An Oldie but Goodie Post. It seems people enjoyed reading about the history of the wedding ring before. How important is your wedding ring to you? Enjoy this golden oldie and take a moment to be thankful for your spouse and the wedding ring on your finger.
The Wedding Ring 
My hubby’s wedding ring split in the back last week. He has been wearing it for the last 28 years and the metal finally gave out from all the wear and tear it has gone through. I need to get him a new one and we talked about replacing my set as well. We where much younger and had no money when the first set was bought. In fact we paid $300 for all three rings and had to make payments for that. Anyway, all this talk about our rings it got me to wondering about the history of the wedding ring and how it came about.
It seems that the ancient Egyptians who lived along the plains of the Nile River would use the rushes, reeds and papyrus to create braided rings. These rings were symbolic to the culture because of the round shape such as the sun and moon. It had no beginning and no end and returned to itself just like life. And so the ring was associated with love and commitment as well.
The finger the ring is worn on is important as well. There are several different theories out there. One is that the Egyptians believe that the 3rd finger on the left hand was important because of the belief that the vein of that finger directly traveled from the heart. The Romans adopted this belief and called it the vena amoris or vein of love. During the middle ages in England the groom would take the left hand of the bride and slip the ring part way up the thumb, then the first and middle finger reciting “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost” as he touched each one then placing the ring on the next finger.
Materials for the wedding ring changed much since the first papyrus ring was made. From bone to leather and then whatever type of metal was available with gold seeming to be the most popular. In the beginning of making rings out of metal the end result was not that successful so they put small jewels in them to hide the imperfections, rubies and sapphires with diamond being the favorite were used. Also, a man wearing a wedding ring is a recent event with most men not wearing a ring until the 2nd world war. Because of home sickness and missing their loved ones it became a popular item for men as well.
So, there are a few facts that I learned about the wedding ring. A wedding ring becomes an extension of you, a friend that is with you through the years. My hubby needs a new one but even though I don’t have a big diamond or any other valuable jewel in my ring. It has been with me as I have taken care of my family and it has stood the test of time for my marriage. I’m just not sure I’m willing to part with something that is as precious as that.
How about you? Tell me your favorite memory connected to your wedding ring.
Ron and Shawn make up the “Odd Couple.” We are a husband and wife team who have 
been together for the last 27 years. We have laugh, cried, fought, made up, and made more mistakes then any two people could. Through it all we have raised the greatest three kids in the world! We would like to offer you a free report we put together titled 10 Marriage Help Tips Report with video. Click here for the report. Here is a picture of us at the World Famous Ft Worth, TX Stockyards
Thanks, Shawn, for the nice story and all this interesting information. My wife and I married nearly 38 years ago, in a spur-of-the-moment whirlwind. We bought matching plain gold rings. They did a good job that day, and apparently are still working fine!
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So awesome to hear! Congratulations on 38 yrs those gold bands had magic in them.
Very interesting post! Thanks for sharing. One memory I had was that I didn’t think I’d be able to afford it!
Jackie, my husband & I were so young and so broke we had no business getting married. Thankful for God’s grace in our marriage. I hope we can be beacons for people to see marriage is hard and not always pretty but worth it.
I am still wearing my original wedding ring after 33 years. Tom’s wore out after 20 and had to be replaced, but he still has the original. I was pondering his ring last week when I took a picture of him holding our newest granddaughter, Stella Grace. His hand is about the same size of her tiny body, and his ring sparkled as I took the shot. Oh the faithfulness of God.
Thanks for this excellent history lesson. I love stories like these.
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Who would know what God can bring a married couple through. The joining of two individuals, the raising of a family and now the blessings of grandbabies. We are at the preliminary beginning of the next generation, our son was married a year ago and our daughter is getting married in nine days. Hoping for grandchildren when God see’s fit. And it all began when two young kids decided to spend the rest of our lives together.
What a great story.
It seems that everything I’m reading this week relates in some way to the book I’m rereading after years of sitting on the shelf: Gone With The Wind. You probably recall the scene in which they’re raising money at a bazaar for Confederate hospitals and Melanie carefully and thoughtfully donates her ring to the Cause – it was certainly an extension of herself. She was hopeful that it meant some Yankee woman would look after Ashley, so it was a deeply meaningful gesture for her.
I think most of us put those rings on very seriously. (Well, maybe not TomKat!)
Thanks for the info
Glad you enjoyed the information. I agree with you that our rings have meaning way beyond any what even we could of thought at the beginning of our marriages. PS. Gone with the wind was my mom’s all time favorite book/movie. Have you read the book Rhett Butler’s People? It tells the story through Rhett’s eyes.