Where Did the Engagement Ring Come From and How Did the Tradition Originate?

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Karen Hill

The diamond engagement ring was introduced by the Venetians, who discovered the diamond’s value in the sixteenth century.

But betrothal gifts hadn’t included rings until 860 A.D., when Pope Nicholas I decreed that a ring of value must be given as a statement of nuptial intent.

It was also mentioned that if the man called off the wedding, the jilted bride kept the ring.

If the woman ended the engagement, she was to return the ring and be sent to a nunnery.

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