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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. Since both of these events were treated as contracts, the rings were symbolically used in order to seal the deal legally. Prior to the 13th century, it was only the engagement ring that was given as a token in Europe, though the history of wedding ring was far older.

Almost five thousand years ago, the Egyptians used reed or hemp rings as representations of eternity, a circle 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 were related to the large iron rings used inside the household as key holders. Hence, it has been inferred that if an ordinary Roman groom gave his bride an iron marriage ring, he was giving her the key to his house and was giving her access to all his material goods.

It was during 16th century England when the wedding ring was officially moved from the right ring hand to the left hand. It was assumed that such change was done in order to show a women her place in the society, since the right hand was acknowledged as the hand of power. The placement of the ring on the third finger of the left hand was supposed to be the place where the vena amoris or love vein can be found; as such, since the ring is a sign of love it was appropriated that the finger where the ring would be placed should be 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. On the other end of the spectrum, the Edwardians embellished their rings with leaves and other ornamental arts, which in turn paved way for the rise of art deco rings. Since then, the use of gem stone rings were widely acknowledged along with the use of stone cut types like the princess cut, emerald cut, step cut and more.

It was not until World War II that men started to wear wedding and engagement rings. The first men to wear such rings were the soldiers going off to war; they used the rings as reminders of their waiting wives and partners. Today, most wedding ceremonies are also considered as double ring ceremonies. That is, both the bride and the groom wear wedding rings in order to show their commitment and love for each other, although the use of engagement ring is still reserved for women.

Wedding and engagement rings are both significant jewelries that have a long and fruitful history. Aside from sealing contract deals, these rings were also used as representations of power and position within the society. A marriage ring however, remained as the symbol of commitment between two people. Today, rings used for wedding and engagement comes in various styles and cut just like the popularly known princess cut.