The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-30
ALWAYS IN DEMAND.
Engagement and Wedding Rings In
Various Countries.
From the Ne.0 York Star.

AAoAs Tue foilOus drIlcleS OF J6Telry
none are in such steady demand or are sub-
jected to fewer changes than wedding and
engagement rings. A Star reporter. who
made the tour of the jewelry district few
days since, was told by several proruinent
dealers that wedding rings are mostly from
eighteen to twenty-five karat gold, and that
the plain gold ring of our forefathers has
never besn supplanted in popularity for the
wedding ceremony. Some of these rings
are made fiat, and some oval: some are
broad and some are narrow. Five penny
weights is the average weight, while some
are as light as three, and others again as
heavy as fifteen pennyweights
Engagement rings generally contain
single stone, diamond, though the diamond
and ruby, the emerald, topaz or other fancy
stones are frequently used. One downtown
dealer keeps stock OF over 1000 patterns
of engagement rings from which selections
may be made. The bulk of engagement
rings are sold at prices ranging from IS 10
$50 Five-eighths of the engagement riggs
called for are disposed of at these prices.
One-fourth fetch from 800 to $3.50. while
one-eighth range from $3.50 to 8, 900. Few
wedding or engagement rings are now i'm
ported. America at present leads the world
in their manufacture. At one ii lie English
rings were popular, bnt of recent years
yankee ingenuity has designed rings which
are less clumsy and ungainlY than those
made in England.
A Maiden lane dealer, who has made a
special study IF the history of wedding
rings, gave some interesting facts ia con-
nection with their origin aud use in vari-
GUS countries.
1t appears to be clear that rings were
rirst employed at the ceremony Of be-
trothal, and not necessarily at the second
ceremony, or the benediction and compile
tion of the marriage. The christian church.
doubtless, adopted the wedding ring from
the pagans OF Italy as a convenient sign of
marriage, and it appears that the ring was
thus used by christians before mar
riage came to be regarded as religious
institution. The nuptial nings of the Ro-
mans were made of various metals, as iron,
brass, copper and gold. The rings were
orname ted in various ways. When the
formal betrothal became obsolete the ring
used at marriages took plain shape and
was generally simple hoop Of gold, as at
the present time. Now that the betrothal
and marriage have but the one formal cere-
mony, all the ornamentation is bestowed
upon the engagement ring. In early times
the betrothal ring was worn, as at present,
on the third finger of the left hand, because
of an erroneous idea that vein or nerve
ran from that finger directly to the heart,
sand therefore 1t was thought that the out
ward sign OF matrimony ought to be placed
in near connection with that seat of life
Another reason why this particular hand
and finger were used is that the left hand Is
less employed than the rigat, and the finger
next the least is more protected than any
other one. In ancient days the ring appears
TO have been put upon the rides right
hand. When children were betrothed by
the Anglo-Saxons the bridegrooms gave
ring which was placed on fhe maiden's
right hand, where it remained until the
actual marriage, when it was transferred
to the left hand. The Anglo-No mans put
the ring on the middle finger of the right
hand. Frequently during the last century
the wedding ring was W. rn after marriage
on the thumb, in which position it Is repre-
sented in the portrait Of the Countess of
Pembroke. The use Of wedding ring is
absolutely necessary according to the En-
glish church.
The Quakers reject the use of a ring in
their weddings because of its heathenish
origin, but many ladies Of the Society of
Friends wear a ring after the ceremony.
The prote tant church in Switzerland and
the Mormons do not use a ring at their nup-
tials. Some years 81 zee ring of brass was
used at Worcester, Eng, at wedding be-
fore the registrar, VINO was threatened
with proceedings for not compelling q
gold one to be employed. A story is told
of the wedding of two paupers who came
to the church and requested to be mar
ried with the church KEY, as the parochial
authorities had not furnished them with q
ring. The clerk, feeling some delicacy
about using the key, fetched an cd curtain
ring from his own house and with that
article the II arriage was celebrated. The
Duke of Hamilton was married with bed
curtain ring, and not many years since
an English wedding was solemnizsd with
ring of leather, cut transversely from
finger of the bridegroom's glove, as
substitute for the wedding ring.
One of the earliest forms Of betrothal
rings was the gemmal or gimnal ring. Ii
was, as its name imports, twin or double
ring, being composed Of two or more inter-
laced links, which turned upon pivot or
hinge These several links could be ut up
into one solid ring. Each hoop had one of
its sides fat and the other convex, and when
the two fiat sides were brought together the
links formed one ring. Some curious old
specimens of betrothal rings are the prop
erty of Maiden lane jeweler, who brought
them from England few years ago One
is Of silver, with clasped hands in
front, and on the fat of the hoop
outside are engraved the words, In
hope is help.n Another specimen
is cinque-cento Italian betrothal
ring, set with ruby and emerald, and or
namented with Two rlgnG nanus JOlneu. n
third is betrothal ring of silver-gilt found
at Ringwood. 1t is a guilloche hoop, with
the device of heart fianked by quatrefoil
flowers. the arched foot-stalks of which is
sued from the top of the heart. A be-
trothaI ring, with hands conioined, has the
words, ''Gift and giver your servants ever"
A small gold ring. found in Yorkshire, had
for device two arpine plants Joined by
true love knot, under the motto, my
sweetheart wills" The stalks of the plant
were bent to each other in token that the
giver and wearer were to come together in
marriage. The wedding ring of st. Louis
of France bore sapphire intaglio: For the
wedding of Martin Luther and Catherine
Won Bora two silver-giit rings were made.
The former is preserved in Saxony, and the
latter is now in Paris
According to the old jewish law the ofti-
cialing rabbi at wedding received from
the bridegroom gold ring OF certain
value. which he owed to some of the COM
pany to examine if it were genuine, and II
so he and the chief officers of the syn lgogue
certified the fact. When this was done the
ring was returned to the bridegroom, who
placed it upon the brides second Fl lger, at
the same time proclaiming that she
was by means of it consecrated unto
him. Jewish wedding rings are
sometimes large and elaborate workman
ship, and have generally engraved upon
them in Hebrew characters sentiment
conveying an expression of good wishes,