The early wedding ring dates to the ancient Egyptians who believed that a circle symbolized eternal love. These early rings were made of braided reeds or other materials and were put on the ring finger, which they believed contained a vein that ran to the heart. Ancient Greeks later adopted this tradition.
Later in the second century, Romans began the tradition of a betrothal ring to signify a contract of ownership, love, and mutual obedience. Romans sealed all contractual matters such as marriage with a kiss. This is a tradition we continue today in wedding ceremonies. They used various materials for rings, such as copper, bronze, silver, and gold, which were usually worn outside the home. In the third century, the Romans made a new ring design?called a fede?which became very popular. It consisted of a bezel design with clasped hands, representing hands joined in trust and pledging vows of faith or loyalty. Throughout history, many other cultures adapted clasped hands in their engagement rings. Engagement Ring Designs in the Middle Ages
During Medieval and Renaissance Europe (fifth to fifteenth century) the fede design remained popular, but there were other variations as well. The same rings were used for both engagements and weddings. There were also designs that were more ornate and included things like a heart, enamel, gemstones, or inscriptions.

In the sixteenth century, the gimmel ring design was used for both engagement and weddings. Gimmel means ?twin? in Latin, a...