of finger rings was outlawed by ecclesiastical law — one that was soon all but forgotten.

The Methodist Church first recorded the use of the wedding ring in the ceremony in 1872. A year later, the Presbyterian Church followed suit. By 1881, all Protestant churches had adopted the practice. The Mennonites stood their ground, taking a stand against the wearing of all jewelry, including the wedding ring. It wasn’t easy, especially when rural families began to move to cities. Increasing urbanization eventually made wearing a wedding ring common, not only for women but for men as well.

Vintage Victorian wedding rings were also made at this time. >>

Special thank you to writing coach, editor, and ghostwriter Bobbi Linkemer, who contributed the original material throughout MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com.