As promised in my previous entry, today, I will tell you more about the diamond engagement ring and how it came to be.

So, after the Ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Europeans among others…we come to a romantic fellow by the name of Max…the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who in the 1400s, became the first person ever to present a diamond ring to his fiancee – Mary of Burgundy.   Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482) was one of the most sought after royals of the time.  She was the sole heiress to her father Charles the Bold’s territories in the Low Countries (the Netherlands) and had princely suitors vying for her hand in marriage from the time she turned five.  This one required more than a thimble or an iron ring for her engagement present.

When the first diamond engagement ring of all time was slipped on to Mary of Burgundy’s finger, a new fashion trend was started, for those who could afford it, of course.  The rich, famous, basically your run of the mill upperclassmen, of the time loved the idea and started giving diamond rings to their beloved.

Eventually, after the discovery of diamond mines in Africa, making diamonds more available, some legal reformation, and some very heavy marketing by a certain jeweler, diamond rings became common throughout much of the western world as the standard gift for every fiancee.

And there you have it, the history of the diamond engagement ring.

Until next time.