Since the very early age from the ancient Egyptians the custom of wearing wedding rings has been a very common custom to be followed in almost every culture and tradition. Looking into the history it is seen that the custom of wearing the wedding ring started in the ancient Egypt. Since then the wedding ring had been the symbol of love and the union of the man and the woman. After the wedding it is believed that the two souls of the man and the woman becomes one. And the wedding ring stands for the symbolical representation of this union of two souls. In the ancient Egypt the famous papyrus were twisted and braided into rings for fingers and larger bracelets for wrists. Therefore, it can be said that besides other contributions to the events of history the papyrus also had significant contribution in the birth of the custom of wedding rings.

The circular shape of the ring also is considered to be significant as the circular shape symbolizes eternity and therefore the ring symbolizes eternal love. The Egyptians believed that the wedding ring should be worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. There is a belief behind this custom. The belief is that there is a vein on that finger which goes straight to the heart. Thus by wearing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand keeps the beloved closest to the heart. This vein was known as the ‘vena amorist’, which is Latin for ‘the vein of love’. However, this belief has no solid base as in reality there is no existence of any such vein.

Other than the Egyptians the Romans too followed this tradition of wedding rings. They also followed the tradition of wearing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand. And as this custom went on the finger came to be known as the ring finger. Moreover, to the Romans the ring was also the symbol of ownership of the men over their wives. By gifting the ring to their wives the men established their possession over their wives. In those days the ring was made of iron which symbolized strength. But in the third century the custom of using iron as the metal for the ring was changed to gold or silver. The reason behind this change is that the iron begun to rust. Therefore to increase the durability of the wedding ring they chose gold or silver for the metal for the ring.

To the Greeks too the fourth finger of the left hand was considered to be the right finger to wear the ring. Therefore, the tradition of wearing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand has not changed much till date. Moreover, in Asian countries too the tradition of the wedding ring has different connotations. In the Asian countries the ring symbolized a kind of ownership over their wives. When the husbands were away their wives were forced to wear a puzzle ring which disintegrates upon removal. Therefore, in those days the wedding ring was more an item of establishing possession than a symbol of love.

But in originality the concept of wedding ring has mainly been the symbol of love faith and dependence on each other.

Best wedding bands, engagement ring and platinum wedding bands find out here.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/the-significance-of-the-wedding-ring-throughout-the-ages-1765925.html

Setting diamonds on the wedding band is relatively new trend as opposed to its ancestors the eternity and anniversary rings. The difference between the three however is unclear and rather confusing. Both wedding band and eternity ring symbolize eternity and the term half eternity ring applied to partially studded rings is self-contradictory. Eternity cannot be half – it is eternal.  So let decide, for the sake of clarity in this article that the eternity rings are the one set with diamonds all around irrespective the size and anniversary rings are the one with 3, 5, or 7 equal and relatively substantial in size diamonds in a row. Now we are ready to define the diamond wedding band: It is a band set with equal in size diamonds only on the visible outer side not further than half of the circumference.

How far down the sides the band is set is also interpreted differently by the designers. If low price market is targeted the studded part does not go very far and barely covers 1/5 of the circumference.  In price focused market every diamond and putting it in its place (setting) increase the factory cost and lower the competitiveness of the price. Going half way on the other hand may not be the best option even if the budget is not an issue. Diamond pave may scrape the neighboring fingers or other rings worn there.  The best ratio from economical, aesthetic and practical point of view is 2 to 3 meaning 2/5 studded and 3/5 plain. Obviously the number of diamonds is determined by their size and varies between 9 and 16.  The most popular shapes used in diamond wedding bands are round and princess.

Important: Although diamond wedding bands are much easier to resize than an eternity rings the best is to be done prior the setting. Resizing diamond wedding bands with any type of setting can loosen the diamonds a cause them to fall off later. This causes plenty of frustration for the customer and the jeweler and can be avoided if the ring is manufactured with the right finger size, then set and finished. This way the join at the back is also eliminated and the band has much higher overall strength. To be able to do this the jeweler must have workshop capable of acting fast and the customer to have the patience to wait few days. In the end of the day it will be well worth. My advice is not to go for diamond band resized more than 2 sizes.

Yellow gold diamond wedding bands are something from the past. The white gold however is still the most used metal. This illustrates the conservatism of the jewelry market and it works both ways. The jewelers are offering what the customers want; the customers want what they are offered and the lack of information keeps everything new at bay. White gold is not actually white. It is the same old rich yellow gold forced into whiteness by mixing it with bleaching alloy metals. The result is yellowish grayish metal which have to be rhodium plated for bright white surface color. The metals really suitable for white diamond jewelry are the ones from the platinum metal group – Platinum and Palladium. Platinum reemerged in the jewelry industry about 15 years ago and surprisingly fast established its name as superior to white gold. The only reason it did not shift the white gold`s default status was its much higher price. Palladium was used many years as whitening alloy metal for white gold. Its use as solo media was limited from complications in the casting process. Few years ago the technology barriers were broken and palladium is now gaining momentum. Palladium and Platinum are so similar that they are virtually indistinguishable in appearance and mechanical properties. Palladium however is 40% lighter and much cheaper providing all the advantages of platinum at about a quarter of the price thus making it the metal of choice for diamond wedding bands and for white fine jewelry in general.

Vasco Kirov is an experienced designer and master goldsmith with vast knowledge in every aspect concerning fine jewelry. He has been awarded many prestigious design awards for excellence in diamond jewelry design. Vasco’s recently launched Gemstone and Jewelry Blog contains additional information about diamond wedding bands and plenty of industry’s insider tips on “how to” in today’s jewelry market. For practical answers to all your jewelry questions visit www.jewelgateway.net

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/diamond-wedding-band-experts-advice-on-how-to-choose-one-1762268.html