There are those who get married and those who break up, but will there always be an engagement ring in the middle? Between Zendaya who appears on the red carpet of the Golden Globes sporting a five-carat diamond on her left ring finger to announce her wedding to Tom Holland, Dua Lipa who celebrates Christmas together with Callum Turner bejeweled with a brand new oval solitaire and Jennifer Lopez who, rightly, keeps for herself the rare five million dollar diamond given to her by her now ex-ex-husband Ben Affleck, official promises to dazzle the eyes of the world.
So much so that perhaps it is worth asking ourselves: When did that glittering emblem of eternal love become such? And why are many of us still so “obsessed” with it?
Already traced between the Nile valley and ancient Greece, it seems that the most certain origins of the engagement ring ritual can be placed precisely in the capital of the dolce vita and its surroundings, Rome. It was one metal ringas simple as solemn, to be worn on the ring finger of the left hand, as it was believed to be directly connected to the heart by the so-called Vena Amorisliterally “vein of love”. A poetic blood correspondence subsequently refuted, while remaining one praxis intact to this day.
However, the underlying concept was far from romantic. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the best-known mineralogy research center in the United States, this gift indicated «a business contract or mutual love and obedience». In other words, not so much a genuine token of love but rather an economic and social pledge that the future husband ensured, more than for the future bride, for their respective families. Extended into the Middle Ages, and beyond, by the Visigothic Code and the policies of Pope Nicholas I.
First to introduce the revered “four C” diamond ring (clarity, colour, character And cut) was then theArchduke Maximilian I of Austria in 1477asking Mary of Burgundy in marriage. Even if the truth boom of diamonds, preceded by the fashion of rings gimmel interlocking and Shakespearean rings engraved with lines of love poems (très très chic), only arrived to leave since 1867 following the discovery of a mine in South Africa. It is no coincidence that the iconic Tiffany Setting saw the light of day less than twenty years later, in 1886earning the founder of the famous jewelry store, Charles Lewis Tiffany, the epithet of “king of diamonds”.
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Yet, the credit for having embedded that sparkle so well in our imagination goes largely to leader in the De Beers diamond trade with his accomplice endorsement of Hollywood divas. It was 1947 when copywriter Frances Gerety produced the claim «A diamond is forever», and it immediately set a sales record. The non plus ultra for a wedding promise, especially to the extent that claiming that our feelings will always be such is the only permissible way when we are in love. «How does a love end? – But then it ends? No one – except others – ever knows; a kind of innocence hides the end of this thing conceived, advocated and experienced as eternal”, borrowing the words of Roland Barthes in his essay-dictionary Fragments of a love speech. And what’s more powerful than monetize this vulnerabilitythis blind enthusiasm with an object that represents its unbreakable metaphor?
Now, let’s face it, theengagement ring (a bit like the white dress) has managed to maintain that encrusted aura of fascinationat this point separated from pre-wedding deposits and perfect marketing campaigns.
A living aspirational legacy, as demonstrated by our curiosity towards stars’ rings, even though paradoxically today it is more likely to collect dates disastrous instead of collecting solitaire games like JLo. For the series: it’s already difficult to get to a decent second date, let alone to the altar. I think of my mother, who at my (very young) age had already said “yes, I want it” until we got married. While not only have I not lived this ecstatic experience, but (unfortunately?) I can’t even remotely imagine it, so ça va sans dire, Times have changed profoundly. Suffice it to say that even the diamond market, a safe haven for decades, it has never been so in crisis like today. And well of course, one has to say on the one hand, in the current climate of catastrophe-without-tomorrow, of general-planned-obsolescence What would be the point of still believing in the “forever” of carats?
Ok, but on the other hand, How can we at least exchange an intimate promise? That is, to put it down to earth, what would “yes, I want it” be like without a ring? Without “asking for marriage”? Without resorting to dramatic kneeling, treasure hunts and the bizarre ploy? Now that we are much more relaxed and free from protocols, but also now that that romanticism has somehow been reduced to historic lows following the inflation of emotions, who knows, maybe really small gestures will be enough, maybe sharing one will be enough proposal-Special Spotify playlist to vow to spend your life together, an “engagement dance” on Tiktok? Or I don’t know, just holding hands, looking into each other’s eyes, things like that. If this were the case, perhaps the meaning of the engagement ring today would be closer than ever to the tangible transposition of Barthes’ words. Giving shape to an uncontainable, useless and therefore beautiful illusion.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
