Eternity Ring History

The history of the eternity ring goes back almost four thousand years. Ancient Egyptians are thought to be the first to make and wear eternity rings. Eternity rings are essentially a continuous circle of metal studded with stones either halfway or all the way around. Early eternity rings were meant to symbolize eternal life and love. The unending, unbroken circle of precious metal represents a never-ending circle of trust, or the circle of life. Eternity rings today symbolize an everlasting relationship of love and are commonly used for wedding or anniversary bands.

Diamond Eternity Ring

Early eternity rings featured stones that went halfway around the shank of the ring. This snake swallowing its tail eternity ring really helped solidify the meaning of the continuous circle as the eternal symbol of love and life. Eternity rings were originally made with the stones flush mounted. Modern eternity rings are usually channel set for comfort and larger stones are avoided. Modern advances in jewelry crafting have actually made full claw set eternity rings much more comfortable and popular. Channel and claw set eternity rings give a more brilliant shine to the stones used than the flush mount setting, but some still prefer the original embedded stone eternity rings.

The meaning of an eternity ring traditionally is eternal love, but it is really open for individual interpretation. Eternity rings are used for wedding bands and vibrantly compliment diamond solitaire engagement rings. The birth of a child is a very appropriate time to give an eternity ring. The long-lasting reputation and never ending popularity of the eternity ring will ensure that it never goes out of style and is always admired and loved.

5 Easy Steps To Select The Eternity Ring

An eternity ring is basically a ring that has diamonds and or gems all the way around the ring. I saw my first eternity ring about 3 years ago in a jewelry store window. Today the eternity ring is fast becoming the wedding ring of choice for both men and women; and in the larger carat weights it is gaining popularity as an engagement ring as well.

So what’s the best way to go about selecting the right eternity ring for you?

Select a setting style

Eternity rings come in many different styles, so you must first decide how the ring will be worn.

For Her: As a wedding band, with or without an engagement ring? If worn with the engagement ring, try to match the setting style and diamond shape of the engagement ring and select a narrower style so you do not over power the engagement ring. If the ring is to be worn alone or as an engagement ring a wider style is preferred.

For Him: If his ring is to be a wedding ring, then matching her rings is desirable. For example if she has a princess cut engagement ring, then his ring should have a row of princess cut diamonds.

Select the diamond quality

Diamond quality is a very important factor to consider. If your ring is to be worn with an engagement ring or other rings your should match the quality as close as possible, for example if your engagement diamond is E, VVS, then try to get a E, VVS diamond quality to match.

Select the gemstones (if applicable)

More and more eternity rings are being worn as high fashion jewelry, not just wedding and engagement rings.

Select the metal

Gold and platinum are the most popular. Obviously if you are matching another ring then match the metal, otherwise the choice is open.

Select the right jeweler

Selecting the right jeweler will make all the difference not only in your buying experience, but also for the life of your jewelry. Due to the nature of the eternity ring style, to prevent stone loss this ring will require annual inspection, tightening of stones, re-polishing, and cleaning to ensure the beauty and life of this special ring.

Please also check out my other guide on Promise Rings