Cover Photo Courtesy of Instagram.com/harrywinston
In history, the tradition of giving a solitaire ring as a symbol of engagement is relatively a recent one. The ring that is now considered an eternal symbol of commitment and union wasn’t present until the late 19th century, after simple gold or silver bands were the engagement rings of choice. Now you might be wondering if diamonds were considered precious, and the answer is they were. However, they were used as accents on other pieces of jewelry rather than the focal point of a ring.
In a campaign entitled “A Diamond is Forever” by De Beers, which had an excess of diamonds, the company convinced people that an engagement wouldn’t be complete without a diamond solitaire. Let’s talk about the stone of choice and why was it the diamond. In fact, the word “diamond” is derived from the Ancient Greek word “adamas”, which means everlasting or unbeatable, and what is better than this white sparkling gem known to be the hardest of all gemstones to embody eternal love?
This doesn’t mean that solitaires didn’t exist before that period. In fact, Prince Albert offered Queen Victoria a snake ring upon their engagement, which took the form of a coiled serpent symbolizing unending love set with a single diamond. With time, the evolution of goldsmithing techniques allowed more delicate, open claw settings that revealed the true beauty and sparkle of the intricately cut gem.
History has witnessed so many variations of the solitaire ring and regardless of the style, this piece has never lent its beauty to any other form of engagement jewelry – gaining its place as a true classic and timeless design for eternal union between a couple.
Article Written by Mirella Haddad
