A plain iron hoop was the forerunner of today's engagement ring. The old Roman tradition was to give a ring, a symbol of the cycle of life and of eternity, as a public pledge that the marriage contract between a man and woman would be honoured. In Pliny's time (A.D. 23-79) the ring was made of iron. Gold was introduced some time in the second century A.D. The Christians adopted the custom, and so the ring became an integral part of the marriage service.

The natural rough diamond showing the typical octahedral crystalline structure.
It was not until the fifteenth century that the symbolism of a ring - signifying eternity - was strengthened by the emblem of conjugal fidelity...the diamond. Yet legends of the diamond's mythical properties come down through the ages. Hundreds of years before Christ, in India, where diamonds were first discovered, the diamond was valued even more for its magic than for its great beauty, and was thought to protect from snakes, fire, poison, illness, thieves and all the combined forces of evil.
Each culture has prized the diamond for its unique properties. In India, the color of the diamond was thought to reflect the caste of the wearer, which was why pure white diamonds were the most precious. Rome valued it for its hardness and believed it capable of breaking iron. The practical Chinese treasured it as an engraving tool, while the superstitious Italians trusted it to protect against poison.
Uniquely able to resist both fire and steel, the diamond (the name comes from 'adamas', Greek for unconquerable) epitomises unyielding and invincible strength. What better emblem of lifelong partnership? From the soft lustre of rough diamonds in the Renaissance to the dazzling pyrotechnics of twentieth-century polished sophistication, the diamond ring, like a charmed circle, is the true gift of love and loyalty between man and woman...the ultimate seal on the promises made at marriage.

The story of the diamond ring begins here in third-century Rome. The open sides in the bezel of this gold ring clearly show the perfect octahedral shape of the natural diamond crystal. However, it was not until centuries later that the diamond and gold ring were combined as a symbol of betrothal.

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