Schuetz

Wedding rings have been exchanged as a sign of the union of marriage for so long, and in numerous diverse societies, that marking the the beginning of the practice is impossible. Surely, the circle form of a wedding ring symbolizes eternal love and the persistently renewed promises of the wedded couple. Circles have long been the epitome for not only eternity, but also for completeness. The circle also stands for the constant round of the heavens, as well as the undying arrival of the seasons, marked by recurring ceremony and party. Also, the circle in sacred stone arrays, rock art, and astrology stand for both Sun and the Moon. The Sun and the Moon are considered to be the symbol of masculine and feminine features of the cosmos. This association with the Sun and Moon is highlighted by the common act of preferring gold for one betrothed and silver for the other. Gold and silver have been associated with the Sun and the Moon throughout the ages.

The common practice of wearing the wedding ring is on the third finger of the left hand. This finger is called the ring finger. Much speculation exists that the Romans were the first to start the practice of wearing the ring on that finger. According to them, the vein from this finger reaches directly to the heart. An alternate implication for this custom is that every finger on the hand is linked with a planet in the olden structure of astrology and the ring finger of the left hand was connected with the Sun. In this way, getting the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand indicates the public announcement of the unification. This connection is conceivably even more accentuated by the common affinity to make wedding rings out of gold which is characteristically the metal of the Sun.

Wedding rings in common have a profoundly rooted paranormal importance. Today, in customary religious rituals, Christian and otherwise, the wedding bands are blessed by a priest or the minister, thus abiding the symbolic performance of instilling the wedding rings with defensive powers.

One of the most beautiful wedding rings is the Celtic wedding band. Celtic wedding rings are stunningly ornamented with geometric knot style patterns that have an extensive history and vital place in Celtic art. These designs are sturdily vegetative, suggesting vines and tendrils. As a matter of fact, in a good deal of Celtic art, including the famous illuminated Bible, the Book of Kells, these Celtic Knots appear from or alter into vegetative flora. The gorgeous evenness of these woven designs is regularly not square, firm, or excessively formal, but organic, graceful, and a stylized sign of the curves that can be seen in nature.

Wedding rings incarcerate the entire array of the traditional, emblematic, and communal facets of marriage, and protect these many levels of importance as a strong and steady reminder. Very old yet modern, steeped in secrecy yet nearly universally exchanged, wedding bands unite the art of the jeweler, the admiration of the engaged, and the loveliness of love and partnership in a solitary, reverberating mark.