Those who wear promise rings rarely think about the promise ring history. Even so, knowing the history of these rings can make wearing these even more meaningful. This article takes a look at the promise ring history for you to appreciate the beautiful history of these accessories.
Promise Ring History: Promise For Marriage
Promise rings either refer to those worn as pre-engagement rings or those that are worn as a symbol for chastity. As such, there are two kinds of promise ring history that you can find, depending on what definition of promise ring you are using.
When it comes to the promise ring history of the pre-engagement rings, the roots of these jewelry pieces can be dated back to the time of Ancient Rome, wherein a couple would wear two iron rings with their names engraved on these. These served as betrothal rings, denoting the couple’s plan to get married in the near-future.
The 16th and 17th centuries saw the re-emergence of these rings in Europe. Rings were often exchanged between friends or lovers. There were different kinds of rings that were used as tokens of love. For example, scribbling rings bore diamonds and were used by lovers to write their vows on each other’s windowpanes, while poesy rings had the vows of the ring giver engraved on the surface. A promise ring can also be given by a gentleman to the lady as a friendship ring, which essentially symbolized that he was in love with her and made plans of marrying her in the future. A promise ring may also be given if the giver didn’t have enough money to purchase an engagement ring, but still wants to show that he’s committed to the relationship.
Promise Ring History: Promise To Purity
A promise ring can also be worn to show that the wearer has made a vow to remain pure until marriage. Also called chastity or abstinence rings, these were usually given by Christian churches to adolescents who have attended their chastity talks. This type of promise ring emerged in the 1990s in the United States following Christian churches initiatives to promote abstinence.
Interestingly enough, some Christian churches have bishops wearing rings as a symbol of their spiritual union with the church.
These accounts show that the promise ring’s transformation in both form and meaning over the years. Regardless of which account of promise ring history you’re looking at, you can be sure that wearing one of these will mean continuing and upholding the tradition started by people from ages past.