More Than Symbols: Engagement Rings

They are “just” symbols of love, these engagement rings, are they not? And a symbol needn’t be anything more than a cigar band or circus trinket to have meaning. Yet humans have long sought to use the most beautiful and precious elements on earth to make these symbols. Why?

A symbol, since it stands in for something else, is usually made to somehow reflect that intangible, absent item by its very form and nature. Here we are representing the most sublime emotion known to man: Love. Engagement rings are perfect to represent that emotion.

A ring is without beginning – and more importantly, without end. Like love, it continues on, never stopping. Even death does not destroy the nature of love. It endures. And like love, the precious metals from which engagement rings are wrought endure. They are not touched by corrosion. They do not succumb to being eaten by rust, or dulled by age or use. They remain bright, pristine, and beautiful – like the love they represent.

Take the symbol of the ring – love without end – and recognize it as a sublime thought. Now, crown that symbol and thought with yet another symbol worthy to represent the blaze of true, unbreakable love. What can symbolize such a love? Diamonds naturally come to mind. Of all the gemstones in the world to choose from, when choosing a gemstone that seems to have been made by nature herself to be the essence of everlasting love, man has favoured the diamond. Indeed, it’s no wonder why: they are nature’s hardest, most durable creation. Like love, diamonds are bright, shining, sometimes fiery, and seem to glow with light.

Why choose a lesser representation of the power of love, when diamond engagement rings, set in rare metals, are within your reach? Even when created with gold, platinum, and palladium, and crowned with diamonds, engagement rings are not necessarily expensive. Rings that are big in beauty and small in price abound. A simple ring, formed of lasting precious metals and crowned with a diamond, is a fitting symbol for a lasting, beautiful relationship.