February 3rd: Wedding Ring Day

Wedding Ring Day. A wedding ring is a ring worn on the third finger of the left hand in England, France and the USA to symbolise the fact the wearer is married. Absence of a ring on that finger is usually taken to mean that the person is single.

1. The tradition of exchanging wedding rings probably started in ancient Egypt. Evidence has been found, dating back to 6,000 years ago, that couples there would exchange rings made from woven hemp or reeds. To the Egyptians, circles symbolised eternity and also the gods of the Sun and Moon.
2. It was possibly the Egyptians who first chose the third finger of the left hand, too. Certainly by Roman times that was the finger of choice. This is because it was believed the vena amoris, or vein of love, was located in that finger, and led straight to the Heart.
3. In ancient Rome, men often gave rings adorned with a small key, making the ring the symbolic key to his heart.
4. In Medieval times, marriage often had little to do with love but was a financial agreement between two families. A valuable Gold ring was part of the ritual to ensure the groom's family were keeping their end of the bargain. According to the 1549 edition of the Book of Common Prayer, the ring alone wasn't enough: the words 'with this ring I thee wed' followed the words 'This gold and Silver I give thee'. At that point the groom would hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride. In Germany, another archaic version of the wedding ceremony said 'I give you this ring as a sign of the marriage which has been promised between us, provided your father gives with you a marriage portion of 1000 Reichsthalers'.
5. A custom in the Middle East was to use a puzzle ring which was difficult to put on the finger properly, so if the wife ever took it off, her husband would know.
6. In some countries, such as Germany, the wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the right hand, and in parts of India, the bride wears a ring on her toe instead, or a bangle.
7. It was only in the 20th century that both bride and groom wearing rings became the norm. The tradition started during World War II when men going to war would wear rings to remind them of their wives back home. Also in World War II in Britain, there were restrictions on the manufacture of jewellery. Wedding rings could weigh no more than two pennyweights, that is, slightly over 3 grams, and could only be made from 9 carat gold. There was a special hallmark to indicate that this was a "utility" ring which conformed to the regulations. This looked like a capital "U" without the bottom curve or two parentheses with a space between them, i. e., "( )".
8. There is a superstition which states that if the groom drops the ring during the ceremony the marriage is doomed.
9. The most popular metal for wedding rings is white gold, with 73% of rings being made from it. Platinum is also popular, as is gold, with about 17 tons of gold being made into wedding rings each year in America.
10. In Romania, couples exchange silver bands on their 25th anniversary, and wear them in addition to their wedding rings.

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