Diamond wedding rings have always been associated with love, especially for a couple. It may also symbolize an everlasting commitment. However, a wedding band may also hold a different meaning. In buying a wedding ring, consider first the things you would like to add up on the design. Things that may symbolize particular meaning may it be personal, cultural, or religious, whatever you like.

Engraving names and wedding dates on the inside of the wedding ring has been a tradition in Europe. However, the most symbolic wedding ring of all time would probably be those that are used in Hebrew wedding for they are larger than the regular rings as well as unwieldy. This ring is shaped resembling the dome of the Jewish temple.

In Victorian times, it was a tradition to wear a different ring with a different stone everyday, depending on what day it is. This was because they believe planet gods controlled days and each favored a specific stone like for Sunday, it was believed that it was represented by the sun and was symbolized by diamonds, red garnets, or pearls. Rings with rubies and emeralds were also popular because during the Victorian era there was not a large supply of gold or diamonds.  Traditionally during that time diamonds were only worn during the day by married women.

A more unique form of combining different colors is mokume gane, which is an ancient Japanese art. The different colors of gold are combined as desired (and often copper or sterling silver are added to the mix as well), swirled together, and then cut on the cross section to reveal an interesting design. The resulting pattern looks a bit like wood grain, and each one is totally unique.

Deciding what design to use for your wedding ring would depend on the preference of you and your partner. You may use some of those historic traditions or create your own design that may convey meanings relevant to your relationship or as an individual.

Express your strong faith through a religious ring. You can use bands that signify a cross or engrave a bible verse inside the ring. Another way of customizing your wedding ring is by heritage. One example is Celtic heritage, which is symbolized in various ways by selecting a Claddagh or any ring with Celtic design. While, the Greek may use a ring designed with Greek key. The design was believed to symbolize love, friendship, and devotion. As for Native Americans, wearing a ring that symbolizes an animal important to their tribe like a wolf is a way of acknowledging the Native American heritage.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 13th, 2010 at 11:39 am and is filed under Wedding Bands. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.