Historical Background Of Fashion Rings
Nov 20, 2024
The history of rings can be traced back to ancient times. The earliest form was the bone ring in the primitive society. Archaeologists found bone rings dating back more than 5,000 years ago in the Longshan Culture tombs of Dawenkou, Tai'an City, Shandong Province. These rings are usually made of natural animal bones, ivory bones, jade and other materials. Although the craftsmanship is simple, they are well-made, the surface is polished and smooth, and some are inlaid with turquoise. Rings have different uses and cultural symbols in different historical periods. In ancient Egypt, rings symbolized power; the ancient Greeks wore rings out of awe of the Greek gods; and in China, rings were originally called , which was mainly used to protect fingers when shooting arrows, and the shape was similar to the modern ring 1. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, rings were called , which, in addition to the literal meaning of "ring bundle", also symbolized prohibition and abstinence. Rings were mainly used for military and identity symbols in ancient times, rather than modern love tokens. For example, the jade scepter from the Shang Dynasty was a burial object for the military commander Fu Hao, used to protect the finger from the abrasion of the bowstring. In ancient China, rings were also often used in the harem as a symbol of status and favor.
The use of rings as a symbol of love tokens began in ancient Rome. As early as the ancient Roman era, wearing rings became a way for men and women to make promises to each other, symbolizing a mutually maintained relationship. In the 13th century in Europe, exchanging rings as part of weddings began to appear and gradually became a traditional custom at weddings.4.
The design of modern rings has undergone multiple stages of change. In the early 20th century, wedding rings were simple in design; six-claw designs became popular in the 1920s; Art Deco style influenced design in the 1930s; alternative gemstones were used in the 1940s due to the impact of World War II; luxury was pursued in the 1950s after the post-war economic recovery; fancy cut diamonds became popular in the 1960s; small diamond designs were added in the 1970s; a return to simple style in the 1980s; three-stone diamond rings emerged in the 1990s; and personalized and colored diamonds were pursued in the 21st century.
