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Based from historical records, the creation of wedding and engagement rings can be credited to Pope Innocent III. It was him who insisted that there should be a waiting period between engagement and marriage. As both of these events were considered as contracts, these rings were used as attestations to legally seal the deals. Before the 13th century, Europeans only make use of the engagement ring as tokens, although the history of wedding rings are more ancient.

About five thousand years ago, the Egyptians have already used reed or hemp rings as symbols of eternity, considering that rings were circle in shape that has no beginning and no end. During those periods, they generally did not give emphasis on gem cut types like the princess cut as much as we give importance to such feature today. During the biblical times, great dowry gifts were given in the betrothal of couples. It was therefore assumed that rings, especially those that are considered as precious metals, were substituted for expensive dowries.

During the reign of Romans, rings were utilized as deal attestations and connotation of ownership. Gold rings were reserved for the use of high ranking officials, while iron rings were made available for the used of ordinary citizens. The rings worn by ordinary citizens at that time were similar to the large rings that held the keys to the household. Hence, it has been speculated that if a Roman citizen gave his bride an iron marriage ring, he was actually giving her access to his household and all his material goods.

In 16th century England, the use of wedding ring was officially moved from the right hand to the left hand. It was speculated that this change was done in order to justify the position of a woman in the society, considering that the right hand was deeply regarded as the hand of power. The placement of the wedding ring on the third left hand finger was rooted from the idea that such finger was supposed to be the place where the love vein or vena amoris is situated; therefore, as the ring is symbolic of love, it was officially worn in the third left hand finger as it is directly connected to the heart. Today, many countries especially in the western region wear their wedding and engagement rings on the left hand, although there are also countries that traditionally wear their rings on the right hand like Poland and Ukraine.

For Puritans, rings were symbols of heathen so they did not used it for their wedding ceremonies; instead they make use of marriage thimbles to seal their wedding vows. The Victorians were the ones who welcomingly embraced the custom of wedding rings and accentuated them with flowers and hearts. The Edwardians on the other hand, added leaf and other ornate patterns, which all started art deco rings. It was then that the use of gemstones were integrated on rings, and more likely the use of stone cut types such as the princess cut and emerald cut had truly began.

Men in general never wore wedding and engagement rings until World War II. The soldiers going off to war were the first men to wear these rings in order to remember their wives or partners back home. Today, most wedding ceremonies are also considered as double ring ceremonies. This means that both the bride and the groom are given wedding rings to symbolize their commitment and love for each other, though wearing of engagement rings are still appropriated for women.

This article tackles the brief history of wedding and engagement rings from its humble beginnings until the World War II. It also speaks of how the marriage ring and engagement ring were used during the past. It also discusses the importance of these rings during various ceremonies, how gem stone cut types such as princess cut evolved and incorporated in these important jewelries.